Edward Elgar, one of England's most distinguished composers, has left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. Renowned for his orchestral works and contributions to choral and chamber music, Elgar's compositions exude a unique blend of emotional depth, technical mastery, and quintessentially British character. Here, we explore ten of Elgar's finest works, each a testament to his genius and enduring legacy.
Edward Elgar, a towering figure in British classical music, left an indelible mark on the world of orchestral and choral compositions. Here are ten fascinating facts about this legendary composer:
1- Late Bloomer: Elgar's musical talent didn't manifest itself early in life. Born on June 2, 1857, in Worcestershire, England, he didn't receive formal music training until he was a teenager.
Edward Elgar, one of England's most celebrated composers, was born on June 2, 1857, in the village of Lower Broadheath, Worcestershire, England. Elgar's childhood was marked by modesty and musical immersion. His father, William Elgar, was a piano tuner and music shop owner, while his mother, Ann Greening, was a talented amateur musician. From an early age, Elgar showed a keen interest in music, often experimenting with various instruments and displaying a remarkable aptitude for composition.
Despite his musical passion, Elgar's formal education was limited. He received only a basic education at local schools, and his musical training was largely self-directed. He learned to play the violin, piano, and organ, honing his skills through diligent practice and study of the works of great composers.
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM GCVO (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924.
Although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider, not only musically, but socially. In musical circles dominated by academics, he was a self-taught composer; in Protestant Britain, his Roman Catholicism was regarded with suspicion in some quarters; and in the class-conscious society of Victorian and Edwardian Britain, he was acutely sensitive about his humble origins even after he achieved recognition. He nevertheless married the daughter of a senior British army officer. She inspired him both musically and socially, but he struggled to achieve success until his forties, when after a series of moderately successful works his Enigma Variations (1899) became immediately popular in Britain and overseas. He followed the Variations with a choral work, The Dream of Gerontius (1900), based on a Roman Catholic text that caused some disquiet in the Anglican establishment in Britain, but it became, and has remained, a core repertory work in Britain and elsewhere. His later full-length religious choral works were well received but have not entered the regular repertory.
In his fifties, Elgar composed a symphony and a violin concerto that were immensely successful. His second symphony and his cello concerto did not gain immediate public popularity and took many years to achieve a regular place in the concert repertory of British orchestras. Elgar's music came, in his later years, to be seen as appealing chiefly to British audiences. His stock remained low for a generation after his death. It began to revive significantly in the 1960s, helped by new recordings of his works. Some of his works have, in recent years, been taken up again internationally, but the music continues to be played more in Britain than elsewhere.
Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of acoustic recordings of his works. The introduction of the moving-coil microphone in 1923 made far more accurate sound reproduction possible, and Elgar made new recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius.
Edward Elgar
Tracklist:
Tema e Variações Para Orquestra, enigma, Opus 36
1. Introdução de Variação 1: C.A.E.
2. Variação 2- H.D.S.-P
3. Variação 3- R.B.T
4. Variação 4- W.M.B
5. Variação 5- R.P.A
6. Variação 6- Ysobel
7. Variação 7- Troyte
8. Variação 8- W.N
9. Variação 9- Nimrod
10. Variação 10: Intermezo: Dorabella
11. Variação 11- G.R.S
12. Variação 12- B.G.N
13. Variação 13- Romanza
14. Variação 14: Finale: E.D.U
Concerto Para Violoncelo e Orquestra em Mi Menor, Opus 85
15. Adagio - Moderato
16. Lento - Allegro Molto
17. Adagio
18. Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
19. Marcha Militar #1 Em Ré Maior, Opus 39, Pompa e Circunstância
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