EDWARD ELGAR Sospiri
“ My idea is that there is music in the air , music all around us . The air is full of it , and you must simply take as much as you require .” – Elgar
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1857 in Broadheath , U . K .; died 1934 in Worcester , U . K .
• Elgar is one of England ’ s most admired composers , although in his lifetime , he often felt like an outsider both musically and socially . As a Roman Catholic and self-taught musician with a humble background , Elgar often felt out of place in academic musical circles and in the predominantly Protestant and classist Britain .
• Elgar studied music on his own , playing the violin and reading music theory books . At the age of 22 , Elgar took a position as a conductor of the attendant ’ s band at an asylum . He arranged and composed music for the group , which is largely where he learned how to compose for each instrument . It is said that Elgar ’ s lack of formal music education allowed him to develop a truly unique voice .
• Elgar did not gain recognition until he was in his 40s after the release of his Enigma Variations , which received critical acclaim throughout England . Before making it big , Elgar married Caroline Alice Roberts , the daughter of an aristocratic major general , and her family disinherited her for marrying Elgar .
• After the acclaim of the Enigma Variations , Elgar enjoyed a successful musical career becoming known as one of the preeminent composers in the country , eventually being knighted and awarded honorary degrees from Oxford and Yale . His famous March No . 1 from the Pomp and Circumstance Marches can be heard at nearly every graduation ceremony in the U . S .
• Elgar became the first composer to embrace the gramophone and recorded a large number of his works , setting a path for many other composers and orchestras to come .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1914
MUSIC W . C . Handy ’ s “ St . Louis Blues ”
BIOLOGY The last known passenger pigeon dies in the Cincinnati Zoo
FUN FACT
It is said that Elgar wrote the main theme for his famous cello concerto on a napkin after waking up from dental surgery .
LITERATURE Gertrude Stein ’ s Tender Buttons
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Sospiri , meaning “ sighs ” in Italian , was a work written by Elgar just before World War I in 1914 .
• This melancholic work is said to reflect the storm clouds felt by the composer as war loomed ahead .
HISTORY The start of World War I
BSO SESSIONS | FEBRUARY 2021
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