See that thy navies speed, to the sound of the battle-song;Then, when the winds are up, and the shuddering bulwarks reel,
Smite, the mountainous wave, and scatter the flying foam,
Big with the battle-thunder that echoeth load, loud and long;
A. C. Benson in Elgar's Coronation Ode Op 44, Britain, ask of thyself
Per Scriptum E. Wesley - Mackinac Center Intern
Although the light of his musical genius has faded with the passing of time and fancy, Sir Edward Elgar resurrected English Classical music from a long slumber to a climax of patriotic fervor by setting to music the strongest British sentiments that ever beat in an Edwardian Englishman's heart. With the performance of Elgar's Coronation Ode at the coronation of King Edward VII himself, Elgar reached at the very heart of the splendor and moral code of the English court and all that had been "Victorian" and would become "Edwardian." However, even with the utterance of Elgar's invocation at the 1902 coronation, "Lord of Life, we pray, Crown the King with Life!," the British Empire stood upon the brink of its greatest and final collapse in the 20th century, and these golden days would soon turn to blood. Elgar became the last bard of Great Britain.
Elgar was born on June 2, 1857 in Worcester, and grew up playing the violin and organ without any official musical training. He composed the Wand of Youth for a family play at twelve years old, and continued music as an assistant organist for St. George's Church in Worcester and as a bandmaster. Against the will of Alice's parents, Elgar married a former pupil of his, Caroline Alice Roberts in 1889. Alice became his most constant companion and helpmeet, encouraging Elgar on every new stride. Biographer Jerrold Northrop Moore in his Edward Elgar: A Creative Life wrote; "Without the marriage to Alice and without her encouragement, he might himself have remained one of the 'hundreds of villain churls' whose ploughings of earth never adorn the pages of history." Elgar himself wrote to Dr. Buck regarding his new wife, "And now (after all our talks about the mystery of living), I must tell you how happy I am in my new life & what a dear, loving companion I have & how sweet everything seems & how understandable existence seems to have grown..." His career was now ready to begin.
Romanticism had its hold on Elgar as well as England in the late 1880s and 90s. He began to explore the themes of Medieval chivalry in The Black Knight (1889-92) and Froissart (1890). Visiting his old church in April 1890 filled him with a sense of youthful heroism that led into Froissart. He chose Froissart because he remembered a dialogue between a Royalist commander and a youthful hero in Sir Walter Scott's Old Mortality,
Did you ever read Froissart?... His chapters inspire me with more enthusiasm than even poetry itself. And the noble canon, with what true chivalrous feeling he confines his beautiful expressions of sorrow to the death of the gallant and high-bred knight, of whom it was a pity to see the fall, such was his loyalty to his king, pure faith to his religion, hardihood towards his enemy, and fidelity to his lady-love! -- Ah, and benedictine! how he will mourn over the fall of such a pearl of knighthood, be it on the side he happens to favour, or on the other. But, truly, for sweeping from the face of the earth some few hundreds of villain churls, who are born but to plough it, the high-born and inquisitive historian has marvellous little sympathy.
In Scott's quote, we see Elgar's personal life begin to reflect Victorianism. Whereas many Romantics of the early 19th century left Romanticism unrestrained, Victorians bridled Romanticism with truth, loyalty, and Christian ethics. One need look no further than Kipling's Birkenhead Drill from the heroism that Victorians held dear ever since the wreck of the H.M.S. Birkenhead in 1853. Scott led the way for many Victorians by putting morals first, which explains the popularity of his novels in the late 19th century and the Queen Victoria's craze over Scotland. Youth was thought to be naively faithful, similar to Mathew 18:3 "unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (NKJV). However, as G. A. Henty's and Martha Finley's very popular historical fiction novels prove, Victorians also respected history as a tool to instruct those living in the present and mold as much as inspire the young. Elgar was perhaps inadvertently following Henty's and Scott's steps by using historical fiction in art. Carrying with him his almost melancholy longing for his childhood, Elgar musically expressed this common Victorian sentiment in Enigma Variations (1889). In Enigma, Elgar hinted at a well known tune but never exposed it as audibly recognizable. He also used different parts of the Enigma to reminisce about his friends in his life. All attempts at exposing Elgar's theme in Enigma have so far failed, and this piece still remains a mystery. What is plain is that it embodies a feeling of melancholy remembrance unique to Victorianism.
