Sir Edward Elgar June 2nd 1857-1934
Elgar's mother's side were from Weston-under-Penyard,Herefordshire, had moved up to Claines near Worcester, and the couple met when Elgar's father became a lodger.
Edward Elgar lived for a long
while between 1904 and 1912 at the corner of Hereford's Vineyard Road and Hampton Park Road in a house called "
Plâs Gwyn", and much of his music
was inspired by places that he cycled to in the county on his "Robin Hood"
make bike which he nicknamed "Mr Phoebus".
Some of the attractions of Plâs Gwyn for Elgar as a keen yet late-learning
cylcist (He had only learned to ride in 1900) was that the countryside
was at hand, the roads were flatter and quieter than Malvern's.
Elgar's music was very much inspired by the natural places he frequented. Even before moving to Hereford the Herefordshire Beacon, often known as 'British Camp' had moved him to compose Caractacus, about the ancient Britons taking their last ditched stand against the Romans.
For example his Introduction and Allegro of 1905 was inspired by some
singing that he had heard in the Wye Valley.
The weekend after he had made a start on his Variations on an Original Theme, October 1898
Elgar stayed with his friend George Sinclair, the organist at the cathedral, at 20 Church Street.
The men took a stroll with Sinclair's bulldog, Dan, along the river to enjoy the newly constructed Victoria Bridge which had
been put up to commemorate the sovereign's diamond jubilee. Dan, getting too close to a steep back, fell in, and began barking. Sinclair
called on Elgar to set that to music, and this became one the Enigma
Variations. In his recollection of the event, Sir Edward said:
The first few bars were suggested by Dr Sinclair's great bulldog
(Dan, a well-known character) falling down a steep bank into the
River Wye (first bar), his paddling up stream to find a landing
place (2nd and 3rd bars) and his rejoicing bark on landing (the
second half of the 5th bar). G.R.S said, 'Set that to music!" I did
Elgar brought together the paddling about of the bulldog and Sinclair's organ-peddling into what became of number 11 of the new "Enigma" theme.
What became the 'Prayer' theme in The Dream of Gerontius was the musing of Dan the Bulldog on the order to be muzzled.
Elgar's father and uncle had been members of the Herefordshire Philharmonic Society since the 1860's and they were joined by Edward himself in 1883. He became its leader in 1891, and it was in this capacity that he gave his Spanish Serenade its first performance in Hereford Shire Hall.
Edward cycled over from Malvern for the rehearsals as he was first violinist, though he did not always cycle back when he'd had a few ciders.
In addition to the Herefordshire Philharmonic Society, Elgar helped bring back to life the Hereford Choral Society. If you go to the Library and ask, they might show you a letter which he wrote it its director, Mr Heins in which he agreed to play for half-price but only for one performance.
In 1889, Irishman George Robertson Sinclair was appointed organist of Hereford cathedral on his 26th
birthday, and with it
a sort of unofficial conductor of the Three Choirs Festival.
Sinclair's residence was 20 Church Street, part of the street pattern that has existed since the 10th century.
This house contains a one-time important crown-posted medieval hall.
The energetic Sinclair, a fan of Bach and Wagner, he had been to Bayreuth, hit it off with Elgar,
who found the Irishman a valuable source of critical appraisal and so liked to try out his
compositional ideas on him. Elgar soon became a regular guest in Church Street.
Percy Hull, Sinclair's assistant and later successor described Elgar from his visits to Church Street.
Elgar was a strange mixture. His military bearing was a thin disguise
for his extreme sensitiveness and his shyness and when he came to
consult Dr Sinclair over his compositions he was so nervous and excited
that he could only with difficulty succeed in playing his own music.
....the proof sheets of the piano duet arrangement of the Enigma
Variations arrived and I was called to play them through with Elgar..
he was in one of his most joyous and excitable moods. When we reached
the end of the Troyte variation (no. 7) I apologised for misreading
some of very quick passages in the famous bass part. The immediate
reply was "....It's the rythym that matters - and we didn't make
the old fellow buzz!"
It was in Dr Sinclair's house that Elgar wrote much of the Apostles
and I remember seeing a notice on the study door, "Incubator is now
warming up, hatching is on - please don't disturb the old hen."
In 1902, two days before the coronation of Edward VII, Elgar had been out on a bike ride with Rosa Burley, a friend and Principal
of the Malvern girls' school when they stopped to look at the church at Stretton
Grandison, then sample a little refreshment in the form of cider at the local pub.
He had written a Coronation Ode specially for that occasion. Elgar had followed the
King's suggestion and used the tune from his Pomp and Circumstance march to which
A.C. Benson had added the lyrics, Land of Hope and Glory. The landlady from the inn rushed
in and informed the cyclists that the Coronation was cancelled because King Edward was having
some problems with his appendix.
This pleased Elgar,
I don't give a tinker's damn! It gives me three blessed
days in my own country........instead of stewing in town
The Music Makers
was inspired by visits to the spot Mordiford where the Wye and the Lugg meet,
as were most of his 'sketches'.
Other works written at Plâs Gywn include Pomp and Circumstance March No 3, The Kingdom, The Wand of Youth Suite No 1, Pomp and Circumstance March No 4, The Wand of Youth Suite No 2, Symphony No 1 in A Flat major, Violin Concerto No 2 in E Flat major and the Coronation March 1911
Edward once cycled to St Mary's church, Burghill where he drew a sketch of
the Norman font with its figures of the apostles and Jesus.
The main sources of inspiration for Elgar were his faith, the countryside and his friendships with beautiful women.
Some of his pieces of work were performed for the first time in Hereford where he often led the local philharmonic.
