The last night of the proms is a confection, a delight, a pom pom of patriotism: not a hand-over-heart declamatory patriotism, but a self-deprecating patriotism with no rod up the arse. We are experiencing a crude politcal attempt to swing us away from that, but let us true Brits rejoice in our tongue-in-cheek approach to our pride in the _people_ of our nation.
@@garethgriffiths9775 No, it isn't an anti-slavery song. It doesn't demand that slavery worldwide be stopped - only that we, the British, shall not be slaves. The words do accept that other nations will not be as free as us, and that is only to be expected. Other nations not so blessed as thee must in their turn to tyrants fall!
@@disappointedenglishman98 In Arne’s original setting it’s about King Alfred taking on the Vikings, but in reality it’s a contemporary exhortation to combat the Barbary Pirates who captured millions of slaves, all white incidentally, from Britain, Ireland and Europe - they actually occupied the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel. It’s an interesting part of history worth researching. In that respect it is an anti slavery song.
@@ianpark1805 No, it's not. It doesn't oppose the institution of slavery -- it only says that British people have a tradition of liberty and should not be slaves. It doesn't say that Africans should not be slaves.
@@disappointedenglishman98 It was about Africans enslaving white people. Read up on the Barbary Pirates! Also do a bit of background into Arne’s composition. You’re half right in that it doesn’t say anything about enslaving black Africans. It was about a response to the Royal Navy not being able to combat the Barbary Pirates. Hence the exhortation to ‘rule the waves’. Fortunately a country with a large reach and navy put paid to the Barbary Pirates - thanks USA! (We helped, being great joiner inners!).
What a hoot! Sarah Connelly is a British opera star famous for 'trouser roles', where women with not-so-high voices play male roles. Very common in opera. Thanks for reacting to my beloved Proms ❤
More precisely even: male roles that were originally written for castratos. So yeah, back in the Baroque era the mighty, powerful heroes in Opera like Julius Caesar weren't all that powerful in other departments! 😉
@@soozb15 When Britain first at Heaven's Command Arose from out the azure main Arose arose from out the azure main This was the Charter. The Charter of the Land And Guardian Angels sang this strain RULE BRITANNIA ! BRITANNIA RULE THE WAVES ! BRITONS NEVER NEVER NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES 🇬🇧🟥👑💂🐴🚢🎡🍵 Che k out the 2012 Proms. It’s much better
Sarah Connolly's husband suggested she should get a costume made in the style of Admiral Lord Nelson's day - just the ticket and a fine performance by all.
What's not often appreciated is that the words "Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!" are NOT actually a claim or boast. Rather, they're a demand or injunction. One bluntly telling an island people what their nation MUST be able to do so enemies CAN'T ever reduce them to slavery... ...and worryingly, it's just as valid today as it ever was.
When Britain first at Heaven's Command Arose from out the azure main Arose arose from out the azure main This was the Charter. The Charter of the Land And Guardian Angels sang this strain RULE BRITANNIA ! BRITANNIA RULE THE WAVES ! BRITONS NEVER NEVER NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES 🇬🇧🟥👑💂🐴🚢🎡🍵
I was at this performance. I knew a chinese lady once, who said the only time she felt frightened in England was when shesaw the last night of the Proms, because it showed her what woudl be possible if the people were properly organised. By the way, around 7,000 people in the hall, 40,000 in Hyde park, maybe 30,000 across the other venues.
Funnily enough, the fact that the Royal Albert Hall is elliptical makes it an acoustic nightmare. It was said that the conductor could hear the orchestra twice due to the echo. The finally fixed it with the mushrooms suspended from the ceiling. They can be raised and lowered to adjust the acoustics to suit the performance.
Sheffield City hall is the same (on a smaller scale) I sang in a school choir of 300 people positioned behind the stage ... and when you sing it seems as though you can only hear your own voice properly and the other voices seem to come from a distance .... weird
@@wrorchestra1Oh! I thought it was an elliptical illusion 😀 True Story. I sent an E-mail to a Racing Channel Studio last year after the Irish Presenter who was present at the track said the racetrack was "egg-shaped" and I asked the studio guys "Is he sure it is not an elliptical illusion?" . Unfortunately, the young guy reading The E-Mails assumed I made a typo and seriously asked the Irish Guy if the track really was elliptical as he had said earlier, giving the impression that I was questioning his view....lol
I love how much you appreciate these performances even though you are a filthy Yank ❤ I get chills watching football (sawker) crowds going absolutely nuts after a goal, even when it's a team I don't particularly like. It's something about that shared experience between people just letting loose.
I'm a leftie, but I'm a great defender of 'Rule, Britannia'. For a start, it is not the smug 'Britannia rules the waves" but a wish - 'Britannia rule the waves'. In 1740 we were worried as we went into the War of the Austrian Succession. We were quite sensibly worried about perhaps having a French invasion; five years later the French managed to foment a very dangerous rebellion, the '45, led by 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. People have criticised the contrast between these lyrics and the fact that the slave trade ( which was an abomination) was thriving at this time. But there was starting to be a great emphasis on our freedoms, and many weren't happy about the dangers of condoning slavery, for ourselves as well as in the Caribbean. William the Conqueror had abolished slavery for us about 1085, and a bit later than this song - in 1772 - we forced the Lord Chief Justice, in the Mansfield Judgment, to admit that slavery had no place in English law. Were these lyrics a step toward this?
