Elgar, Sir Edward 1857-1934
English composer

Born in Broadheath, Worcestershire, he was the son of an organist and music dealer, but musically, was largely self-taught. In his youth, he worked as an orchestral violinist and became conductor of the Worcester Glee Club and the County Asylum Band, and organist of St George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, in succession to his father. Devoting himself to composition from 1891, he wrote the Enigma Variations (1899) and the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900) which both consolidated his position as the leading figure in English music. Other works include the oratorios The Apostles (1903) and The Kingdom (1906), two symphonies and concertos for violin and cello as well as incidental music and, during World War I, topical occasional music. From 1924 he was Master of the King's Musick. His command of the orchestra and of late 19th-century musical styles within his own personal idiom were very influential in re-establishing English music internationally. He was knighted in 1904, after the Elgar Festival, held in London.

Bibliography: Michael Hurd, Elgar (1969)