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After Go, Song of Mine, Elgar did not
write another part-song for over four years. During the intervening period, he was partly taken
up with larger-scale works - the Violin Concerto, the
Second Symphony, The Music Makers,The
Crown of India Suite and Falstaff. But also,
the popularity of both the competitive choral festival and of Elgar's music itself had peaked.
Despite this, in a remarkable burst of energy in 1914, Elgar wrote in quick succession a further
seven part-songs, four songs for solo voice and two anthems (including Give Unto the Lord). What led to this productive outburst
is not clear, but it seems likely that, as always with Elgar, finding himself in the right geographical
surroundings was a significant contributory factor.
In 1912, the Elgar's had moved to Hampstead, London, buying a rather grand
house, now demolished, at 42 Netherhall Gardens which Alice Stuart Wortley
(Windflower) had helped them find. The move was dictated by practical considerations
- Elgar had recently been appointed permanent conductor of the London Symphony
Orchestra. Apart from their brief foray to London immediately after their marriage, this was
their first residence outside the Worcester-Hereford area. One suspects that Elgar would have
preferred not to have made the move. After a period spent settling in, the Elgar's began to
explore by car the areas to the north of Hampstead, often accompanied by Windflower. Elgar
found the drives and the countryside enchanting and inspirational. The part-songs of opus 71, 72
and 73 form the best of the year's crop and to three of these he gave subtitles recording the areas
he had visited: The Shower (op 71, no 1) he named At Mill Hill, The
Fountain (op 71, no 2) became At Totteridge and Serenade (op 73, no
2), Hadley Green. As if to emphasize their grander scale, Elgar called opus 71, 72 and 73
choral songs. It is the middle of these, Death on the Hills, that deserves a special
mention. Like the two part-songs of opus 73, it is a setting of a translation of a Russian poem.
It describes Death (represented by the basses) selecting its victims from a village community (the
remainder of the choir) - an evocative piece of music.
But the inspiration of 1914 was not to last. The First World War was only a few months
away and with it came a change of mood and responsibilities. Not until 1923, three years after
his personal world had been shattered by Alice's death, did Elgar return to the medium of part-
song. The two songs he wrote - The Wanderer and the strangely named Zut, Zut,
Zut, both to words he had himself penned - were for male voices only. Novello's
was not impressed by the songs and, claiming that there was no market for male voice songs,
refused to meet his asking price. Eventually, after some wrangling, Elgar accepted a much
reduced price but a break with Novello's, his publisher since the days when he was still a
struggling provincial musician, followed in 1924. Thereafter, he was to use a range of publishers
with, ironically, Novello's being offered nothing more than three further part-songs : The
Herald in 1925 (although The Prince of Sleep, to words by Walter de la
Mare, was published by Elkin in the same year) and the carols I Sing the
Birth in 1928 and Good Morrow (written to commemorate King George
V's recovery from a severe illness) in 1929.
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Elgar conducting at
Wembley
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Elgar's other late ventures into the medium were also commemorative works. The three part-
songs of 1924 were part of a cycle of eight songs (the remainder being written for solo voice)
entitled Pageant of Empire. This was written, along with the Empire March, for the British Empire
Exhibition held at Wembley that year. The songs, with titles such as
Shakespeare's Kingdom, The Blue Mountains (which are in Australia) and
The Heart of Canada, attempt to capture the vast geographical spread of the Empire but,
unfortunately, neither they nor the
Empire March captured the heart of the British public. If the exhibition is now remembered through any
musical connection, it is probably for the photograph of Elgar conducting the orchestra in
Wembley Stadium.
And his final vocal work, the choral ode So Many True Princesses Who Have Gone
to words by the recently-appointed Poet Laureate John Masefield, was written for a
ceremony held at Marlborough House, London in June 1932 for the unveiling of a
memorial to Queen Alexandra. But none of the later part-songs stand comparison with
those composed before the First World War. And of all his part-songs, probably none retains
public affection as much as one written before he achieved national fame -
The Snow.
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