Elgar's first musical post was as assistant organist to his father at St George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, eventually succeeding him in 1880.
Composition History
The Te Deum and Benedictus was written for Elgar's friend G.R. Sinclair, organist of Hereford Cathedral and the 'GRS' of the Enigma Variations, to mark the Hereford Three Choirs Festival in 1897.
Composer Biography
Sir Edward Elgar, the composer, was almost entirely self-taught, as his family could not afford for him to study in Leipzig.
Composer Biography
Elgar's marriage to Caroline Alice Roberts, who was nearly nine years his senior, became a driving force behind his later development and highlighted social and religious pressures on him as a Catholic.
Compositional Technique
In the Prologue to The Apostles, which Jaeger called a 'chorus mysticus', Elgar introduces many musical themes and motifs used throughout the entire work.
Composition History
The oratorio The Apostles, from which "The Spirit of the Lord" is extracted, was the first of Elgar's two Biblical oratorios to be completed.
Composer Biography
Elgar's social standing was defined by his father's occupation as a shopkeeper in the 1870s, meaning he served the musical needs of the upper echelons of society but was not allowed to join them.
