Song of the Week: "Jerusalem" by Hubert Parry

And did those feet in ancient time.

Walk upon Englands mountains green:

And was the holy Lamb of God,

On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

Hubert Parry (1848-1918) is often considered the greatest English composer since Purcell. He is most famous for his works: “Repton,” the coronation anthem, “I Was Glad” and his masterpiece, “Jerusalem.”

Women's Suffrage Meeting from Punch Magazine, 1911

“Jerusalem” is based on the poem, “And did those feet in ancient time” by William Blake. The poem tells the apocryphal tale of young Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea traveling to England and likens itself to the idea of “The Second Coming” wherein a new “Jerusalem” is founded—a metaphor for Heaven.

In 1918, Parry conducted “Jerusalem” at a “Fight for the Right” Suffragette Rally at Queen’s Hall. The song became embraced by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes as an anthem to underscore their struggle to earn the vote in Britain—their own “Jerusalem.”

Beloved to this day, “Jerusalem,” is a popular hymn which is still associated with not only women’s rights, but the right of everyone to find their own piece of Heaven.