Jerusalem, sung by Robin Hendrix

Epic hymn of England, music by CH Parry with poetry by Wm Blake. Parry wrote the music in response to a request to create a song to lift the morale of the English public during WWI. The Women's Right to Vote movement, the Suffragettes adopted it for their marches, as did other organizations. Later Elgar added orchestration and it became a major tradition to end grand events with 'Jerusalem'. The lyr­ics refer to a myth that says Je­sus once vis­it­ed Bri­tain with Jo­seph of Ar­i­ma­thea, who was, in the story, his uncle. The myth holds that a rare tree that could only have originated from the middle east was planted in England by the two. Mezzo-soprano Robin Hendrix is accompanied by composer/pianist Michel Prezman, who created the accompaniment for the event, a Sacred Music Concert in the ancient Perpignan church, Notre Dame de La Réal, 16 mai, 2010.