Rule, Britannia!

"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. It is strongly associated with the Royal Navy, but also used by the British Army.

Original masque

This British national air was originally included in Alfred, a masque about Alfred the Great co-written by Thomson and David Mallet and first performed at Cliveden, country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales (the eldest son of George II and father of the future George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria), on 1 August 1740, to commemorate the accession of George II and the third birthday of the Princess Augusta.

Frederick, a German prince who arrived in England as an adult and was on very bad terms with his father, was making considerable efforts to ingratiate himself and build a following among his subjects-to-be (which came to naught, as he predeceased his father and never became king). A masque linking the prince with both the medieval hero-king Alfred the Great's victories over the Vikings and with the current building of British sea power — exemplified by the recent successful capture of Porto Bello from the Spanish by Admiral Vernon on 21 November 1739, avenging in the eyes of the British public Admiral Hosier's disastrous Blockade of Porto Bello of 1726–27 — went well with his political plans and aspirations.

Last Night

Last Night, The Last Night or Last Nite may refer to:

Film

Literature

Music

Albums

Songs

The Proms

The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London, England. Founded in 1895, each season currently consists of more than 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of chamber concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the United Kingdom on the last night, and associated educational and children's events. In 2009 the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. In the context of classical music festivals, Jiří Bělohlávek has described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".

Night of the Proms

Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, Poland and the United States. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden. The concerts consist of pop music and popular classical music (often combined) and various well-known musicians and groups usually participate (see below).

Night of the Proms is the biggest annually organised indoor event in Europe.

Night of the Proms is based on the Last Night of the Proms, the last concert of the BBC Proms, a series of seventy or so classical concerts held yearly in the Royal Albert Hall in London, but it is organised independently. Though its inclusion of large portions of pop music - in order to appeal to a wider audience - does not match its British counterpart and originator, it shares other elements, such as the tradition of ending the performance with British patriotic song Land of Hope and Glory.

History

Night of the Proms was created by two Belgian students, Jan Vereecke and Jan Van Esbroeck in 1985. The first NotP took place at the Antwerp Sportpaleis in Belgium on 19 October 1985. Nowadays the event is organized by PSE Belgium (Promotion for Special Events), still managed by Jan Vereecke and Jan Van Esbroeck. PSE co-operates with local promoters (Mojo in the Netherlands, Dirk Hohmeyer in Germany, Niels Estrup in Scandinavia, Paul Emery in the United States, Music Events Poland, etc.).

Thomas Arne

Thomas Augustine Arne (/ɑːrn/; 12 March 1710, London – 5 March 1778, London) was an English composer, best known for the patriotic song Rule, Britannia!. He also wrote a version of God Save the King, which became the British national anthem, and the song A-Hunting We Will Go. Arne was the leading British theatre composer of the 18th century, working at Drury Lane and Covent Garden.

Early life

Arne was born to an Anglican father and Catholic mother in Covent Garden, and baptised at St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden.

His father and grandfather were both upholsterers and both became officials of the City Company of Upholsterers. His grandfather fell upon hard times and died in the debtors' prison of Marshalsea. Arne's father earned enough money not only to rent 31 King Street, a large house in Covent Garden, but also to have Arne educated at Eton College. In later life, he too lost most of his wealth and had to supplement his income by acting as a numberer of the boxes (ticket counter) at Drury Lane Theatre.