I found this article amongst some old papers and thought members might be interested.
Grace Hadow who is mentioned in the piece was a member of Girton WI, in Cambridgeshire [my 3rd WI], and she befriended Helen Carey and encouraged her to join WI she subsequently went on to become National Chairman, at the time we disagreed with Tony Blair at the Annual Meeting at Wembley.
Elizabeth Lovesey - Spilsby WI
Why does the WI sing Jerusalem?
In the 1920's many WI's were forming choirs and seeking help and advice. A Mr W H Leslie of Lllansantffraid, a friend of the composer Sir Welford Davies, was called in to advise Shropshire Federation.
So successful was this that Mr Leslie was invited by NFWI to conduct schools in the county federations round the country and also to write articles about choirs and music for Home and Country.
Following the first WI Choral competition in 1923 and the first one-day school for village conductors in London in 1924, NFWI brought our the first Women's Institute #Song Book - a collection of songs particularly suitable for singing at monthly meetings.
It was Mr Leslie's idea that Blake's 'Jerusalem' should be sung at the Annual General Meeting of 1924. He persuaded Sir Welford Davies to make a special arrangement for string orchestra of Sir Hubert Parry's setting and he himself conducted the singing.
Jerusalem at this point had not been adopted as the official song.
A totally unsuccessful competition was held to find an 'Institute' song. As a result of this Grace Hadow, the vice chairman suggested that Jerusalem should become the WI song.
Jerusalem had been used by the National Union of Suffrage Societies in the 1918 celebrations of women's enfranchisement, and many of the leaders of NFWI, including Grace Hadow, had been part of that struggle to win the vote for women, Millicent Fawcett, the leader of the suffragettes, wrote to Hubert Parry, " Your Jerusalem ought to be made the women voters hymn", which of course in a way it was, by being adopted by the WI.
By singing Jerusalem the WI is marketing links with the wider women's movement, and its commitment so "improving the conditions of rural life.
Grace Hadow who is mentioned in the piece was a member of Girton WI, in Cambridgeshire [my 3rd WI], and she befriended Helen Carey and encouraged her to join WI she subsequently went on to become National Chairman, at the time we disagreed with Tony Blair at the Annual Meeting at Wembley.
Elizabeth Lovesey - Spilsby WI
Why does the WI sing Jerusalem?
In the 1920's many WI's were forming choirs and seeking help and advice. A Mr W H Leslie of Lllansantffraid, a friend of the composer Sir Welford Davies, was called in to advise Shropshire Federation.
So successful was this that Mr Leslie was invited by NFWI to conduct schools in the county federations round the country and also to write articles about choirs and music for Home and Country.
Following the first WI Choral competition in 1923 and the first one-day school for village conductors in London in 1924, NFWI brought our the first Women's Institute #Song Book - a collection of songs particularly suitable for singing at monthly meetings.
It was Mr Leslie's idea that Blake's 'Jerusalem' should be sung at the Annual General Meeting of 1924. He persuaded Sir Welford Davies to make a special arrangement for string orchestra of Sir Hubert Parry's setting and he himself conducted the singing.
Jerusalem at this point had not been adopted as the official song.
A totally unsuccessful competition was held to find an 'Institute' song. As a result of this Grace Hadow, the vice chairman suggested that Jerusalem should become the WI song.
Jerusalem had been used by the National Union of Suffrage Societies in the 1918 celebrations of women's enfranchisement, and many of the leaders of NFWI, including Grace Hadow, had been part of that struggle to win the vote for women, Millicent Fawcett, the leader of the suffragettes, wrote to Hubert Parry, " Your Jerusalem ought to be made the women voters hymn", which of course in a way it was, by being adopted by the WI.
By singing Jerusalem the WI is marketing links with the wider women's movement, and its commitment so "improving the conditions of rural life.