Edward William Elgar (1857-1934) was one of the well-distinguished musical personalities of his time. He served as a bridge between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries and was one of the best among the English composers since handle and Purcell. Since his childhood he had been exposed to the world of music. His father was an organist in a church and owned a music shop. He learnt to play the piano, the violin and the organ from his father. Besides these instruments, Elgar self-taught himself the other forms of music. From a composer he became a freelance musician when he was just sixteen years of age. He remained this way throughout his life without taking a permanent job. As a musician he conducted locally, composed, performed and taught till, in 1889, he was married to Caroline Alice Roberts, who was a somewhat renowned novelist.

However, Elgar had received very little recognition. He shifted to London with his wife, but his career remained in obscurity. From London they moved to Worcester. By this time Elgar was suffering from a very bad attack of self- doubt, inferiority complex and depression. Alice, as a wife, did her duty by her moral support... show more

Edward William Elgar (1857-1934) was one of the well-distinguished musical personalities of his time. He served as a bridge between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries and was one of the best among the English composers since handle and Purcell. Since his childhood he had been exposed to the world of music. His father was an organist in a church and owned a music shop. He learnt to play the piano, the violin and the organ from his father. Besides these instruments, Elgar self-taught himself the other forms of music. From a composer he became a freelance musician when he was just sixteen years of age. He remained this way throughout his life without taking a permanent job. As a musician he conducted locally, composed, performed and taught till, in 1889, he was married to Caroline Alice Roberts, who was a somewhat renowned novelist.

However, Elgar had received very little recognition. He shifted to London with his wife, but his career remained in obscurity. From London they moved to Worcester. By this time Elgar was suffering from a very bad attack of self- doubt, inferiority complex and depression. Alice, as a wife, did her duty by her moral support and by putting her entire confidence in him. This support boosted up Elgar’s spirits. Then his book, Imperial March, Op. 32, was published and it received high amount of success. This time he became great friends with August Jaeger, who was his editor and confidante. In 1899 came his work, “Enigma” Variations, Op. 36, which was one of his best-known compositions. This work led him to great success. In this work of his, he has paid a tribute to Alice, his wife, and to all those who stood by him in the early days of career and in his hour of strife. According to Hans Richter, a German conductor, it was a masterpiece. This work of his fared so well in Britain and Germany that it caused him his lasting success in those countries.

The first ten years of the twentieth century were the most productive period of his life. During this period we find that he had created some of his most meaningful, significant and noblest of music, like the Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55 in 1907-1908, and the Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 in 1909-1910. However, the best known work of his is the first four of his Pomp and Circumstance Marches (1901-1907). The first of these four was subtitled, "Land of Hope and Glory". It became so popular that it was considered as the unofficial second national anthem for the British!

The death of Jaeger, who was considered to be the "Nimrod" of the "Enigma" Variations, was a great blow for Elgar. It affected his productivity, which dropped miserably. Moreover, the horrendous experiences of the second World War increased his depression. Consequently, his music became more personal and distressed. But, during this period, he wrote some of his best chamber music. He also wrote the Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 (1919). Here we can notice the intense feeling of grief for the imminent loss of his dear and faithful wife, Alice, looming behind her fatal illness. She eventually died in 1920.

After this for sometime he wrote very little of importance. Then he ventured into the recording studios with the emergence of new electrical recording processes. This resulted in some very clever interpretations of his orchestral music … this has survived for many years for the future generations. Elgar started to work on a third symphony in the early ‘30’s. It remained unfinished as he died in 1934. Anthony Payne worked on it and understood it to the extent that it was recorded in the late 90’s.
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