And let us not forget the pirates from the Barbary Coast of North Africa who raided off the coasts of continental Europe and Britain and took captives from the white population, selling them into slavery where the men could expect castration and the women to become sex-slaves. The words of the poem (the finale of a longer work) actually refer to the subjugation of parts of Britain, and England in particular, by the invading Vikings and the resistance led by King Alfred of Wessex. King Alfred is normally regarded as the founder of the English navy: hence the tie-up with ruling the waves. Another aspect of tge history of this song relates to the rift between King George II, born and brought up in the German state of Hanover and embroiled in European affairs and quarrels and his estranged son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who identified more with Britain and whose party were opposed to foreign adventures on the European continent of little benefit to Britain. The song was patronised by the Prince's circle.
As someone who grew up there, I'm proud to say that on his march for the English throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie got as far as Derby and turned around. Many have since repeated this exploit, on the up and the down line.
If you haven't already, I would highly recommend watching "Fantasia on British Sea Songs" and "Pomp and Circumstance" also from Last Night of the Proms. Prepare for some major shenanigans.
Last Night of the Proms is so powerful it makes me feel proud for a country I haven't even visited. It must be the most inclusive and welcoming patriotic event. Everybody there is waving their own (and other?) flags in celebration.
Thanks apart from one year when "The Remainers" wanted to influence us to stay in The European Union and many turned up with majority E U Flags that "Last Night"...:)
Contrary to what many people seem to believe, 'Rule Britannia' was written long before the height of the British empire and is not a boast of supremacy or about praising colonisation but rather an exhortation, expressing a wish for a strong navy to defend Britain so its people would not be enslaved. It is about self-defence and preserving British freedom by protecting Britain's waters. Those in modern times who wrongly think this is a racist, colonial song do not understand its true meaning and origins. The song comes from the final part of a Georgian-era masque (a form of musical play) written in 1740 (long before the Royal Navy achieved supremacy at sea) about the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred. The masque written by Thomas Arne (music) and James Thompson (lyrics) was commissioned by Frederick, Prince of Wales, who favoured building up the Royal Navy and led the opposition to the policies of the then Whig government of his father (George II). It praises King Alfred for his courage and victory against the Vikings (who ruled the seas during Alfred's reign), thus analogically commending Prince Frederick's wish to build a strong navy to ensure British people remained free from invasion and enslavement. To defend your own country and preserve your freedom is the right of every citizen, so British people can sing this aspirationally with a true heart.
This is a brilliant rousing song for the Britsh nation (now their is a Labour MP) saying it should be banned. If she feels that strongly why doesn't she step down as an MP...
I remember 2-3 years ago the BBC were considering dropping it because people were "offended". There was such an outcry that they did an about turn. If some people are offended, then don't watch it and leave our traditions alone!
She was awesome that night! Brilliant. Love the Proms, last years Northern Soul theme was sooooo gooooood!! The Proms is worth my licence fee alone every year.
Loved this! Sir Henry Wood wrote the Fantasia of British Sea Songs to celebrate the Centenary of Admiral Lord Nelson's defeat of the joint Spanish and French fleets at Trafalgar. It is played during the first half of the annual concert during Last Night of the Proms. If you google it you will see other clips like this - you may even recognised some of the tunes. If, that is, you would like to react to more from the Last Night of the Proms!
Oh god this piece never gets old, 1 of the first Proms I actually payed attention to, what was this 1, 2012? This was the 1 that really made me realise what I'd been missing
History of this song is interesting. From the 9th Century Africans were coming to buy Brits to enslave and take them back to North Africa to either work them to death or when too old to work murder them a deliberate policy of Genocide hence no trace left today. Then over the next 400 or 500 years Barbary pirates from North Africa (long long before the North Atlantic Slave Trade!) raided Britain Ireland and other Northern European Nations near seaside town and villages and carried off whole populations Men Women and Children Baltimore in Co. Cork Ireland was totally depopulated not one soul left in the village. This song celebrates the time the Royal Navy Became strong enough to defend its shores and people and chase off the African raiders and enslavers. Hence "Britannia rules the waves" It is estimated that many more millions of Europeans were enslaved by Africans. than were carried across The North Atlantic and of course many of the descendants of the North Atlantic slave trade are alive and kicking today unlike their European Counterparts.
This is our Anti Slavery Song, proudest moment in British History when we not only declared Slavery a crime but went out and made it the law of the British Empire and beyond. It is sad that the USA, by leaving the Empire had to wait and wage a Civil War to free it's Slaves. The Law actually dates back to 1066 and William the Conquer ... we are very sorry that for a long and shameful part of our history we forgot this. If you want a spine chilly British Song then check out I Vow to the My Country - th-cam.com/video/b1auKiBFv2M/w-d-xo.html
Liz Stratton, that is simply a lie. Rule Britannia is not about declaring slavery a crime, but merely saying that WE are not going to be slaves. The song itself accepts that others will do. "Other nations not so blessed as thee must in their turns to tyrants fall, while thou shalt flourish strong and free, the dread and envy of them all". This explicitly states that other nations can't be expected to be as free as us.
Those are only for pre-booked tickets for the most expensive seats. There are some on an open ballot system for under £100, and there are a limited number of standing room tickets available on the day for £5. A season ticket - for the whole series - includes one for the Last Night, and a limited number of tickets are available for half season ticket holders for £5.