Although Elgar went on to compose such masterpieces Sea Pictures (1900), The Dream of Gerontius (1900), and later the Cockaigne (In London Town) Overture (1901), his four Pomp and Circumstance marches (beginning in 1901) and the Coronation Ode (1902) defined him as the quintessential English composer of his time. After the Coronation, he set to music his Catholic Christian faith in The Apostles (1903) and The Kingdom (1901-06). Being knighted in 1904 by Edward VII, Elgar composed his flourishing Symphony No. 1 (1908), which, before preforming it Hans Richter proclaimed, "Gentlemen, let us now rehearse the greatest symphony of modern times, written by the greatest modern composer - and not only in this country." In 1911 he composed the Violin Concerto, the Symphony No. 2 in 1912, the Music Makers in 1913, and the Falstaff in 1914. The Coronation Ode in five marches and six movements was his brightest star as an English musician, as it embodied the high ideals of Victorianism and the aspirations of Great Britain at the advent of Edward's reign. The first march begins a prayer for God's blessing on the King, and by extension the nation, with lyrics written by A. C. Benson:
Listen to a preview here.
Read lyrics for: I - "Crown the King" - Introduction Soloists and Chorus
What is interesting to note is that true leadership is defined as very specific Christian virtues that are startling to the modern reader. For instance, peace is exemplified as "long suffering," mimicking the rhetoric of the King James Bible in Ephesians 4:2 and 2 Timothy 3:10. The virtues themselves draw on Christianity and classical Western ideas; life, might, peace, love, faith, and salvation. "Crown the King" epitomizes the English Christian tradition of "saving" the king. Going back to the Enigma, Elgar transitions the theme into a fresher majesty. Employing descending steps and sudden drops gives a sense of "recessional." The second movement details the Queen Alexandra's history and destiny:
Preview here.
Read lyrics for: (a) "The Queen" (b) "Daughter of ancient Kings"
Delicately gorgeous, one can almost here the queen's steps across the palace in the melody. The sustained notes combined with the hushed chorus make these verses sparkle like the royal wind in verse four. Once again "guileless faith" is of vital importance in the Victorian mind. Truth was what the previous Queen Victoria exemplified, and Alexandra is exhorted to follow in her footsteps. Purity is a unique virtue to this verse as is the feminine "sparkling." The third movement drastically shifts gears to a marshal military tone:
Preview here.
Read lyrics for: III "Britain, ask of thyself" - Solo Bass and Chorus (Tenor and Bass)
The preservation of the Empire is of first concern to Elgar as far as practical application. Here is where all Englishmen are charged to live out the Romanticized chivalrous virtues and make them real in history. This is a clash between good and evil. It is applicable, stark, dramatic, and marshal. It represents the world wide British Empire at a time when the sun never set on it. In other words, if England will not be brave, who will? The horns blare, the drums crash, the soloist bellows, and the chorus yells. The strength and stability of Victorian valiance is forever captured in this march. It is the last march of the age. In typical Victorian sentiment, the fourth movement falls back on youth for personal reflection to balance the call of war:
Preview here.
Read lyrics for: (a) "Hark, upon the hallowed air" (b) "Only let the heart be pure"
Like the Enigma, reminiscing over one's youth as a nation is what adds bitter sweetness to the Coronation. However, true to Victorianism, the last verse states that truth and wisdom must guide youth; "So shall Wisdom, one with Truth, Keep undimm'd the fires of youth, Strong to conquer, strong to bless, Britain, Heaven hath made thee great!" It is in fact the courage that one finds from the personal past (youth) that inspires the bravery that must in turn curb youth out of its wildness. Purity is the guard. Elgar uses a melodramatic male soloist to represent this youth, and a slower pace to create remembrance. The fifth movement moves from remembrance to peace.
Preview here.
