Hubert Parry: Jerusalem
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Alan Titchmarsh's Great British Discovery
63. Hubert Parry: Jerusalem
Rightly titled, 'And did those feet in ancient time', this short poem was written by William Blake as part of the preface to his epic 'Milton - a Poem'. Sir Hubert Parry set it to music in 1916 and the song was taken up by the Suffragettes in 1917, becoming the Women Voters' Hymn and later the anthem for the Women's Institute. King George V reportedly said that he preferred 'Jerusalem' over 'God Save the King' as the national anthem.