@@Badgersjagreed, those prices are for the private boxes which are owned by various individuals rather than the Royal Albert Hall. It’s better to wait until the actual programme of events has been released and go through the BBC prom’s website to book, admittedly the last night does have some additional restrictions for buying tickets, if memory serves you have to attend a set number of other events to be in with a chance to buy the tickets
Bit different to seeing Deep Purple one week and Creedence Clearwater Revival the following week in "The Gods" for 25 ....PENCE for each Concert circa 1972/3:)
It is difficult as a Brit not to be swept up in it. Lyrically, in the original context, it was still an aspiration rather than a reality. These days we can't get a carrier out of port without it bursting into flames...
I can't understand it. It celebrates the stopping of the slave trade (as in owning people as opposed to the concept of slavery that existed for a few hundred years beforehand ie Serfdom, instead of lowering a human being to the level of an animal for the purpose of greed and profit and AFTER a few had made their squillions and didn't really mind it so much, durrr...) - child of Jamaican parents here, don't see why it should be removed... really, I love it, it's all part of the pomp..
Ironically at a time when the abolition of slavery was being debated in the British Parliament before finally passing in 1807 and abolition completed in 1833.
No, in 1740 when this song was written, Britain's navy was not the world's best or biggest. In fact, it was written out of concern that Britain needed a better navy to defend British people from invasion and enslavement by foreign powers. Hence, the chorus is an exhortation to build the navy (i.e. 'Britannia, rule the waves', not a 'Britannia rules the waves'). It is not a supremacist boast. The supremacy of the British navy at sea was only established after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when the British navy defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets (i.e. much later than the writing of this song).
@@Langstrath beginning in 1740 the royal navy increased in size, by the 1760's it was larger than the combined force of france, spain and the netherlands
@@RichDoes.. Yes, the Royal Navy between 1740 - 1760 then increased in size dramatically (almost doubling in tonnage), partly due to capturing French and Spanish ships while losing fewer British ships during the War of the Austrian Succession and then the Seven Years War but also due to building more ships. Meanwhile, there were serious reductions in spending on the French navy during that period, largely due to accumulated debts from earlier wars. The power of the Spanish navy and the Spanish empire also began to decline from around that time. The size of the Dutch navy during those 20 years was fairly static. That large increase in the British navy coinciding with far less growth in the French and Spanish navies culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 where many of the French and Spanish ships were captured or sunk and the rest blockaded in ports and thus Britain gained more or less complete supremacy at sea.
If you enjoyed that (and why not) then you need to watch the rest ie: 'Jerusalem and God save the Queen' and 'Pomp & Circumstance' th-cam.com/video/041nXAAn714/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUnamVydXNhbGVtIGxhc3QgbmlnaHQgb2YgdGhlIHByb21zIDIwMjMg th-cam.com/video/8AiqMWCCtOM/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUzbGFzdCBuaWdodCBvZiB0aGUgcHJvbXMgMjAxMiBwb21wIGFuZCBjaXJjdW1zdGFuY2Ug
By law, Britain had to have a naval power twice the size of teh next 2 largest navies in the world. After WWI it was not affordable. For a brief period of time, after the German fleet surrender, Britain had by far the greatest sea power every to that day. 176 German ships were under British control in addition to its own. The British Grand Fleet included 35 Battleships, 50 battle cruisers and 160 destroyers. It was described as a "frightening amount of power". At the beginning of WW2 Britain still had the largest navy in the world including 335 destroyers. Bear in mind that today, Britain has 7 destroyers.
Let's take Rhode Island back as a colony. We would have a governer! Can't say I understand what she is singing though. Of course I know the chorus though.
Whenever I hear Rule Britannia or Jerusalem it makes me feel really proud of my country and it’s great history. Oh, I just realised, perhaps, I’ll be offending the lefty liberals in my country who want us to apologise for our great past and replace the Union Jack with the EU flag. Not in the slightest. I do not believe it’s a coincidence that part of Britains rapid decline is because British values are no longer taught in our schools, teaching our youngsters like the Americans to respect our national flag and our history instead of being brainwashed by the mainstream media and the lefty’s to apologise for it. British values = Pride. A country without pride cannot be a strong country with a strong economy. For the moment, britain needs to forget about what it can do to turn things around and rebuild our manufacturing base and our economy, until it unites all its citizens within the British isles. Only then can we look outward and become a force to be reckoned with, only then. ✌️🇬🇧🇳🇿🇦🇺🇨🇦 ✌️ #canzuk ✌️🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸✌️
That's not quite correct. The Proms started in 1895 and the Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805. The Proms were created to bring music to the masses, not to celebrate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. However, Sir Henry Wood's 'Fantasia on British Sea Songs' which is performed on the Last Night of the Proms annually WAS written and performed to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1905. 'Rule Britannia' was written much earlier in 1740.
When Britain first, at Heaven's command Arose from out the azure main; Arose, arose from out the azure main; This was the charter, the charter of the land, And guardian angels sung this strain: "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." The nations, not so blest as thee, Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall; Must, in their tu~urns, to tyrants fall; While thou shalt flourish, shalt flourish great and free, The dread and envy of them all. "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." Still more majestic shalt thou rise, More dreadful, from each foreign stroke; More dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke; As the loud blast, the blast that tears the skies, Serves but to root thy native oak. "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves."
