The hayseed knight android12/17/2023 He’d complained that he was ‘sick of music’ which earned him so little for his efforts he had received just 15 shillings for his cantata Caractacus. He was making money from long hours of teaching, editing and writing for his publisher, and although he was receiving commissions, Elgar became quickly depressed when his work was criticised or ill-received. He had turned 40 and - despite his long apprenticeship, hopes and aspirations - the idea of making a decent living from his compositions seemed unlikely if not unattainable. When he was doodling at the piano that fateful evening in 1898, the success of his little improvisations must have seemed merely a dream to the composer. Elgar goes on to explain that each characterisation is meant to represent the mood of the person themselves, with Elgar’s assertion that ‘I have written what I think they would have written – if they were asses enough to compose – it’s a quaint idea and the result is amusing to those behind the scenes…’ In fact, Elgar’s most popular orchestral composition has amused his fans and classical music lovers for more than a century since the hugely successful premiere under the baton of the German conductor Hans Richter on 19 June 1899.
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