Jerusalem Sheet Music

Jerusalem by Hubert Parry is a hymn based on the poem And did those feet in ancient time by William Blake. Blake wrote the poem in 1804 as the preface for his work: Milton, a Poem (though the work was not finished until 1821). It appears that Jerusalem was composed in 1916 for the occasion of the "Fight for Right" movement's meeting at the Royal Albert Hall. This movement pursued the aim of achieving the right to vote for women. In 1918 Jerusalem was sung again at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the final stage of the 'Votes For Women' campaign. The hymn has since become part of England's popular culture, attaining the status of an alternate national anthem. Jerusalem was sung at cricket grounds around the country during the now famous 2005 Ashes Test Matches and is the official song of the Women's Institute (WI).

The origins of the poem And did those feet in ancient time appear to refer to the legend that Jesus accompanied Joseph of Arimathea to the English town of Glastonbury, which appears to have given birth to the line:

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?

The 1981 motion picture "Chariots of Fire" features the hymn at the end, as well as using part of a line from the poem for its title:

Bring me my chariot of fire.

Being such a patriotic hymn Jerusalem has its place in The Last Night of the Proms, the series of concerts founded in 1895 by Sir Henry Wood which take place every year in the Royal Albert Hall, London.