Edward Elgar March No. 1 in D, Op. 39 No. 1, “Land of Hope and Glory” Videos
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2024-03-28
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Sir Edward Elgar Mould Staple Schumann Proms 1890 1892 1918 1920 1931 2020
These charming pieces are less often heard now than much of Elgar's other work, not least since fewer folk go to church where they originally belong. The published set, probably written during Elgar's tenure of St George's, Worcester in the later 1880s, consists of nine pieces (one, a brief actual 'interlude'), of which we here offer three, each in triple-time, on a 'fast(ish)-slow-fast' model as a reconstituted suite-within-a-suite. Other more expansive Elgar works in this tripartite mould include the Organ Sonata in G (whose first movement was, for decades, a RCO exam staple) and various transcriptions of the Serenade for Strings; there are also arrangements of the Pomp & Circumstance Marches, but from the 2020 perspective we might fairly claim those have had their day ~ even no.4, which to Ian's mind is at least as fine a piece as no.1. Elgar himself later abjured the 'Land of Hope and Glory' lyrics, and in this 'woke' season of curtailed Proms there has been as much heat as light about whether, and/or how, those might yet be sung to maintain the Last Night tradition as 'Britain prepares to leave the EU' [*see footnote, below]. Much such commentary appears to emanate from nostalgic sentimentalists who would barely (as they almost say) know their Arne from their Elgar anyway, as to the British Isles' undoubtedly robust musical heritage. Regular Interludes viewers will know Ian had aimed to spend the back decan of August exploring the wild southwest of Ireland and in particular, the Ring of Kerry, of which he first became aware through Peter Hope's enchantingly atmospheric orchestral suite. Covid-19 and associated strictures having stymied that trip, the Malverns (with its own Elgar Route, in the heart of England) seemed a fair and pragmatic substitute. It bears observing that in 1920, Elgar was working mainly from Brinkwells, a fine secluded house near Fittleworth in Sussex ~ far nearer Ian's own newer stamping-ground, and with views towards the South Downs as an inspirational creative backdrop in place of Elgar's beloved Malverns. If such a swap was good enough for him, a reciprocal pilgrimage seems eminently reasonable! The three re-ordered Vesper Voluntaries were originally published in Book 26 of a clearly popular series aimed at jobbing parish organists, almost inevitably alongside less well-crafted, run-of-the-mill Victoriana that have not withstood subsequent changes in time and taste. Those whose first thought of Elgar is of the later, grey, walrus-moustached figure conducting 'Land of Hope ... ' at the 1931 opening of Abbey Road Studios, should delve further back into his youth: his active involvement in cycling (more or less all over the Malverns, except perhaps along the very hilltops); he was also a keen amateur chemist, and indeed a football fan. The 'Enigma Variations' are perhaps the most popular examples of him as a miniaturist, but there are abundant salon pieces, partsongs and the like, and, for string players that do eventually tire of 'Chanson de Matin', or indeed the Serenade, a wonderfully brooding Piano Quintet; not to mention the sublime Cello Concerto. Consciously avoiding the 4/4 time-signature with its potentially bombastic connotations, for present purposes we have a wistfully lilting 9/8 Allegro (surely anticipating the Serenade's [1892] opening movement); a seemingly maudlin, yet never treacly sentimental, Allegretto Pensoso ~ which works equally well as a Larghetto, not least with the intimate and contemplative original Vespers context in mind; and the insouciant Andantino, which Ian found, both playing it and while assembling bucolic scenery for the video, put him in mind of Schumann ('The Merry Peasant', beginning with the same rising fourth in the same key, plus several reminiscently folksy figures later within the piece). Ian would have loved proper summer weather in which to savour most fully Elgar's formative surroundings, but the cusp of autumn under typically ambivalent English skies, perhaps, helps 'underscore' that sense of melancholy that is usually there even in such seemingly smaller and gentler Elgar works. All the images were taken in and around the excellent Elgar Route in the final week of August 2020, and a return visit to paternal roots in Ledbury has helped renew Ian's own valued bond with another such undeniably beautiful part of the world. And now back over to Sir Edward, to express his love of that landscape in his unique, distinctive yet readily savourable idiom ... * From Elgar's diary, 11 November 1918: 'The war is over, thank God. What a terrible, cruel waste of life there has been. Alice and I went to the Coliseum tonight and they played Land Of Hope And Glory not once, but twice; the whole audience joined in. I could not. I regret very profoundly how this song has become an anthem to war. There's been so much sorrow and sacrifice over the past four years; nothing glorious about it. The world is a changed place and I am awfully tired of it.'