What an ally you have. Please dont forget it. We had to sit through the blitz without any help from anyone including you.The whole of Europe had fallen and you left us alone because of week politics.We will not do that to you
We need to remember to be proud of our beautiful United Kingdom. It's influence is far better than most of the world, much more than some would have us believe these days of trying to corrupt the truth, and much more than theirs for good.
Leave me alone and stop playing around with my life I'm getting fed up of it I need to walk away I need time for myself right now I am in so much sorrow about my mum just now
It's just a patriotic Victorian song written to sell printed song sheets in the street. It has no bearing on Britain now and the upper classes who watch this kind of stuff have infected the poshly spoken Tory party, which has run Britain 70% of the time since this was written and got it into the terrible, brexit doomed state that it's in now, with public buildings, roads and public services all falling apart, productivity low, investment low, earnings flat or falling, volumes of exports fallen and mortgages and rents + food prices rocketing, with rivers and inland seas full of privatised water industry shit.
zzz. Rule, Britannia was written in 1740, long before the Victorian period, and not long after the worst of the Arab slave raids which plagued the European coastline as far as Iceland. The town of Baltimore in Co Cork was completely emptied of all its inhabitants apart from two survivors and the island of Lundy captured and used as a base by the slavers. The West Country was badly affected, and the song is based on a story of a slave raid on a Cornish village, one of the young women being led up the gangplank turned and shouted "We will never be slaves!" It is not known what happened to her. Thus the phrase "Britannia, rule the waves!" is a command to take control of the sea to halt this dreadful trade, as well as fend off threats from the French and Spanish empires, before rather than in celebration of the British empire. You're slightly right to blame the Victorians though, they did change the phrase to "Britannia rules the waves" but I'm glad to say the older version is regarded as the correct one, and that's the one Sarah Connolly sings here. The Promenade Concerts have never been anything to do with upper classes, poshness or the Tory party - they were created to allow the masses to enjoy classical music at affordable prices - even today you can get tickets for £5 if you are prepared to queue. As for Brexit - yawn.
@@claregale9011 😆 Yes, but the history behind it's quite fascinating! The man who captured Lundy had been taken as a slave himself, converted to Islam, freed and became one of the most successful privateers... OK I'll shut up now!
The last night of the proms is a confection, a delight, a pom pom of patriotism: not a hand-over-heart declamatory patriotism, but a self-deprecating patriotism with no rod up the arse.
We are experiencing a crude politcal attempt to swing us away from that, but let us true Brits rejoice in our tongue-in-cheek approach to our pride in the _people_ of our nation.
Absolutely brilliant. And as for those calling for it to be banned as it might offend some, it’s our country and tradition so accept or leave.
how? its an anti slavery song
@@garethgriffiths9775 No, it isn't an anti-slavery song. It doesn't demand that slavery worldwide be stopped - only that we, the British, shall not be slaves. The words do accept that other nations will not be as free as us, and that is only to be expected. Other nations not so blessed as thee must in their turn to tyrants fall!
@@disappointedenglishman98 In Arne’s original setting it’s about King Alfred taking on the Vikings, but in reality it’s a contemporary exhortation to combat the Barbary Pirates who captured millions of slaves, all white incidentally, from Britain, Ireland and Europe - they actually occupied the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel. It’s an interesting part of history worth researching. In that respect it is an anti slavery song.
@@ianpark1805 No, it's not. It doesn't oppose the institution of slavery -- it only says that British people have a tradition of liberty and should not be slaves. It doesn't say that Africans should not be slaves.
@@disappointedenglishman98 It was about Africans enslaving white people. Read up on the Barbary Pirates! Also do a bit of background into Arne’s composition. You’re half right in that it doesn’t say anything about enslaving black Africans. It was about a response to the Royal Navy not being able to combat the Barbary Pirates. Hence the exhortation to ‘rule the waves’. Fortunately a country with a large reach and navy put paid to the Barbary Pirates - thanks USA! (We helped, being great joiner inners!).
What a hoot! Sarah Connelly is a British opera star famous for 'trouser roles', where women with not-so-high voices play male roles. Very common in opera. Thanks for reacting to my beloved Proms ❤
More precisely even: male roles that were originally written for castratos. So yeah, back in the Baroque era the mighty, powerful heroes in Opera like Julius Caesar weren't all that powerful in other departments! 😉
@@christophjannek5398 yeah, makes me cringe, and I'm not even a fella. Barbaric.
@@soozb15
When Britain first at Heaven's Command
Arose from out the azure main
Arose arose from out the azure main
This was the Charter. The Charter of the Land
And Guardian Angels sang this strain
RULE BRITANNIA ! BRITANNIA RULE THE WAVES !
BRITONS NEVER NEVER NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES
🇬🇧🟥👑💂🐴🚢🎡🍵
Che k out the 2012 Proms. It’s much better
Sarah Connolly's husband suggested she should get a costume made in the style of Admiral Lord Nelson's day - just the ticket and a fine performance by all.
She was absolutely awesome.
I reaky disliked this performance. She's taking the pee.
What's not often appreciated is that the words "Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!" are NOT actually a claim or boast. Rather, they're a demand or injunction. One bluntly telling an island people what their nation MUST be able to do so enemies CAN'T ever reduce them to slavery...
