Historical Figures Codexery

Edward Elgar

English composer of orchestral and choral works.

Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, was an English composer born on 2 June 1857 in Lower Broadheath, near Worcester.[1][2] The trio from the first Pomp and Circumstance March is widely recognized in the United States, where it has been used at high school and university graduations since 1905, and is also a traditional piece at the Last Night of the Proms.[3][4][5] The Enigma Variations, first performed in London under Hans Richter when Elgar was forty-two, made him the leading British composer of his time.[6][7]

Quick Facts

Born
2 June 1857, Lower Broadheath, near Worcester, England
Died
23 February 1934
Field
Composer
Nationality
English
Known for
  • Enigma Variations
  • Pomp and Circumstance Marches
  • violin and cello concertos
  • two symphonies
  • The Dream of Gerontius

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Elgar was the fourth of seven children, raised as a Roman Catholic by his mother Ann, who had converted shortly before his birth.[8] Elgar left school at fifteen to work as a solicitor's clerk, but soon quit to give music lessons and play violin in local orchestras.[8][9] Alice acted as his business manager and social secretary, and their only child Carice Irene was born in 1890.[10][11] After a difficult period in London, the family returned to Worcestershire, settling in Great Malvern.[12][13]

He was knighted at Buckingham Palace on 5 July 1904, and the family moved to Plâs Gwyn near Hereford.[14][15] His First Symphony of 1908 received over a hundred performances in its first year across Britain, America, and Europe.[16][17] Beginning in 1879, Elgar spent five years as conductor of the Powick asylum's band, an experience that gave him detailed knowledge of various instruments' capabilities.[18][19] At 29, Elgar began teaching Caroline Alice Roberts; they married on 8 May 1889 at Brompton Oratory, despite her family's horror at her marrying an unknown Catholic musician who worked in a shop.[10]

What the cited sources add

It also records that Elgar accepted an invitation from Yale professor Samuel Sanford and received an honorary Doctor of Music from Yale on 28 June 1905.[5] The Yale Alumni Weekly reported that Elgar's name "was received with unusual demonstration" at the ceremony.[5] The same source explains that the march's popularity stems from Elgar's ability to invent melodies that convey complex emotions.[5] A Geograph entry confirms that Elgar Court, once known as Plas Gwyn, was Elgar's home from 1904 to 1911.[15]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; McVeagh, Diana, "Elgar, Edward". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 20 April 2010 . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elgar" . Collins English Dictionary. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kennedy (1970), pp. 38–39; "Last Night of the Proms set to reach largest ever global audience" , BBC, 7 September 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Moore (1984), pp. 364–367; Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; "Why Americans graduate to Elgar" , The Elgar Society. Retrieved 5 June 2010.; Hoffman, Miles, "Pomp and Circumstance: Familiar Standard Marches Ahead of Competitors" , NPR Music. Retrieved 25 October 2010. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Why Americans graduate to Elgar" , The Elgar Society. Retrieved 5 June 2010.. facts only, no text reused. elgar.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kennedy (1987a), p. 55 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McVeagh (1987), p. 51; Hughes, p. 72; McVeagh, Diana, "Elgar, Edward". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 20 April 2010 . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Edward Elgar", The Musical Times, 1 October 1900, pp. 641–648 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; Maine, Basil, "Elgar, Sir Edward William" , Oxford Dictionary of National Biography archive, Oxford University Press, 1949. Retrieved 20 April 2010 .; "Some of Elgar's Friends", The Musical Times, April 1934, p. 319; Moore (1984), p. 587; Moore (1984), p. 134 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reed, p. 33 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reed, p. 25; McVeagh, Diana, "Elgar, Edward". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 20 April 2010 . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McVeagh, Diana, "Elgar, Edward". Grove Music Online. Retrieved 20 April 2010 . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Birthday Honours", The Times, 24 June 1904, p. 12; "Elgar Court, once known as Plas Gwyn" , Geograph. Retrieved 29 October 2010; Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  15. "Elgar Court, once known as Plas Gwyn" , Geograph. Retrieved 29 October 2010. facts only, no text reused. geograph.org.uk
  16. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reed, p. 96 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  17. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elgar's Symphony", The Musical Times, 1 February 1909, p. 102 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  18. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Edward Elgar", The Guardian, 24 February 1934, p. 16; Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; "Edward Elgar", The Musical Times, 1 October 1900, pp. 641–648; Young (1973), p. 47 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  19. Wikipedia, "Edward Elgar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Edward Elgar", The Musical Times, 1 October 1900, pp. 641–648; Kennedy, Michael, "Elgar, Sir Edward William, baronet (1857–1934)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 22 April 20; "Edward Elgar", The Musical Times, 1 October 1900, pp. 641–648 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Edward Elgar (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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