World Cup and Proms

So, the World Cup is inescapable. It amazes me how important it is over here whereas in the US it gets very little notice, or did when I was there. I mean, to the point of one of my colleagues being asked to try to dress in the colors of at least one of the teams playing that day, as she had managed to wear green and red on the day of a match with Mexico??? (Although she wore the green and red for fashion reasons and not because of the football game, and I haven't kept track of her fashion choices since that day, but heigh-ho.)

It's all led me to try to find out more about the music surrounding the game. Which has led me to the Proms, which are classical music concerts put on by the BBC. The last night of the Proms is a big deal and this is where the traditonal "anthems" are sung. I want to learn them and that's what I'm doing. Learning the tunes is easy (for instance, "Pomp and Circumstance" is one of them, but learning tunes is easy for me anyway) but the words are harder for me.

I've learned "Jerusalem," "Rule Britannia," "Land of Hope and Glory" (sung to the Elgar tune aforementioned which Americans know as "Pomp and Circumstance" and am working on "God Save the Queen," which Americans know as "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

Learned "There'll Always Be An England" when I first came over and still like it, but it doesn't seem as popular as the others. There's a football song about the three lions too, but haven't learned that one yet.

So far the concert that looks most interesting to me is on July 24. Two of the pieces featured will be "O Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana" (which I sang with one of the Austin community choirs in 1984 under director Morris Beachy) and "Mars" from Gustav Holst's "The Planets" (which I forced visitors to my home at yuletide 1977 to listen to, an electronic version by Tomita. Ah, the '70s.)

I suppose part of the reason for this preoccupation is to do something completely different from my job. Last week was duty week for me and I was out doing a placement until 10 p.m. Thursday night. Fortunately I had traded my Friday with another worker but that means I'm on duty tomorrow. Duty tends to wipe me out and I'm not fit for human commerce after work, so I turn to music. Which I love anyway and want to remember that I came over here to LIVE and not just to work!!!