The Life Of Edward Elgar

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THE LIFE OF EDWARD ELGAR

Edward Elgar was born on June 2, 1857. He was born in the town of Broadheath, Worcestershire, England. Edward was the son of an organist and a music dealer. His father’s name was William Henry Elgar. He was raised in Dover and served as an apprentice in London for a music publisher. Edward Elgar’s mom was interested in artistic things and encouraged Edward to pursue Music development. He acquired his strange taste of literature from his love of the countryside. Edward had a friend named W. H. “Billy” Reed who wrote about how Elgar’s surroundings as a child contributed to all of his life’s work and gave it a subtle but evident English vibe. He began writing music as a kid when he was about 10. One of his first compositions was rearranged about 40 years later with only few changes. It was titled “The Wang of Youth”. Until the age of 15, Edward received his education from Littleton. This was an in home school in Worchester. He received extensive musical training from a man named Adolf Pollitzer. These music lessons included sessions for the piano and violin. Edward took various brief visits to London from 1877-1878. He said that it was in the Worchester Cathedral he first truly learned music. He worked extensively on the organ as a kid. He tried to grab ahold of every musical book possible. He later started to get help from a man named Hubert Perry. Edward said that he had the most help from Perry. At one point in his musical journey, Edward began to learn German so that he could hopefully attend the Leipzig Conservatory to further his musical studies. He ended up not going because his father could not afford to send him there. A news magazine called the Musical Times stated that Elgar’s failed attemp...

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...wed in his music.

After going on through much of life’s ups and downs, he finally be came a renowned composer. He has written and arranged hundreds of famous pieces. One that is probably the most popular nowadays would be Pomp and Circumstance. If you have been to any high school or college graduation, you have heard this song played over and over again. Pomp and Circumstance is the usual graduation music that is played. He first wrote this piece in 1901, and continued to write 4 other similar versions. After this he was knighted in 1904, and from 1905-1908 he served as the University of Birmingham’s first professor of music.

It is very interesting that although he had many failures and setbacks in life, he produced a tune that is well known and still used around the world. Elgar used is disappointments to drive him to success.

Written by Darryl Gary

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