The Best of Me
A Gerontius Centenary Companion
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List of Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Foreword - Richard Hickox xi
Introduction - Geoffrey Hodgkins 1

Part I - Before Elgar
John Henry Newman : a Short Biography - John Norris 19
The Complete Words - John Henry Newman 41
(including General Gordon's Gerontius Markings)
Newman as Librettist : Towards a Non-Didactic Poetry of Dogma - Robert Carballo 56

Part II - The Composition of a Masterpiece
The Places that Inspired - John Norris & Ann Vernau 67
Birchwood, In Summer, 1900 - Dora Powell 81
One Story, Two Visions - Charles E McGuire 84
An English Oratorio as Pathfinder - Andreas Friesenhagen 102
Sources of manuscripts, sketches and proofs 116

Part III - The Struggle for Survival
The Birmingham Première - a selection of contemporary reviews:
In Some Ways a Beautiful Work - J A Fuller Maitland 123
Music that Speaks to the Heart - E A Baughan 126
A Memory from the Choir - William Bennett 136
A New Kind of Musical Eloquence - Arthur Johnstone 140
The First Performance of Gerontius -Mrs Richard Powell 150
Hans Richter and Gerontius - Gareth H Lewis 156
Elgar and Gerontius : The Early Performances - Lewis Foreman 162
Ludwig Wüllner & the Westminster Gerontius - David Bury 237

Part IV - The Intervening Years
A Remarkable Musical Event - The Musical Times 247
I Go to Mass - A J Sheldon 251
A Re-evaluation after Thirty-five Years - Harvey Grace 257
Genius, Original and Final - Neville Cardus 261
The Greatness of Gerontius - F Bonavia 264
The Illustrated Gerontius - T Martin Jones 268

Part V - The Recorded Legacy
A Comparative Review - Walter Essex 277
A Gerontius Discography - John Knowles 298
The Nightmare of Gerontius - Carl Newton 306
The Dream of Gerontius - A Personal Note - John Barbirolli 328

Part VI - Performing Gerontius Today
Elgar's Advice to Nicholas Kilburn and Gregory Hast 333
Interpreting Gerontius - Edgar Day 336
Gerontius in Istanbul - John Kelly 342
Gerontius in Budapest - Alan Tongue 347
After 100 Years - Michael Kennedy 350
A Universal Welcome - An Annex of Recent Performances 355

Index 363


Continue to :

A Musical Tour of the Oratorio

Life after Death - How Elgar came to write the oratorio

The Full Libretto

The Recorded Legacy - Walter Essex's Comparative Review

A Guide to Forthcoming Performances of the Concerto

How We Can Help Your Performance

Return to :

A Chronology of Major Works 'Elgar - His Music' Index
Welcome page index An Elgar Diary

Elgar Birthplace
Museum Shop