Read lyrics for: V "Peace, gentle peace" - Soli (S.A.T.B.) and Chorus unaccompanied
Just like in a church, an unaccompanied chorus rains down blessings upon the nation. It resembles the same hushed tone of the second movement. This is a tranquil blessing wreathed in quietness. The next movement employed the grandest accomplishment yet, a tune Elgar himself said "will knock 'em flat."
Listen here.
Read lyrics for: VI - "Land of hope and glory" - Finale (Contralto Solo and Tutti)
Set to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, the finale clearly links the monarch with the survival of the moral striving of the nation in the tradition of English liberty. Again, truth takes its preeminence in Victorian virtue, followed by "Right" and "Freedom." This is what the West stood for; this is what the Empire was. The hope and glory of all British across the world was balanced in this ceremony. Seen in this light, pomp and circumstance wasn't just for show, or the blessing of the King and Empire needless flattery. It was an exhortation, a rebuke if needs be, a challenge to live rightly; it was a dedication to all that was British. It was in faith and freedom that they crowned their king: "Strong in Faith and Freedom, we have crowned our King!"
Elgar all too soon found out what a definitive finale this was as Great Britain entered WWI and the Empire declined to rise no more, save for its brief "finest hour." In 1919 after witnessing five long years of death, Elgar's patriotism turned to gloom and lamentation in the Cello Concerto, as he was overwhelmed by the grief and totality of destruction. He could only weep for his country now. In 1920, his wife Alice died, ending his source of encouragement and inspiration to continue composing. He only rose again for a brief time from 1928 to 1934, during which time he left two major works unfinished. Elgar died on February 23, 1934 from a malignant tumor. With his passing ended an age and the song of a kingdom. Although he had boosted England's long awaited lead in music, his Pomp and Circumstance had no reality to shine in the modern and post-modern eras. In this sense, Sir Edward Elgar is the last bard of Great Britain.
Sources:
Image of Edward Elgar from Wikipedia
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WRULnIDJRH8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edward+Elgar:+A+Creative+Life+By+Jerrold+Northrop+Moore&source=bl&ots=1DbFDtmNyL&sig=DOLnRhvINwlBUphwR63_xm-9Ahk&hl=en&ei=c0oDTJCYK5ey0gTm_ZT3Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/elgar.html
http://www.clainesfriends.org.uk/elgar.html
http://www.elgarfoundation.org/elgar_fr.htm
http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/203993.html
http://www.sterlingtimes.org/memorable_images15.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugieMcWPgOk
http://www.musicweb-international.com/programme_notes/elgar_froissov.htm
Lyrics for Coronation Ode from Wikipedia
So, would you list Sir. Edward Elgar as your most favorite composer of all time, or just of romanticism?
ReplyDeleteDear Sir or Madam,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the question. I always relish the chance to leave history behind and launch into personal opinion. I’ll have to answer the second half of your question first. My own sentiment is that romanticism was the flowering of music. The orchestra had expanded to an unprecedented size, and the robustness of the style only demonstrated the mastery of an ever growing art. However, it is that bitter sweetness, perhaps tied to the Victorian concept of youth, that distinguishes robustness from clamor, and really makes romanticism endearing. I think modern classical music as a whole fell from a mastery of classical music rather than continuing it, possibly due to the mind shift in all the arts after two world wars. Elgar certainly takes his place as defining England’s position in world affairs during Victorianism. However, there were other romantic composers who just as vitally had a place in the time. I also find Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Dvorak, Sibelius, and Mahler to have produced very inspiring pieces in the Victorian romantic genre, but my knowledge of them is more limited. My favorite early romantic composers would be Mendelssohn and Schubert. I really can’t pick one single favorite composer.
Setting romanticism aside, I don’t think that any one style of art should exclude other good genres of art. By good art, I mean that which reflects the true, good, and beautiful. Bach’s mastery of celestial counterpoint in canon and his dedication of all his music to the glory of God certainly contributed to “good art.” I don’t think one ought to use classical music to exclude oneself from other artful forms of music. Instead, I think all good art is contextual, and is not a “zero sum” game.
Sincerely,
Wesley