...and worryingly, it's just as valid today as it ever was.
Exactly. See my peroration on 17th century slavery above!
When Britain first at Heaven's Command
Arose from out the azure main
Arose arose from out the azure main
This was the Charter. The Charter of the Land
And Guardian Angels sang this strain
RULE BRITANNIA ! BRITANNIA RULE THE WAVES !
BRITONS NEVER NEVER NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES
🇬🇧🟥👑💂🐴🚢🎡🍵
And Brits, and Europeans, were taken as slaves by Berber pirates throughout the 17th century. In large numbers.
The Spanish and French tried and failed. The sea ran red with their blood. Long live the prodestant and reformed faith
Even more so as we are over run with filth.
I was at this performance. I knew a chinese lady once, who said the only time she felt frightened in England was when shesaw the last night of the Proms, because it showed her what woudl be possible if the people were properly organised. By the way, around 7,000 people in the hall, 40,000 in Hyde park, maybe 30,000 across the other venues.
That was only the people actually there- Millions watch on TV the "Last Night of the Proms." even if they don't watch the earlier "Promenade Concerts"
@@malcolmhouston7932And it’s televised across Europe too.
Funnily enough, the fact that the Royal Albert Hall is elliptical makes it an acoustic nightmare. It was said that the conductor could hear the orchestra twice due to the echo. The finally fixed it with the mushrooms suspended from the ceiling. They can be raised and lowered to adjust the acoustics to suit the performance.
Sheffield City hall is the same (on a smaller scale) I sang in a school choir of 300 people positioned behind the stage ... and when you sing it seems as though you can only hear your own voice properly and the other voices seem to come from a distance .... weird
Is it "elliptical" or is that an illusion?
@@Isleofskye it is definitely elliptical
@@wrorchestra1Oh! I thought it was an elliptical illusion 😀
True Story. I sent an E-mail to a Racing Channel Studio last year after the Irish Presenter who was present at the track said the racetrack was "egg-shaped" and I asked the studio guys "Is he sure it is not an elliptical illusion?" . Unfortunately, the young guy reading The E-Mails assumed I made a typo and seriously asked the Irish Guy if the track really was elliptical as he had said earlier, giving the impression that I was questioning his view....lol
The young guy read it as "optical illusion" as if I was being serious,I should have said.
I love how much you appreciate these performances even though you are a filthy Yank ❤ I get chills watching football (sawker) crowds going absolutely nuts after a goal, even when it's a team I don't particularly like. It's something about that shared experience between people just letting loose.
Sawker 😂😂😂😂
I'm a leftie, but I'm a great defender of 'Rule, Britannia'.
For a start, it is not the smug 'Britannia rules the waves" but a wish - 'Britannia rule the waves'. In 1740 we were worried as we went into the War of the Austrian Succession. We were quite sensibly worried about perhaps having a French invasion; five years later the French managed to foment a very dangerous rebellion, the '45, led by 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'.
People have criticised the contrast between these lyrics and the fact that the slave trade ( which was an abomination) was thriving at this time. But there was starting to be a great emphasis on our freedoms, and many weren't happy about the dangers of condoning slavery, for ourselves as well as in the Caribbean. William the Conqueror had abolished slavery for us about 1085, and a bit later than this song - in 1772 - we forced the Lord Chief Justice, in the Mansfield Judgment, to admit that slavery had no place in English law. Were these lyrics a step toward this?
William said that no man could be sold, but were tied to the land owner. You would have to obtained permission to leave, you were a Serf.
A leftie? You are in your arse. You’re a proper little England and no mistake.
And let us not forget the pirates from the Barbary Coast of North Africa who raided off the coasts of continental Europe and Britain and took captives from the white population, selling them into slavery where the men could expect castration and the women to become sex-slaves.
The words of the poem (the finale of a longer work) actually refer to the subjugation of parts of Britain, and England in particular, by the invading Vikings and the resistance led by King Alfred of Wessex. King Alfred is normally regarded as the founder of the English navy: hence the tie-up with ruling the waves.
Another aspect of tge history of this song relates to the rift between King George II, born and brought up in the German state of Hanover and embroiled in European affairs and quarrels and his estranged son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who identified more with Britain and whose party were opposed to foreign adventures on the European continent of little benefit to Britain. The song was patronised by the Prince's circle.
As someone who grew up there, I'm proud to say that on his march for the English throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie got as far as Derby and turned around. Many have since repeated this exploit, on the up and the down line.
Not a wish but advice on how to defend the nation
If you haven't already, I would highly recommend watching "Fantasia on British Sea Songs" and "Pomp and Circumstance" also from Last Night of the Proms. Prepare for some major shenanigans.
And of course "Jerusalem".
Amazing, thank you Connor - I've never attended The Last Night of the Proms, but I imagine the energy is just out of this world.
Lyrics were written by Scotsman James Thomson in 1740, and set to music by Englishman Thomas Arne the very same year.
Last Night of the Proms is so powerful it makes me feel proud for a country I haven't even visited.
It must be the most inclusive and welcoming patriotic event. Everybody there is waving their own (and other?) flags in celebration.
