Women's Institutes - "Jerusalem"

"Jerusalem"

During the 1920s, many WIs started choirs and NFWI set up a music committee and appointed a Mr Leslie as an advisor.

Mr Leslie held a one-day school for village conductors in London in early 1924. He asked his friend Sir Walford Davies to write an arrangement of Hubert Parry's setting of Jerusalem, for WI choirs. This hymn with its association with the fight for women's suffrage was appropriate for the newly emerging WI movement which was encouraging women to take their part in public life, and to fight to improve the conditions of rural life.

Mr Leslie suggested that Walford Davies' special arrangement for choir and string orchestra should be performed at the Annual General Meeting of NFWI held in the Queen's Hall, London in 1924. He himself conducted the singing, bringing a choir from local WIs with him to lead.

This was so successful that it has been sung at the opening of NFWI AGMs to this day. Many WIs also open meetings by singing Jerusalem. Although it has never actually been adopted as the WI's official anthem, in practice it holds that position.

On the 18th June 2010 a new `modern` version of Jerusalem was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London. It features the entrants that applied for the `WI Search for a Star` competition. It is due for release on CD later in 2010.