Features
How does music influence our emotional responses? How has it been used for political purposes? What is the connection of 'Jerusalem' with the women's movement? Did Jesus Christ really come to England? Explore these questions and more...
And Did Those Feet?
The idea of a visit to Britain by Jesus Christ was not invented by William Blake. It has long roots, going all the way back to a medieval monk, called William of Malmesbury.
Music as a Political Force
It’s a fair bet that not many of the England fans belting out 'Jerusalem' at the fifth Ashes test at the Oval in 2005 were aware that this rousing hymn was once an anthem of the women’s rights movement. It has taken on a latter-day role as a patriotic song first and foremost, and a wide-ranging selection of groups and parties have adopted it as their own.
Jerusalem and the Women's Movement
Blake’s 'Jerusalem' has become the anthem for some unlikely causes over the past century – New Labour, the England cricket team, the British National Party – and has evolved from being not so much a hymn as a song of English patriotism.
Musicology
The secret to emotionally compelling music is not in the notes being played, but in the relationship between them. Different intervals can put us in different moods.
Blake's Milton
'Jerusalem' forms the preface to 'Milton', Blake’s prophetic work of 1804 on John Milton (1608-74), who was then regarded as England’s national poet. Blake chose Milton as his subject in order to explore the theme of the artist’s role in society.
