Sic!

[Pabmusic]

In connection with which: a few months ago I was at a Belgrade Philharmonic concert which opened with a public presentation to the outgoing general manager, accompanied by the orchestra playing Pomp and Circumstance no.1. So while to many English people it seems to sound highly "English", to others it's just Gebrauchsmusik. From which we could conclude that its "Englishness" is by no means situated in the sound, nor (which I found a bit surprising somehow) can it be the reason why I find his music so uninteresting...

Yes, but ever since 1905, P & C 1 has had an independent life, initially in the US, as music to accompany presentations. That year Yale University awarded Elgar an honorary doctorate in music. The composer attended the degree ceremony where first Pomp and Circumstance march was the last of several Elgar works played by the New Haven Symphony. The 'Land of Hope' tune had such an effect on those present that Yale repeated the march at further ceremonies. It was quickly adopted by other colleges - Princeton (1907), Chicago (1908), Columbia (1913), Vassar (1916) and Rutgers (1918). Now it is almost unthinkable that an American graduation ceremony could occur without it. Indeed, it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Graduation Song’.

It's used in just the same way here in the Philippines, and because of that everyone knows it.