September 17th 1904:
Carice started Saturday
gym lessons at the Hereford High School
for Girls. She remembered:
"It was absolute torture to me in those days,
for I had no idea of marching in time & the
idea of a running jump at the horse so paralysed
me with fright that I just could not do it
I used to dread Saturday mornings to which my
poor cousin May always had to take me because
I was not allowed to go into Hereford alone down
St. Owen's Street because in those days there
were so many drunk people about even at
eight or nine in the morning."
September 18th 1904:
"Lovely day E. & A. & C. & Miss Burley to
Rotherwas Most lovely walk - E. & Miss B.
for little ride late."
September 21st 1904:
"E. & A. & C. to Hoarwithy by 1.10 train
to Fawley E. rode - most of the way.
Most lovely day & wonderful place -"
September 23rd 1904:
The Elgars installed a telephone at Plas Gwyn, their first.
September 25th 1904:
"Lovely day. E. & A. & C. to Rotherwas -
Saw two kingfishers - Sat on river bank -"
September 25th 1904:
"E. for ride in aftn. Caught in showers.
Deep in libretto of the 'Apostles'."
October 1st 1904:
Lady Mary Lygon comes to stay at Plas Gwyn - "After tea we walked down to river what we call the 'arrival Walk'.".
October 2nd 1904:
The Elgars entertained Lady Mary Lygon at Hereford.
October 10th 1904:
Elgar worked on the libretto for 'The Kingdom'
October 13th 1904:
Frank Schuster arrived by car for a visit
October 14th 1904:
"Nice day. Frank sent May & C. for a drive in motor.
After lunch E. & A. & F. for lovely drive to Maddley
& Kilpeck. Coming back by Belmont petrol ran short.
We went in to Miss Underwood's & had tea & so home -"
October 16th 1904:
"After lunch E. & A. started with Frank in motor
& went via Ledbury to Malvern, called on Troyte
on to Madresfield Vicarage & Sherridge. After
tea back by Frome’s Hill & to within 3 miles of
home in 32 mins. Delightful Evening E. played
Apostles. Frank delighted."
January 1st 1905:
Rosa Burley mentions that Elgar is delighted in discovering that he could take the ferry at the foot
of Eign Hill to cross the river to go to the Catholic chapel in Bullingham.
February 18th 1905:
Elgar went for a ride with May to Much Marcle
April 1st 1905:
E. & May & Hilda for lovely ride to Hoarwithy &c."
April 2nd 1905:
"E. & May & Hilda M. to Belmont, very windy, Dr. Sinclair
to supper. Mr. Hull to fetch him."
April 16th 1905:
E. & May to Belmont [Abbey]. A. & C. to town Church
... Dr. Sinclair to tea"
April 21st 1905:
Troyte Griffith remembers: "We bicycled from Hereford
to see a 14th Century building attached to a farm house.
When we came out the daughter of the house asked us to
come in for tea. Rather to my surprise Elgar accepted
the invitation. After tea he offered a cigarette to our
hostess with the words ‘I know you smoke’. When we got
outside I said to him ‘You have never seen that girl before,
why did you say you knew she smoked?’ ‘That’s all you know
about it,’ said Elgar. ‘She was at Miss ---‘s school at
Malvern and all the girls there smoked.’"
April 24th 1905:
Very cold wind. E. & Troyte to Weobley &c"
May 26th 1905:
"E. raser worried. After lunch rode part of
way with M. Martin to Ludlow."
June 4th 1905:
"E. & May to Belmont. A. & C. to Church in town.
Most perfect day. Dr. Sinclair & Mr. Wilson to
tea - very pleasant visit. Lovely Evening."
The time that Elgar spent at Plâs Gwyn
was the high-point of his career and achieving
recognition. Just a few days after moving in he received his knighthood, two months
later, the Freedom of the City of Worcester. In the Coronation honours of 1911
he reaped the Order of Merit.
In 1905 he was given a specially created professorship at the University of Birmingham. but this proved to be taking on too much and three years later he happily resigned.
Play Gywn where Elgar was invited to become but declined to become the Mayor of Hereford was also the home to his doves, rabbit and scientific experiments carried out in a converted outhouse, 'The Ark, where he patented a process for making sulphuretted Hydrogen.
Amongst other gadgets, Sir Edward was to acquire a pneumatically-driven pianola operated by means of a music-roll, including that of his First Symphony.
Apart from initial financial worries about the upkeep of such a large property, Elgar was generally happy at 'Plâs Gwyn' where he was close to Mordiford and the Wye where he would cycle, fish and practise his boomerang.
Not far from that villages of Holme Lacy and Hampton Bishop where he sought the peace and tranquility prerequisite for his compostions.
Strangely enough, for Sir Edward Herefordians remained a mystery. 'I do not pretend to understand the corkscrew minds of at least one of these people', he once remarked.
In 1912 Sir Edward left Hereford for residences that would include London, Sussex and back to his native Worcestershire, typically finding inspiration in natur for his music. He actually found his house in then quasi-rural Hampstead quieter even than Plâs Gwyn where he had often heard trains.
Elgar took part in the 'Three Choirs Festival' on numerous occasions in Hereford. In that of September 1912 Elgar went back to his old home just to see if the swallows who had nested there were well cared for. 'Alas! the new tenants are tidy people- the loft is repainted...and the windows closed tight - so my companions of eight years found to welcome this year & have had to seek new homes'. He lamented.
For a while his house was empty later occupied by hippies who painted a purple picture of Jimmy Hendrix on the wall.
Celebrated for other works as "Dream of Gerontius", "Pomp and Circumstance", used to celebrate Edward VII's ascension to the throne. and of course "Land of Hope & Glory", one of the favourites of the Last Night of the Proms .
Elgar died listening to his own Second Symphony on his gramophone.