Thanks apart from one year when "The Remainers" wanted to influence us to stay in The European Union and many turned up with majority E U Flags that "Last Night"...:)
Contrary to what many people seem to believe, 'Rule Britannia' was written long before the height of the British empire and is not a boast of supremacy or about praising colonisation but rather an exhortation, expressing a wish for a strong navy to defend Britain so its people would not be enslaved. It is about self-defence and preserving British freedom by protecting Britain's waters. Those in modern times who wrongly think this is a racist, colonial song do not understand its true meaning and origins.
The song comes from the final part of a Georgian-era masque (a form of musical play) written in 1740 (long before the Royal Navy achieved supremacy at sea) about the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred. The masque written by Thomas Arne (music) and James Thompson (lyrics) was commissioned by Frederick, Prince of Wales, who favoured building up the Royal Navy and led the opposition to the policies of the then Whig government of his father (George II). It praises King Alfred for his courage and victory against the Vikings (who ruled the seas during Alfred's reign), thus analogically commending Prince Frederick's wish to build a strong navy to ensure British people remained free from invasion and enslavement.
To defend your own country and preserve your freedom is the right of every citizen, so British people can sing this aspirationally with a true heart.
Connor, I loved your reaction to this 🙂❤ Loved it when you said something like Time to invade the Colonies damned yanks 😂
Ah, 2009! The country was a much better place back then.
This is a brilliant rousing song for the Britsh nation (now their is a Labour MP) saying it should be banned. If she feels that strongly why doesn't she step down as an MP...
I remember 2-3 years ago the BBC were considering dropping it because people were "offended". There was such an outcry that they did an about turn. If some people are offended, then don't watch it and leave our traditions alone!
Labour should be banned.
What MP is this?
She was awesome that night! Brilliant. Love the Proms, last years Northern Soul theme was sooooo gooooood!! The Proms is worth my licence fee alone every year.
Such a shame that ill health has put an end to her singing career.What a voice.
Great that Sarah dressed up and threw in a bit of fun with her performance. There is always a reprise the audience expect it
"God, I'm ready to invade the colonies, those damn yanks." Rule Britannia is indeed the on switch for friendly fire. Lmao
And the yanks know all about friendly fire.
@@brianshockledge3241 oof. *sips tea in agreement.
The irony is william the first made it law that britain can have no slaves on it's land .
Loved this! Sir Henry Wood wrote the Fantasia of British Sea Songs to celebrate the Centenary of Admiral Lord Nelson's defeat of the joint Spanish and French fleets at Trafalgar. It is played during the first half of the annual concert during Last Night of the Proms. If you google it you will see other clips like this - you may even recognised some of the tunes. If, that is, you would like to react to more from the Last Night of the Proms!
Look up Bryn Terfel singing it in Welsh in 1994! Its fun
Rule Brittania for Christmas Number 1 !!
Oh god this piece never gets old, 1 of the first Proms I actually payed attention to, what was this 1, 2012?
This was the 1 that really made me realise what I'd been missing
You'd love the zFantasia on English Sea Songs. It includes a race between the audience and orchestra.
History of this song is interesting. From the 9th Century Africans were coming to buy Brits to enslave and take them back to North Africa to either work them to death or when too old to work murder them a deliberate policy of Genocide hence no trace left today. Then over the next 400 or 500 years Barbary pirates from North Africa (long long before the North Atlantic Slave Trade!) raided Britain Ireland and other Northern European Nations near seaside town and villages and carried off whole populations Men Women and Children Baltimore in Co. Cork Ireland was totally depopulated not one soul left in the village. This song celebrates the time the Royal Navy Became strong enough to defend its shores and people and chase off the African raiders and
enslavers. Hence "Britannia rules the waves" It is estimated that many more millions of Europeans were enslaved by Africans. than were carried across The North Atlantic and of course many of the descendants of the North Atlantic slave trade are alive and kicking today unlike their European Counterparts.
Please listen to Zadok the Priest by Handel played at King Charles lll Coronation 2023 Also moving!
I love Zadok the Priest.
you should check out last night of the proms "fantasia on british sea songs"... it's jolly good!
Cracking tune!
Loved it.🇬🇧
Just brilliant, loved it
This is our Anti Slavery Song, proudest moment in British History when we not only declared Slavery a crime but went out and made it the law of the British Empire and beyond. It is sad that the USA, by leaving the Empire had to wait and wage a Civil War to free it's Slaves. The Law actually dates back to 1066 and William the Conquer ... we are very sorry that for a long and shameful part of our history we forgot this. If you want a spine chilly British Song then check out I Vow to the My Country - th-cam.com/video/b1auKiBFv2M/w-d-xo.html
Liz Stratton, that is simply a lie. Rule Britannia is not about declaring slavery a crime, but merely saying that WE are not going to be slaves. The song itself accepts that others will do. "Other nations not so blessed as thee must in their turns to tyrants fall, while thou shalt flourish strong and free, the dread and envy of them all". This explicitly states that other nations can't be expected to be as free as us.
Love from England you are a great person 🎉
4th of july in the US got nothing on this.
Try the same year and the same American conductor conducting Land of Hope and Glory.
That man has conducted more orchestras than you could shake a stick at.
Loved your comment 'ready to invade the colonies' luckily we've stopped that chap but this is one time Brits show their pride.
Oops should say crap - that's crazy typing ! 😊
Loved it even if I couldn't understand a word! P.S. Your lawn is looking great.
goosebumps everytime
At the moment.. March 24.. tickets are from £1.074 including VAT .. but go up to over £2000 a ticket depending where you sit..
