Promenade

The word promenade may be either a noun or a verb. In either case it is pronounced in a way that reflects its French origins, with the stress on the final syllable and the final vowel the long ‘a’ of ‘bath’ or ‘fast’, IPA: / prɒ mə ‘nɑːd/.

In British English a promenade may be either a leisurely walk in a public place, taken for display - to see and be seen - or simply for pleasure; or a road, walkway, or (at the seaside) pier or other raised structure extending into the sea, on which a leisurely walk may be taken. In North American English, and also more recently in British English, a promenade – usually abbreviated to ‘prom’ - is a ball or formal dance held at a school or college. In the context of dancing – especially country dancing or square dancing – a promenade is either a type of march-like step or a series of such steps

As an intransitive verb, ‘to promenade’ means either ‘to go for a leisurely walk’ - for display or simply for pleasure – or, in the context of dancing, ‘to take a march-like step or sequence of such steps’. ‘Promenade’ is also occasionally used transitively to mean ‘to display or show off’ (oneself or something related to oneself) as if on a promenade.

• Etymological note: ‘Promenade’ comes, through the French promener, ‘to lead out for a walk’, from the Late Latin promināre, ‘to drive (cattle) along’.

PROMENADE CONCERTS

A promenade may also be a promenade concert, i.e., a concert at which some or all of the audience stand and/or walk about. ‘Promenade’ in this sense is often abbreviated to ‘prom’. The Proms – with the definite article and an initial capital – are the series of promenade concerts which take place annually every evening from late July to early September at The Royal Albert Hall in London. This series of concerts is always referred to simply as ‘The Proms’; a single concert is ‘a Prom’; a person who (regularly) goes to the Proms is a Promenader or Prommer; and the practice of attending the concerts is Promenading or Promming.

Promenade concerts have been held in London since at least 1660, when, after the Restoration, they were among the entertainments provided in the Vauxhall Gardens, a public park in Kennington on the south bank of the river Thames – other entertainments available there included firework displays, gymnastic exhibitions, and ascents in hot air balloons. Promenade concerts continued to be held in the Vauxhall Gardens for nearly two centuries, until 1859. (In 1749 Handel conducted the rehearsal of his Music for the Royal Fireworks there – before its ill-fated performance before the King in Green Park.) Other London venues for promenade concerts included, among many other public parks, Marylebone Gardens (?1670-1778, close to Regent’s Park) and Ranelagh Gardens (1742-1903, in Chelsea), where in 1764 Mozart as a child prodigy performed on the piano and organ. The concerts in these venues were in the open air: the musicians were protected by a canopy or awning, but the audience were at the mercy of the elements.

Promenade concerts indoors were brought to London by a Frenchman, Philippe Musard (1792-1859), a violinist and composer, who had worked in England as a young man, becoming leader of King George IV’s orchestra. In 1830, on George’s death, Musard returned to France, where he organised promenade concerts in some of the Parisian theatres. The accessibility of his programmes, for which he composed some of the music himself, and the relaxed informality of the occasions ensured their immediate popularity, and led in 1838 to the first concert à la Musard in England. Musard himself returned to England in 1840 to conduct promenade concerts at the Drury Lane Theatre and in 1842 to conduct at the Lyceum Theatre. Musard’s success encouraged others to follow his example and in the course of the century several similar concert series were established – among them that at the Queen’s Hall, where in 1895 (Sir) Henry Wood (1869-1944) conducted the first Proms. The concerts were held there annually until the Queen’s Hall was destroyed by a German bomb in 1941 and the concerts were transferred to the Royal Albert Hall, their present venue.