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Pomp and Circumstance on the ocarina

Pomp and Circumstance, the graduation march, is best known by its broad, singing trio tune, which starts on a long high C, then B, high C, high D, and falls back to A and G. Here is the whole trio of Elgar's March No. 1 in C major, 36 short bars of 2/4, from D up to high F, the top note of a 12-hole ocarina. The second half repeats the first until its last eight bars, which climb to the top.

Updated 2026-10-29Public domainHard50 notes · 36 barsC major · 2/4Fits 12-hole
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What are the notes for Pomp and Circumstance on the ocarina?

Pomp and Circumstance, played here in C major, 2/4 time, bar by bar: high C | B, high C, high D | A | G | F | E, F, G | D | E | F♯, G, A | high D | G | high C | high C, B, A | G | high C | B, high C, high D | A | G | F | E, F, G | D | E | F♯, G, A | high D | G | high F | high F, high E, high D | high E | A | B, high C, high D | G | high C. To hear the tune, press Play in the player further down.

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Goes up to high F, so it does not fit a 6-hole or 4-hole.

    1. high C
    1. B
    2. high C
    3. high D
    1. A
    1. G
    1. F
    1. E
    2. F
    3. G
    1. D
    1. Dkeep holding
    1. E
    1. F♯
    2. G
    3. A
    1. high D
    1. G
    1. high C
    1. high C
    2. B
    3. A
    1. G
    1. Gkeep holding
    1. high C
    1. B
    2. high C
    3. high D
    1. A
    1. G
    1. F
    1. E
    2. F
    3. G
    1. D
    1. Dkeep holding
    1. E
    1. F♯
    2. G
    3. A
    1. high D
    1. G
    1. high F
    1. high F
    2. high E
    3. high D
    1. high E
    1. high Ekeep holding
    1. A
    1. B
    2. high C
    3. high D
    1. G
    1. high C
The 11 notes here, on a 12-hole
NoteHoles to coverPicture
high CCover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb
BCover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb
high DCover the left pinky and right thumb
ACover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb
GCover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky
FCover every main hole but the right middle, right ring and right pinky
ECover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky
DCover every main hole but the right pinky
F♯Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle and right pinky
high FAll holes open
high ECover the left pinky

What is the hardest note in Pomp and Circumstance?

High F, which arrives by a leap of a seventh from G near the end: the climax of the tune and the highest note on a 12-hole ocarina. On a 12-hole, Pomp and Circumstance goes from G to high F: you lift the left pinky, left ring, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb.

High F is played with every hole open, so the leap is mostly about air: blow faster for it and ease off as the tune steps down through high E and D. Most of the tune is long notes, two slow beats each, in four-bar phrases; breathe at the end of each one, after a long D, G or high E. The first twelve bars of the second half are the same as the first twelve of the first half, so once the first 16 bars are under your fingers, only the last eight are new. The F♯ comes twice, both times in a quick run up to A.

Which ocarina can play Pomp and Circumstance?

A 6-hole ocarina cannot reach high F, and a 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D, high E and high F, so play Pomp and Circumstance in this key on a 12-hole ocarina in C. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. The linked chart has every fingering, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.

Why is Pomp and Circumstance played at graduations?

In the United States it was first played at a graduation at Yale's commencement in 1905, when Elgar received an honorary degree there; today it is the processional at most high school and college graduations. Elgar wrote the march in 1901, and the next year he set the trio tune to words by A. C. Benson as Land of Hope and Glory. Our tabs follow the first violins in Elgar's full score, published by Boosey in 1902, in the conductor Henry Wood's own copy; Lemare's organ arrangement of the same year has the same tune. Elgar died in 1934, so the tune is public domain. We show the melody only. Music: Edward Elgar (1857-1934), the trio tune of his Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, 1901.

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More ocarina songs

Next hard song: Greensleeves. More: songs for a 12-hole ocarina and all the songs.