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On 11 November 1919, King George V presided over the inaugural Remembrance Day, a year after the end of World War I<\/a>. That initial ceremony of remembrance centred on a two-minute silence at 11am.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u2018The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect,\u2019 reported The<\/em> Manchester Guardian<\/em> that day. \u2018The tram cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume\u2026 and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition.\u2019<\/p>\n Silence remains an important part of today\u2019s Remembrance Day, marked by the lengthy musical programme of the day, which has remained unchanged since 1930. From Elgar\u2019s evocative Nimrod<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, to the British National Anthem \u2018God Save The King<\/a><\/strong>\u2018, we present a guide to the music of remembrance.<\/p>\n One of the fixtures of the Last Night<\/a><\/strong> of the Proms<\/strong><\/a>, Rule, Britannia!<\/em> is also performed at the Remembrance Day service. First heard in 1745, Thomas Arne<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s patriotic piece sprang from the era of empire and naval might.<\/p>\n The Britannia of James Thomson and David Mallett\u2019s poem originally referred to the Roman name for England and Wales. With its rousing chorus, it has remained popular and has popped in music by Beethoven<\/strong><\/a>, Wagner<\/strong><\/a> and Sullivan.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Heart of oak are our ships, heart of oak are our men,\u2019 begins the refrain of William Boyce\u2019s Heart of Oak<\/em>, the official march of the UK Royal Navy<\/strong><\/a>. With music by Boyce (not Arne, as once thought), its text is by David Garrick, one of the renowned British actors of the 18th century.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a jaunty, uplifting number, written in 1759 for Garrick\u2019s pantomime Harlequin\u2019s Invasion celebrating British victories against the French<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nBest Remembrance Sunday music<\/h2>\n
Rule, Britannia!<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Thomas Arne<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Heart of Oak<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>William Boyce<\/strong><\/h3>\n