Sir Edward Elgar
British composer and 'Pomp and Circumstance' Creator Turns 150!
Bio of Composer Sir Edward Elgar's life and music revisited as the English musical world celebrate the great composer's 150th birthday anniversary.
Edward Elgar, celebrated English composer of Edwardian England, is best known for "Pomp and Circumstance March No.1" titled as “Land of Hope and Glory.” Much of his music resound the ceremonial pomp and majesty of the British Empire. "The Pomp and Circumstance March" is an inspirational music that has become the unofficial processional at graduation ceremonies worldwide. He was knighted in 1904.
England's Composer
Elgar was the greatest English-born composer since Henry Purcell, two centuries earlier. The English musical scene was dominated by non-English born composers of German origins - Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Wagner. With home grown Elgar, there was a musical refocus. Although he adhered to the Romantic orchestral style from the influence of German composers like Wagner, he also spoke with his distinct English musical voice. If there were Russia's "The Mighty Handful" or France's "Les Six," then Elgar expressed deeply his love for his native England, with that proud imperial spirit. He foreshadowed the English composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst and Benjamin Britten.
Early Life
Edward William Elgar (June 2, 1857– February 23, 1934) was born in Broadheath near Worcester. His father was a piano tuner and music shop owner. He had violin lessons in Worcester and London but was essentially self-taught, learning much in his father’s music shop.
Youthful Musician
From the age of 16 he worked locally as a musician - violinist, organist and bassoonist. He also conducted and taught, at the same time composed abundantly.
Marital Life
He married Caroline Alice Roberts, one of his piano pupils, the daughter of a British army major-general. Aside from giving him social status, Alice was his greatest and valued supporter and personal critic. They had one child, Carice.
He stopped composing after his wife died in 1920. His orchestral Enigma Variations which appeared 1899 is weighed up by some critics as his most famous work. Although considered his celebrated masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, the oratorio setting of John Henry Newman with the same title, was initially unpopular in Britain, but it was well received in Dusseldorf. This led to a surge of interest in his earlier works including the Pomp and Circumstance marches.
Later Works
Among Elgar's later works are Oratorios The Light of Life and The Kingdom, two symphonies, cantatas, Salut d’amour, concert overtures Froissart, In the South, and Cockaigne, chamber music, songs and a tone-poem Falstaff. Sir Elgar’s musical career as a composer was remarkable considering his little formal academic education unlike other great composers.
Elgar's Major Works
- Salut d'amour 1888
- Concert overture Froissart 1890
- Serenade for Strings 1892
- Enigma Variations, Sea Pictures 1899
- Oratorio The Dream of Gerontius 1900
- Concert Overture Cockaigne 1901
- Pomp and Circumstance No.1 ("Land of Hope and Glory") 1901
- Concert Overture In the South
- Introduction and Allegro for Strings 1905
- Symphony No. 1 1908
- Violin Concerto 1910
- Symphony No.2 1911
- Symphonic Falstaff 1913
- String Quartet 1918
- Cello Concerto 1919
Recommended Elgar Resources:
Sources:
The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000)
International Masters Publishers BV (1996)
