Contrapunctus

Compare performersEdward Elgar

Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, in three recordings

Pomp and Circumstance — March No. 1, Op. 39

Elgar, Stock and the United States Marine Band play the march and the broadening of its trio tune.

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Recordings in
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1926Reference recording

Edward Elgar

Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Edward Elgar

The composer conducted the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra at Queen’s Hall, in his first complete recording of the march.

4:24
1926Performance 02

Frederick Stock

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Frederick Stock; Walter P. Zimmerman, organ

Stock brings together the Chicago Symphony and the organist Walter P. Zimmerman, whose grand organ reinforces the orchestra.

4:25
Date unknownPerformance 03

United States Marine Band

Wind and brass carry the tune in this concert-band arrangement; the strings’ bow strokes become tongued notes.

5:45
Selected recordingEdward Elgar, 1926
0:00 / 4:24

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The comparison

“I’ve got a tune that will knock ’em — knock ’em flat,” Elgar told Dora Penny in May 1901. Twenty-five years later he and Frederick Stock recorded the march on opposite sides of the Atlantic; Stock’s recording included Chicago’s grand organ. In the version by the United States Marine Band, wind and brass play the lines that strings play in the orchestral score.

Tempo

Tempo map

Time taken compared with Edward Elgar, 1926: above 1×, the performer takes longer over the same music; below it, less time.

Time taken compared with the reference recordingEach gold line follows a performer. Above 1×, the recording takes longer over the same music. Numbered lines mark the passages below.0.25×0.5×0.75×1×1.25×1.5×0:001:002:003:004:001. Return of the quick march · 2:2012. March before the trio · 2:5023. Final trio, Molto maestoso · 3:1534. Broadening of the trio tune · 4:004Edward Elgar, 1926 (reference)Frederick Stock, 1926United States Marine Band
The reference recording’s clock runs left to right. Each line is smoothed over about eight seconds; pauses can create peaks. Numbers mark the passages below.
  • Edward Elgar, 1926 · reference
  • Frederick Stock, 1926
  • United States Marine Band
Passages

Passages compared

Each version plays in card order, for up to 12 seconds of reference music or until the next marked passage, whichever comes first.

  1. 01

    Return of the quick march

    2:20 in the reference

    The quick march returns in D major. The strings play short phrases and fast runs above the bass.

  2. 02

    March before the trio

    2:50 in the reference

    Accented phrases keep the orchestra in march time; the long trio melody has not yet entered.

  3. 03

    Final trio, Molto maestoso

    3:15 in the reference

    The trio tune returns in D major, marked Molto maestoso. High violins play above the full orchestra.

  4. 04

    Broadening of the trio tune

    4:00 in the reference

    The tune broadens towards its final held notes. After the cadence, a last passage of quick march music follows.

Durations

Length of each recording

  1. Edward Elgar, 19264:24
  2. Frederick Stock, 19264:25
  3. United States Marine Band5:45

These times include the lead-in and final fade. Cuts, repeats and disc-side breaks also affect a recording’s length.

Performers and sessions

Recording notes

Frederick Stock, 1926

Stock brings together the Chicago Symphony and the organist Walter P. Zimmerman, whose grand organ reinforces the orchestra.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Frederick Stock; Walter P. Zimmerman, organ
22 December 1926, Orchestra Hall, Chicago; issued by Victor in July 1927

Listening notes & recording detailsOriginal recording source ↗
Sources & method

Further reading

How the recordings are matched

The matching follows sequences of pitches, using a method called dynamic time warping. Every recording is mapped to the reference, so switching between two versions goes through that shared clock. Where several reference times match one point, the middle time is used.

  • Frederick Stock, 1926: match score 0.964. Matched passages available.
  • United States Marine Band: match score 0.964. Matched passages available.

Switching stays within the matched span, and trimmed recordings keep their original clock times. Match scores describe similarity in the sound.