Edward Elgar

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Edward Elgar was born in the year 1857, but in which county of England? Shropshire Gloucestershire Worcestershire Hampshire

2. What was the profession of William Elgar, Edward's father? Music seller Teacher Tailor Solicitor

3. In the 1890s Elgar became closely associated with the Three Choirs Festival. To which three English cathedrals does the name of this festival refer? Wells, Worcester and Ripon Worcester, Salisbury and Lichfield Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford Exeter, Worcester and Lincoln

4. Who was the first name of Edward's wife, who he married in 1889? Sarah Alice Ann Dorothy

5. Elgar's first major orchestral work, the "Enigma Variations", was published in 1899. To whom did he dedicate the piece? "To memories of Dear England" "To my dearest Alice" "To my friends pictured within" "To my friends at Worcester Cathedral"

6. The following year Elgar wrote "The Dream of Gerontius", arguably his greatest choral work. This was based on words written by whom? Cardinal John Henry Newman Alexander Pope Lord Byron Robert Browning

7. How many symphonies did Elgar write? Two, with one unfinished Four, with one unfinished None Six

8. Elgar wrote six "Pomp and Circumstance" marches. The first of these, which includes the music later used for the words "Land of Hope and Glory", were later used for a state occasion. What was this occasion? The funeral of Queen Victoria The celebrations following the end of the Boer War The state visit of the Emperor of Japan The coronation of King Edward the Seventh

9. Between 1918 and 1919 Elgar composed his last great work, the "Cello Concerto in E Minor". What is usually thought to be the inspiration behind this work? The death of his wife, Alice The death and destruction of the First World War The destruction of Worcester Cathedral by fire His own failing health

10. Elgar died on 23rd February 1934. Which other prominent English composers died during that year? Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward German Gustav Holst and Frederick Delius Arthur Sullivan and Frank Bridge Arnold Bax and William Walton