Elgar (The Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers

Elgar. (Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers Series). Classical Biography. Omnibus Press. Romantic. Softcover. 224 pages. Omnibus Press #OP48499. Published by Omnibus Press.

Elgar was Englands greatest late romantic composer. His symphonies, the Enigma Variations, and oratorios made him the toast of the Europe and America during his lifetime. His ceremonial music, like the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, made him a national institution. But there was a more troubled and less confident side to him which can be heard in his chamber music and concertos. This book explores his life from his background in a Worcester music shop to his final years as Master of the Kings Musick and the first composer to make recordings of all his major work.

Contents: Aimless Decade * Boyhood and Local Musician * Established in London * From Enigma to Knighthood * Married Teacher: Festival Composer * Mature Symphonist * Revival, Too Late * War and Twilight Works.