This is day five of the A-toZ Challenge in which I attempt to blog every day (excepting Sundays) during the month of April. During this month, I am curating a collection of “classical” music pieces, which are lesser known or by lesser known composers.
Today’s letter is E which stands for Edward Elgar. Today’s piece is his Serenade for Strings, Opus 20. Elgar, was a British composer who lived from 1857 to 1934. A devout Catholic in Anglican Britain, he was regarded with suspicion in some quarters of Victorian. An early champion of the gramophone, he recorded a number of his works in the early 20th century.
Kurt Nemes' Classical Music Almanac 
I remember playing this during a summer music camp. Brings back so many memories.
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PS. Do you know Finzi’s Romance in E Flat Maj?
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Sorry – that message was meant for Kurt!
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I don’t, but do you mind if I use it for F day?
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I am not familiar with it, but I will certainly look it up.
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@kurt – go right ahead, it’s a nice example of the ERs. 🙂
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I love this piece of music, and this ensemble played it excellently.
Elgar is regarded as a national treasure and has been for some time, his Catholicism not mattering a damn. The English Romantics wrote wonderful music at a time when many serious composers elsewhere had moved well beyond Romanticism. But the fact remains that the English Romantics were in a class all of their own; their music was distinct, precise, and as relevant as any other concurrent artistic movement.
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It is a particularly lovely piece of music, though, as far as music for strings goes, I would contend that the same composer’s Introduction and Allegro is a genuine masterpiece http://yuslisten2.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/music-for-string-orchestra/ .
As for Elgar’s Catholicism not mattering a damn, it’s certainly true to say that his marginal status as a Catholic is often overstated. He did, after all, become Master of the King’s Musick, receive a Knighthood and was inducted into the Order of Merit (this latter honour was a matter of especial pride to him since it is notably exclusive). He also received honorary doctorates from a number of universities. He was therefore nothing if not a cherished established figure. Despite this, he was in his early life subjected to anti-Catholic prejudice. And his faith remained very important to him, forming the basis of numerous works, notably his choral masterpiece “The Dream of Gerontius”.
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Thanks, G.H, for the background.
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PS. Gerontius is on my listening list.
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I love this piece. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thanks for visiting and commenting. It’s new to me as well. Are you a classical fan or Elgar fan? Please feel free to post your website link here.
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