Edward Elgar was an English composer who lived from 1857 to 1934. He wrote the march that plays at graduation ceremonies across the United States, and the Enigma Variations, a set of musical portraits of his friends. He taught himself to compose from the scores in his father’s music shop. The best first piece for a child is the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.
Quick facts
- Born: 1857, near Worcester, England
- Died: 1934, in Worcester, England
- Era: Romantic
- Played: violin, organ, piano, and bassoon
- Known for: the Pomp and Circumstance marches, the Enigma Variations, and the Cello Concerto
The life in short
Elgar’s father tuned pianos, played the organ at church, and ran a music shop in the city of Worcester. Edward grew up among the instruments and the sheet music. He taught himself by reading the scores on the shelves.
There was no money for music school. He left school at 15 and worked for a short time in a lawyer’s office. Then he made his living as a violin teacher, a church organist, and a bandleader.
At 29, he took on a piano student named Alice Roberts. They married three years later. Alice believed he was a great composer before anyone else did. She ruled the lines on his music paper by hand and kept his papers in order.
Fame came late. Elgar was 42 when the Enigma Variations had its first performance in London in 1899. After that, he was one of the best-known composers in England.
In 1901, he wrote the first Pomp and Circumstance march. He said he had a tune that would knock people flat. King Edward VII made him a knight three years later.
Elgar was among the first composers to record his own music. He conducted his pieces for the gramophone from 1914 on.
He had many hobbies. He rode a bicycle for miles through the hills, flew kites, did chemistry experiments in a shed, and loved his dogs.
What the music sounds like
Elgar’s music is broad and noble, with long tunes for the strings and rich brass. It can also be shy and tender. He often marked a tune “nobilmente,” which means “nobly.”
Four pieces to play first
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. It opens fast and bright. Then comes the slow, grand tune in the middle. That tune is the one played at graduations.
“Nimrod,” from the Enigma Variations. A slow tune that begins as a whisper and grows to a great swell. It is a portrait of a close friend.
“Salut d’amour.” The title means “love’s greeting.” Elgar wrote it for Alice when they became engaged. Short and sweet.
“The Wild Bears,” from The Wand of Youth. A fast, growling romp that lasts about two minutes. Elgar built these suites from tunes he had written as a boy for a family play.
The Enigma Variations
The piece has one theme and 14 variations. Each variation is a picture of someone Elgar knew, labeled with initials or a nickname. One friend’s laugh is in the music. Another variation shows a bulldog named Dan falling into a river, paddling to the bank, and barking.
Elgar also said the theme hides a puzzle. No one has solved it for certain.
Things to do together
Graduation walk. Play the middle tune of the march. Walk with slow, even steps, one to each beat.
Musical portrait. Ask your child to pick a friend or a relative. Would that person’s music be fast or slow? Loud or soft? Which instrument?
Find the dog. Play Variation 11 of the Enigma Variations. Listen for the splash, the paddling, and the bark.
Soft to loud. Play “Nimrod.” Start crouched on the floor and rise as the music grows.
Why it plays at graduations
In 1905, Yale University gave Elgar an honorary degree and played the march at the ceremony. Other American schools copied the idea, and it spread.
Print and play
Fill in a composer study notebook page for Elgar. For the story of the graduation march, read Pomp and Circumstance for kids. For another English composer of the next generation, read Holst for kids. For the way a theme can be changed, see the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
For more composers from the same country, read English composers for kids. For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.