#elgar: portrait of a composer

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[opera-ghosts]

Germaine Féraldy - Rossini: The Barber of Seville, Una voce poco fa (in French), High D

THE SONGBIRD: French soprano Germaine Féraldy (1894 - 1949) was born and died in Toulouse. She studied at the conservatory and made her debut there as Violetta. After many appearances in regional opera houses in France, she debuted at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Micaela in 1924. Other roles there over a span of nearly 20 years included Philine, Rosina, Manon, Marguerite, and Violetta. A unique highlight was the 1926 premiere of Ravel's "L'enfant et les sortilèges" singing the three high soprano roles (Fire, Nightingale, and Princess). Outside of France Féraldy sang in Monte Carlo, Brussels, London, Prague, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro -- focused mostly on the core French lyric repertoire.

THE MUSIC: Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" is one of the most popular operas in the world and has been since soon after its premiere in Rome in 1816. It is based on the first of three plays by Pierre Beaumarchais about Figaro, the sly barber in the title. The music of the opera is believed to have been composed in about three weeks. This showy aria "Una voce poco fa" introduces the clever character of Rosina in Act One and has become a touchstone for florid sopranos and mezzos.

Happy birthday Gioachino Rossini! Today is a very special day. Being born on 29 February Rossini only gets to celebrate his birthday once every four years. Though born 232 years ago, on 29 February 1792, this is only his 58th birthday!

Rossini had an extraordinary career. During his lifetime he was the most famous opera composer of them all, his heyday being the 1820s. Rossini took early retirement from the operatic world in 1829 at the age of 37, and spent the latter half of his life in both France and Italy.

Beethoven (already profoundly deaf) then said (translated from German by Rossini's companion): “Ah, Rossini. So you’re the composer of The Barber of Seville. I congratulate you." (The Barber of Seville was at that time a good deal more successful than Beethoven's own opera Fidelio!).

Rossini died in France in 1868. In his 76 years he had witnessed an extraordinary period in the history of music: born the year after Mozart's death he had outlived not only Beethoven but many composers younger than himself including Schubert and Chopin. It seems extraordinary to think that in 1822 he was still close enough to Mozart's era for Beethoven to specifically ask him if Mozart's operas were still being sung in Italy, while the year of Rossini' death saw the first performance of Brahms' Requiem and the first compositions of a 9-year-old Elgar, whose godson I have actually met, thus bringing us right up to 2024! Rossini also lived into the era of photography, and there are several fine photographic portraits of the composer, which make fascinating comparison with the many oil paintings done of him before the invention of photography. One thing all the photographic portraits of Rossini reveal is what Beethoven sarcastically described as Rossini’s "big belly"!

[magpie-masterpieces]

Theme Breakdown for the Demons/Angels Universe (Part 1 of ???)

Someone suggested I do this, here’s a break down of how I chose all the themes for the Sins + Virtues. The reasons will range from “something extremely deep” to “haha instrument go brrrr.” I’ll do more characters from this universe in the future.

I compile everyone’s themes for this universe in this playlist!

Invidia: String Quartet No. 3, BB 93: Seconde parte: Allegro – Béla Bartók

Starting off strong with a not that deep reason, the opening trill from the second violin has always reminded me of a snake. Invidia’s design draws inspiration snakes given that she’s canonically the Serpent of Eden.

This is a very musically technical piece, I like how it all comes together to sound very layered and barbaric. I think that fits Invidia, she’s got a lot of pent up emotion underneath her cold exterior.

Ira: Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: II. Allegro – Dmitri Shostakovich

Supposedly this is meant to be a musical portrait/representation of Joseph Stalin.

Heavy brass evokes imagery of marching armies. Reminds me of John Williams’ work for the original Star Wars trilogy.

Acedia: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, Sz. 106, BB 114: I. Andante tranquillo – Béla Bartók

This was a bit of a fine line I had to walk, I wanted something peaceful but still sinister.

I find that Bartók walks that line perfectly in this movement, it’s simultaneously tranquil but there’s a darker tone to it.

