The committee for the Bach Choir Jubilee concert raised objections to the poetry of The Glories of Our Blood and State, a previous composition by Parry that was proposed for performance at their concert. The concern was that the text of the poem, which includes "Crown and Scepter tumbling down" was inappropriate for performance during 1887, Victoria's Golden Jubilee year. Instead, they asked Parry to compose a new piece of similar length, providing the catalyst for the creation of one of England's best known choral works. Parry had contemplated writing music to Milton's 1633 ode "At a Solemn Music" since 1860 and George Grove encouraged him to use this text for the Bach Choir commission. The result, Blest Pair of Sirens, is set for eight part chorus and orchestra and the first performance on May 17, 1887 was a major event in the history of British music. In this one choral work Hubert Parry showed that he was the first personal English voice in music for two hundred years. Every national tradition, from sea shanty to folksong to hymn is blended into the powerful forces of chorus and orchestra, making Parry's music as truly English in sound as Milton's moving verse. The appeal of the expressive, ascending melody gives perfect expression to Parry's own personality traits such as humanitarianism, truthfulness, and ambition. Vaughan Williams and Elgar were both profoundly influenced by the style of Blest Pair of Sirens, and its grandeur and historical significance are undeniable.

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