Those are only for pre-booked tickets for the most expensive seats. There are some on an open ballot system for under £100, and there are a limited number of standing room tickets available on the day for £5. A season ticket - for the whole series - includes one for the Last Night, and a limited number of tickets are available for half season ticket holders for £5.
@@Badgersjagreed, those prices are for the private boxes which are owned by various individuals rather than the Royal Albert Hall. It’s better to wait until the actual programme of events has been released and go through the BBC prom’s website to book, admittedly the last night does have some additional restrictions for buying tickets, if memory serves you have to attend a set number of other events to be in with a chance to buy the tickets
Bit different to seeing Deep Purple one week and Creedence Clearwater Revival the following week in "The Gods" for 25 ....PENCE for each Concert circa 1972/3:)
@@Isleofskye Not much, if you compare the 1972 prices to today's £5 for standing tickets. And there are a lot more musicians who want paying!
@@BadgersjAgreed. I was comparing it to the figures given by the creator.
It is difficult as a Brit not to be swept up in it. Lyrically, in the original context, it was still an aspiration rather than a reality. These days we can't get a carrier out of port without it bursting into flames...
So glad you enjoyed it. It's worth pointing out that the conductor is an American.
Every time I watch this I want to be British.... atleast for a few hours ;-)
An obnoxious, self aggrandising, colonial oppressing fop? Good for you 😕
They should put subtitles underneath
Best version ever!
Deserves a like as they arebtrying to take I off the program
I can't understand it. It celebrates the stopping of the slave trade (as in owning people as opposed to the concept of slavery that existed for a few hundred years beforehand ie Serfdom, instead of lowering a human being to the level of an animal for the purpose of greed and profit and AFTER a few had made their squillions and didn't really mind it so much, durrr...) - child of Jamaican parents here, don't see why it should be removed... really, I love it, it's all part of the pomp..
@@KC-gy5xw I think it's all to do with the woke nonsense ....
I think if they try to stop it, the audience will just sing it anyway!😂
Amazin, init?
Oh my goodness 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧😍😍😍😍.
I cry every time!!
And without a mic!
I love the Proms version of this, and I also love the version of Rule Britannia in the 1978 film Jubilee - both of them are expressions of Englishness
Written in 1740.
Ironically at a time when the abolition of slavery was being debated in the British Parliament before finally passing in 1807 and abolition completed in 1833.
tiny glimpse of the crowds outside
At the time of the songs writing, Britain much as you have now, had the worlds best and biggest navy!
No, in 1740 when this song was written, Britain's navy was not the world's best or biggest. In fact, it was written out of concern that Britain needed a better navy to defend British people from invasion and enslavement by foreign powers. Hence, the chorus is an exhortation to build the navy (i.e. 'Britannia, rule the waves', not a 'Britannia rules the waves'). It is not a supremacist boast.
The supremacy of the British navy at sea was only established after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when the British navy defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets (i.e. much later than the writing of this song).
@@Langstrath beginning in 1740 the royal navy increased in size, by the 1760's it was larger than the combined force of france, spain and the netherlands
@@RichDoes..
Yes, the Royal Navy between 1740 - 1760 then increased in size dramatically (almost doubling in tonnage), partly due to capturing French and Spanish ships while losing fewer British ships during the War of the Austrian Succession and then the Seven Years War but also due to building more ships. Meanwhile, there were serious reductions in spending on the French navy during that period, largely due to accumulated debts from earlier wars. The power of the Spanish navy and the Spanish empire also began to decline from around that time. The size of the Dutch navy during those 20 years was fairly static. That large increase in the British navy coinciding with far less growth in the French and Spanish navies culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 where many of the French and Spanish ships were captured or sunk and the rest blockaded in ports and thus Britain gained more or less complete supremacy at sea.
You can't get anything more ENGLISH than that.
Played breaches role in opera!
This sort of patriotic celebration is special because it doesn't happen every day
Very patriotic song... proud to be British!
If you enjoyed that (and why not) then you need to watch the rest ie: 'Jerusalem and God save the Queen' and 'Pomp & Circumstance'
th-cam.com/video/041nXAAn714/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUnamVydXNhbGVtIGxhc3QgbmlnaHQgb2YgdGhlIHByb21zIDIwMjMg
th-cam.com/video/8AiqMWCCtOM/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUzbGFzdCBuaWdodCBvZiB0aGUgcHJvbXMgMjAxMiBwb21wIGFuZCBjaXJjdW1zdGFuY2Ug
‘Oh, it’s a woman’. Indeed. Sarah Connolly was and is a woman, and since 2017 she has been Dame Sarah Connolly.
chills
Her flag is upside down.
It is easy to know which way is correct, just look for the "Made in China" label.😄
Yes I bet whoever created that prop was given a bit of a talking-to!
By law, Britain had to have a naval power twice the size of teh next 2 largest navies in the world. After WWI it was not affordable. For a brief period of time, after the German fleet surrender, Britain had by far the greatest sea power every to that day. 176 German ships were under British control in addition to its own. The British Grand Fleet included 35 Battleships, 50 battle cruisers and 160 destroyers. It was described as a "frightening amount of power". At the beginning of WW2 Britain still had the largest navy in the world including 335 destroyers. Bear in mind that today, Britain has 7 destroyers.
dr who at the proms is well special
Love it,
Can’t believe you ain’t watched the rest of
The best
Let's take Rhode Island back as a colony. We would have a governer!
