Edward Elgar

Author Code: EEEX

The son of a piano tuner and music dealer, Elgar was brought up surrounded by sheet music and instruments. He became self-taught in music, but left school when he was 15 in order to work for a solicitor. After a year, he began giving piano and violin lessons and in 1879 became the bandmaster at the Worcester and County Lunatic Asylum. He often played violin at local festivals including one of Dvorak's pieces, the Sixth Symphony, conducted by Dvorak himself, who would have a great influence on Elgar's music. Elgar married in 1889. Although he had composed many works during the 1890's, his first major orchestral work, the Enigma Variations, made its debut in 1899. The variations are each dedicated to his close friends, represented by their initials with the exception of Nimrod (the 9th), which is supposed to be to his friend, Jaeger. The following year, he produced The Dream of Gerontius, regarded by many as the finest example of English choral music. In 1901, he produced the piece for which he is probably best-remembered today, Pomp and Circumstance Marches, one of which, Land of Hope and Glory, was used at the coronation of King Edward VII. From 1905 to 1908, Elgar was Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham. His Symphony No. 1 appeared in 1908 and the Violin Concerto, two years later. In 1911, he received the Order of Merit and during the 1920's he was made Master of the King's Musick. Following World War I, Elgar's music began to become less fashionable although one of his later works, the Cello Concerto (1919), was, and still is, one of his most popular pieces. Elgar was working on his Third Symphony when he died. His other works include Symphony No. 2 in E Flat (1911), The Crown of India (1912), The Starlight Express (1916), Empire March (1924), Nursery Suites (1931) and Mina (1933).