David Bruce Daniel Barenboim Elgar Sheku Kanneh Mason Yo Yo Ma Dvořák Arabella Steinbacher Beethoven Vivaldi Last Night Proms 2012 2019
Concertos aren't particularly well known for being sad, so in this video I talk about a piece I think is probably the Saddest Concerto ever written. I explain how it flips the norms of the concerto genre. SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ON PATREON (http•••) MERCH: (http•••) Follow me on Twitter: (http•••) Follow me on Instagram: (http•••) David Bruce Composer Spotify Playlist: (http•••) My 2nd YouTube Channel: (http•••) VIDEOS Jacqueline du Pre & Daniel Barenboim - Elgar Cello Concerto (http•••) Elgar - Cello Concerto - Sheku Kanneh-Mason [BBC Proms 2019] (http•••) Yo Yo Ma Plays Dvořák’s Cello Concerto (http•••) Arabella Steinbacher : Beethoven Violin Concerto (http•••) Vivaldi | 'Storm' | Cole Rolland, Angel Vivaldi, Kristina Schiano (http•••) Vivaldi Four Seasons: Winter (L'Inverno), original version. Freivogel & Voices of Music RV 297 (http•••) Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Land of Hope and Glory) (Last Night of the Proms 2012) (http•••)
Shakespeare London Philharmonic Orchestra 1440 1901 1904 1907 1930 1944 Edward Elgar Sir Adrian Boult
Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39 (with Score) Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra 00:00 March No. 1 in D major (1901) 06:11 March No. 2 in A minor (1901) 09:02 March No. 3 in C minor (1904) 14:40 March No. 4 in G major (1907) 19:44 March No. 5 in C major (1930) Like so many of his countrymen during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, British composer Edward Elgar was ardently patriotic. Combined with his natural militaristic turn (he had, after all, married the daughter of an army general) and love of ceremony, this patriotism made Elgar perfectly suited to author a long and distinguished line of Marches; ultimately, these would take a place not only in the traditional occasional music of his own country, but also in that of Britain's sister-nations across the Atlantic. The five Pomp and Circumstance marches, published collectively as Opus 39 but actually composed over a period of almost thirty years, are without a doubt the best known of his pieces in this peculiarly British genre. Though their collective title, drawn from a line in Shakespeare's Othello describing "the pomp and circumstance of glorious war," clearly allies them with the British military tradition, the musicality and variety (and even charm) of these five pieces render them enjoyable sans any nationalist association. The first in the set, in D major (1901), earned Elgar his knighthood; it was later adapted into the Coronation Ode and given the well-known lyrics "Land of Hope and Glory." The famous trio section is as recognizable as the Union Jack, now virtually ubiquitous at high school and university graduation ceremonies. If one can put aside its over-familiarity, this is a very beautiful theme; as the composer himself described it in very unceremonious language, "I've got a tune in my head that's going to knock 'em dead!" The A minor march that follows was composed almost simultaneously with the preceding one; it has never achieved anything like the fame of its sister-piece, and yet it is in many ways a better work. The trio in particular could hardly be a more striking contrast to the G major melody of the first march. Elgar must have been in a particularly dramatic mood when he penned the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3 in C minor (completed in 1904). This is no militaristic exercise, but rather a dramatic orchestral poem. Three bassoons offer vague hints of a melody during the subdued opening, but the quietude is not sustained for long, as a massive brass-laden crescendo paves the way for a broad main tune. The light theme and staccato accompaniment of the A flat major trio offer a well-earned reprieve from the physicality of the march-proper. March No. 4 in G major, composed in 1907 recalls something of the general enthusiasm of the famous first March. The main march idea is built on a single rhythmic cell, while the C major trio is marked "nobilmente." Almost 25 years would pass before the composer completed the fifth Pomp and Circumstance March, but upon hearing the result it quickly becomes apparent that Elgar saved the best for last. The main melodic idea is all youth and exuberance (especially considering that its composer was well over seventy at the time), and Elgar provides the trio section with a broad melody that is at least the equal of the G major tune in the first March. ((http•••)
Edward Elgar Dame Felicity Lott Alfreda Hodgson Stephen Roberts Kneller New Philharmonia Orchestra 1902
Arrangement of the National Anthem (orch. Elgar, 1902) 00:00-02:40 Coronation Ode Op. 44 02:40-36:10 I. Introduction: "Crown the King", for soloists and chorus II. "The Queen", for chorus - "Daughter of ancient Kings", for chorus III. "Britain, ask of thyself", for bass soloist and men's chorus IV. "Hark upon the hallowed air" for soprano and tenor soloists, - "Only let the heart be pure", for soprano, contralto, tenor and bass soloists V. "Peace, gentle peace", for soprano, contralto, tenor and bass soloists and unaccompanied chorus VI. Finale: "Land of hope and glory", contralto soloist, with chorus. Performed by Dame Felicity Lott (soprano), Alfreda Hodgson (contralto), Richard Morton (tenor), Stephen Roberts (bass), Cambridge University Musical Society, Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Band of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall and the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Philip Ledger.
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