Sir Edward Elgar raised English music to prominence at a time when it was dominated by continental composers. Renowned for his The Dream of Gerontius oratorio (1900), Enigma Variations (1899), the Pomp and Circumstance marches (1901–1930), a Violin Concerto (1910), a Cello Concerto (1919), two symphonies, and many other compositions, he became one of the most highly esteemed English composers.
Elgar’s early formal musical training was limited. He was born in 1857 in a village near Worcester, England. His father, a piano tuner and music shop owner, exposed him only to a limited world of instruments and musical scores. Despite the lack of formal training, Elgar honed his skills as a violinist, organist, and composer by largely teaching himself through books and practice—a remarkable feat. He worked for many years in relative obscurity, struggling against the rigid English class system, which made him feel socially inferior and often excluded from the aristocratic circles that dominated the arts. These feelings were compounded by his being brought up as a Roman Catholic, which sometimes led him to be regarded with suspicion in an overwhelmingly Protestant Britain.
As a young man, Elgar suffered from various illnesses, toothache, colds, and problems with his eyes. He was sometimes confined to bed, briefly or for much longer. Sometimes he saw a doctor; at other times he took the waters at Llandrindod Wells. At the beginning of his career, in his twenties, he worked as a violinist, conductor, and music teacher. His early compositions for violin, pianoforte, quartets, strings, brass and organ gained local attention, but widespread recognition and world renown came through his later works.
As a result of his many successful and popular compositions, Elgar was knighted in 1904 and received the Order of Merit in 1911. Beginning in 1914 he availed himself of the introduction of the gramophone and over the next decade or so made acoustic recordings of his works. His personal life, however, was intertwined with health concerns and psychological challenges. He suffered from periodic bouts of depression, which he called his “black moods” and which became more frequent after the death in 1920 of his wife Alice, his greatest aide and supporter. After her death, Elgar composed very little, and his creative energy waned as his health declined. Cardiovascular disease limited his ability to travel and conduct, but he remained intellectually active. He died in 1933, likely from colon cancer.
Elgar’s music inspired optimism, grandeur, and patriotism, especially during the difficult days of World War I. In more recent times his music has remained popular and is played in concert halls worldwide. At one time his image was featured on the British £20 banknote. To this day, his music continues to delight audiences by its majesty and beauty.