Can't say I understand what she is singing though. Of course I know the chorus though.
Marvellous, "nuff said".
The conductor is American.
In order to be there during this performance, the last performance at the proms, you have to have attended the previous shows prior to this one
Should be our national anthem. Reminder when we were number one not the US 😊
Whenever I hear Rule Britannia or Jerusalem it makes me feel really proud of my country and it’s great history. Oh, I just realised, perhaps, I’ll be offending the lefty liberals in my country who want us to apologise for our great past and replace the Union Jack with the EU flag. Not in the slightest.
I do not believe it’s a coincidence that part of Britains rapid decline is because British values are no longer taught in our schools, teaching our youngsters like the Americans to respect our national flag and our history instead of being brainwashed by the mainstream media and the lefty’s to apologise for it. British values = Pride. A country without pride cannot be a strong country with a strong economy. For the moment, britain needs to forget about what it can do to turn things around and rebuild our manufacturing base and our economy, until it unites all its citizens within the British isles. Only then can we look outward and become a force to be reckoned with, only then. ✌️🇬🇧🇳🇿🇦🇺🇨🇦 ✌️ #canzuk ✌️🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸✌️
When I watch this, I enjoy it as a bit of fun, but I don’t have to watch it to feel proud of my country as you do, obviously. 😊
@@MsCheesemonster13He is right … and you are WRONG 👍🏴🇬🇧
Aussie and proud dominion chokes me up 3very time I hear this song.
The proms began 100 years after the battle of Trafalgar to celebrate Admiral Lord Nelson’s victory. Hence the sea shanties & Rule Britannia.
That's not quite correct. The Proms started in 1895 and the Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805. The Proms were created to bring music to the masses, not to celebrate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar.
However, Sir Henry Wood's 'Fantasia on British Sea Songs' which is performed on the Last Night of the Proms annually WAS written and performed to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1905. 'Rule Britannia' was written much earlier in 1740.
When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
Arose, arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter, the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
Must, in their tu~urns, to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish, shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke;
More dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast, the blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."
What an ally you have. Please dont forget it. We had to sit through the blitz without any help from anyone including you.The whole of Europe had fallen and you left us alone because of week politics.We will not do that to you
We need to remember to be proud of our beautiful United Kingdom. It's influence is far better than most of the world, much more than some would have us believe these days of trying to corrupt the truth, and much more than theirs for good.
Yeah, and isn’t Britain where constitutional law began, with the Magna Carta?
i want that sword so badly
Twenny twenny ! I think you mean twenty twenty .
Still the best Country in the World , most Democratic regardless of our problems
I was half expecythe British Bulldogs to come out and wrestle
Should be our National Anthem.
And they are always trying to stop us singing it these days.
God Save The King!
Labour liberals want to ban this song now ... pure unpatriotism
Got proof of that?
@@richiethomfr He has proof in his head, that is all he needs.
@@richiethomfrPlenty if you read the news. A Labour minister said as much last week
@@marktallentire3464Wowch!
Jerusalem will be next.
Leave me alone and stop playing around with my life I'm getting fed up of it I need to walk away I need time for myself right now I am in so much sorrow about my mum just now
Loveya to mate my colonial cousin.
Britain never ever shall be slaves! Although many poor folk they came into contact with did.
Nearly as big as a Trump rally
It's just a patriotic Victorian song written to sell printed song sheets in the street. It has no bearing on Britain now and the upper classes who watch this kind of stuff have infected the poshly spoken Tory party, which has run Britain 70% of the time since this was written and got it into the terrible, brexit doomed state that it's in now, with public buildings, roads and public services all falling apart, productivity low, investment low, earnings flat or falling, volumes of exports fallen and mortgages and rents + food prices rocketing, with rivers and inland seas full of privatised water industry shit.
bore off you absolute personality vacuum
Remoaner alert!!!
zzz. Rule, Britannia was written in 1740, long before the Victorian period, and not long after the worst of the Arab slave raids which plagued the European coastline as far as Iceland. The town of Baltimore in Co Cork was completely emptied of all its inhabitants apart from two survivors and the island of Lundy captured and used as a base by the slavers. The West Country was badly affected, and the song is based on a story of a slave raid on a Cornish village, one of the young women being led up the gangplank turned and shouted "We will never be slaves!" It is not known what happened to her. Thus the phrase "Britannia, rule the waves!" is a command to take control of the sea to halt this dreadful trade, as well as fend off threats from the French and Spanish empires, before rather than in celebration of the British empire. You're slightly right to blame the Victorians though, they did change the phrase to "Britannia rules the waves" but I'm glad to say the older version is regarded as the correct one, and that's the one Sarah Connolly sings here.
The Promenade Concerts have never been anything to do with upper classes, poshness or the Tory party - they were created to allow the masses to enjoy classical music at affordable prices - even today you can get tickets for £5 if you are prepared to queue. As for Brexit - yawn.
Bloody hell it's just a song luv . 😊
@@claregale9011 😆 Yes, but the history behind it's quite fascinating! The man who captured Lundy had been taken as a slave himself, converted to Islam, freed and became one of the most successful privateers... OK I'll shut up now!
When are yall gonna liberate us of the monarchy and form the united states of Britain, like come on. Lol
Long live the prodestant faith