Elgar: Child of Dreams

'When Elgar's Cello Concerto reached my young ears fifty years ago across the seas in the United States, it transfixed me with its power to project a landscape I did not know. When knowledge came of Worcestershire, Elgar's projection proved strangely accurate. How could music do that?'



Jerrold Northrop Moore pursues his quest for the essential Elgar and sets out the story of an extraordinarily creative life. It shows themes of childhood, fantasy and vision fusing into a mature style of nobility and nostalgia. Above all it links the composer to the English landscape that formed the backdrop to all of his work, from his earliest years. This powerful short book is the outcome of half a century's thought and reflection by a leading Elgar biographer.

"'The perfect short introduction to Elgar... which brings out the composer's indubitable greatness and his profound humanity... Those who don't know the story will be charmed by it, and those who do will be sent, immediately, back to the music to listen and learn again.' Simon Heffer, Spectator 'Written with deep and unmatched scholarship, Elgar: Child of Dreams is a seamless read... its effect is inspirational and had me dipping in and out of various Elgar recordings to catch the hidden references in the "broad, noble, chivalrous, healthy and... out-of-door music I thought I knew so well.' Classic FM Magazine 'Pocket-sized and beautifully presented. I found it a goldmine.' Independent"

Born and brought up in the United States, Jerrold Northrop Moore lives in Worcestershire and has been listening to Elgar's music for more than fifty years. He is the author of the definitive biography Edward Elgar: A Creative Life, which has remained continuously in print since its first publication by Oxford University Press in 1984.

'When Elgar's Cello Concerto reached my young ears fifty years ago across the seas in the United States, it transfixed me with its power to project a landscape I did not know. When knowledge came of Worcestershire, Elgar's projection proved strangely accurate. How could music do that?' Jerrold Northrop Moore pursues his quest for the essential Elgar and sets out the story of an extraordinarily creative life. It shows themes of childhood, fantasy and vision fusing into a mature style of nobility and nostalgia. Above all it links the composer to the English landscape that formed the backdrop to all of his work, from his earliest years. This powerful short book is the outcome of half a century's thought and reflection by a leading Elgar biographer.

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