Superbia: Ruslan and Ludmilla: Overture – Mikhail Glinka

Overtures are usually the openings to operas, ballets, etc. They’re typically very flourishing and bombastic. I find that this specific overture is the right amount of bombastic I wanted for Superbia’s theme

Luxuria: Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, R. 288: Bacchanale – Camille Saint-Saëns

In music, bacchanales are typically meant to depict drunken revels/orgies.

The opera is based off of the story of Samson and Delilah from the Old Testament. In many interpretations of the tale, Delilah is meant to be a sinful, sexual woman.

Gula: Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan": II. Kräftig Bewegt, Doch Nicht Zu Schnell - Trio: Recht Gemächlich - Tempo Primo – Gustav Mahler

I found the extremely long title of this movement really funny lmao

There’s a playful, joviality to this piece. I think that fits given Gula’s the more optimistic one of the Sins.

Avaritia: The Marriage of the Figaro Overture – W.A. Mozart

Historically, operas have been associated with the upper class and wealth. Many operas were commissioned by nobility

Mozart is the best of the best, it’s only fitting that Ava’s theme would be the best of the best as well

Camael: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 “Enigma”: VIII. W.N. (Allegretto) – Edward Elgar

All of the movements of Elgar’s Enigma Variations are inspired by various friends and loved ones of the composer.

More graceful and lyrical melody in contrast to Invidia’s barbaric and savage theme.

Zadkiel: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: III. Scherzo: Molto Vivace – Antonín Dvořák

You’ll notice that Michael and Zadkiel’s themes are similar. Both are from the same composer (Antonín Dvořák), both are the third movement of a symphony, and both are scherzos.

It ties into Zadkiel being Michael’s successor. Not just literally, but his musical theme (symphony 9) being a successor to Michael’s theme (symphony 7).

Gabriel: Piano Quintet in C Minor: II. Scherzo (Allegro non troppo) – Alexander Borodin

Scherzos are usually short, fast paced and playful pieces.

Raphael: Petite Suite (orchestrated by Henri Büsser): IV. Ballet – Claude Debussy

Very happy and playful piece, easily fits her personality

Uriel: String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: II. Adagio cantabile e con moto – P.I. Tchaikovsky

Very innocent and romantic vibes, contrasts with Luxuria’s boisterous bacchanale

There’s a viola solo in this piece. And I feel like there’s a viola joke to be made here with Uriel being the most uptight, pretentious asshole, but I’m blanking out on one >:(

Jophiel: Double Concerto in A Minor: III. Vivace non troppo – Johannes Brahms

A big motif I keep with Jophiel is balance, their theme is no different.

The piece starts in a minor key and ends in a major key. The concerto is meant for a solo violin (the upper register of stringed instruments) and a solo cello (the lower register of string instruments), along with the orchestra.

Michael: Symphony No. 7 in D Minor: III. Scherzo: Vivace – Antonín Dvořák

I already talked about how Michael and Zadkiel’s themes mirror each other, so I won’t copy and paste it all here lmao

I became obsessed with this particular piece during the early days of the COVID pandemic. I’ve always associated this piece with enduring things despite the hard times.

[camillevanneerart]

edgar - graphite | 20 x 12

[dare-g]

Elgar: Portrait of a Composer (1962)

[mrdirtybear]

This half-length portrait by Bernard Munns (1869-1942) shows Scottish composer  Granville Bantock (1868-1946) holding a manuscript and a cigar circa 1900. Bantock was a musician and composer. Born the son of a prestigious surgeon and a gynaecologist, Bantock attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1888 to 1893. After this he pursued a career touring the country performing musical shows with such organisations as the Gaiety Company. In 1900 he came to Birmingham and was appointed Principal of Birmingham and Midland Institute of Music. In 1908 he replaced Edward Elgar as Peyton Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham. 

[themaninthegreenshirt]

The Makers of British Music: Famous Living British Composers of the Old School & the New by Samuel Begg [1908]. 

Portrait includes Coleridge-Taylor from the younger musical generation, alongside the established figures of Edward Elgar, Hubert Parry & Charles Villiers Stanford.

[silentambassadors]

Rest in peace, Edward Elgar.  While your Pomp & Circumstance is difficult to appreciate innately (too many graduation cap connotations), your Enigma Variations will always please and your Cello Concerto...c’est magnifique.  After a stuttering career, Elgar was eventually knighted in 1904 and appointed Master of the King’s Musick in 1924 for his contributions to British composition and music development worldwide.  He died on this date in 1934 at the age 76.

Stamp details: Stamp on left: Issued on: August 25, 2006 From: Douglas, Isle of Man MC #1320

Stamp on right: Issued on: May 15, 1985 From: London, England MC #1030

[interludehk]

Interlude is the best classical music website ever! There is a huge variety of fascinating articles and anecdotes, portraits of classical composers and classical musicians, interviews with music and arts personalities, and just enough gossip to keep it all interesting and entertaining. We look at eight of the most famous music quizzes and puzzles in classical music, written by composers like Elgar, Clarke, Haydn, and others.  Read more...

[ssfoc]

Hi Sea, I'm in your ask box because, I think other's might find your answer enlightening. Louis uses strings in Miss You. Is that done in Punk, or Pop/Punk? Certainly not in the Punk I'm familiar with, but my exposure is very limited. Louis seems to be a master of genre bending and blending, which is very cool. What are your thoughts on Miss You and where it fits genre wise? THANKS

Hi!

I think the strings place the song firmly in pop, in the tradition of pop-punk or post-punk pop. I don’t think MY bends genres enough to call it experimental. There have been classic punk or rock bands who have added orchestral/ symphonic sounds to their music (a few examples, Beatles with Sgt Pepper, Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody, Siousxie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth) without veering into progressive rock territory.

One example with just the strings is Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” The strings are appreciable at 0:40. The structure of MY is reminiscent of GreenDay songs.

https://youtu.be/CnQ8N1KacJc

It’s very funny that the song comes from Green Day’s album “Nimrod,” for Nimrod is a loaded word in English music!

It is the name of THE famous ninth variation from Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” Elgar wrote these variations as portraits of his friends, but this variation in particular is not a portrait, but tells a story about Elgar’s friend, Augustus Jaeger. Nimrod was an Old Testament hunter, and “Jaeger” is the German for hunter.

Augustus Jaeger had encouraged Elgar to keep composing at a time when the composer felt he could write no more. Jaeger used the example of Beethoven, whose life was beset by tragedies and yet continued to write beautiful music. He sang to Elgar the second movement from Beethoven’s Pathétique sonata as an example.

The beginning of the movement is quoted in the “Nimrod” variation. As Elgar said, “Can’t you hear it at the beginning? Only a hint, not a quotation.“

Here’s Beethoven’s Piano Sonata opus 13, Adagio cantabile (Ashkenazy playing):

https://youtu.be/1FP7NosLxkw

Here’s the Nimrod variation (you can hear a quote of Beethoven):

https://youtu.be/NhnMd1Jl7SA

Now, English musicians know Nimrod very, very well… even rock and punk musicians. It’s played in many formal ceremonies, practically a national anthem. The English rock band Muse quotes the Nimrod variation in their epic song, The Globalist. Listen starting at 6:56:

https://youtu.be/4qagaaZfwXA

Our last connection from Louis to Green Day to Elgar to Harry is this: Nimrod, and the Enigma Variations, were used in the soundtrack of Dunkirk, the movie.

https://youtu.be/WEIzGwSFVtE

Ah! Hear it here (Making of Dunkirk), at 15:00!

https://youtu.be/s_CeUOsnK0Q

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

End of month update - March

Hello, all! This is the end-of-month update, where I post Tumblr’s current top four films that have received the highest percentage of “yes,” “no,” and “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

As of today, the top four films with the highest percentage of “yes” votes are:

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shrek (2001) |The Lion King (1994) | Toy Story (1995)

Next, the top four films with the highest percentage of “no” votes are:

Mulan (2020) | Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) | Sausage Party (2016) | Pinocchio (2019)

Finally, the top four films with the highest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes are:

Seer the Movie 3: Heroes Alliance (2013) | Gaz Bar Blues (2003) | Faat Kiné (2001) | Zumiriki (2019) | Kisapmata (1981)

This top four changed through the new additions of Gaz Bar Blues (2003), which replaced Kisapmata (1981).

That’s it for March’s end-of-month update! Remember that you can view last month’s update by clicking here. Additionally, you can view the full ranked Letterboxd lists of movies that have come up on this blog by clicking the following links:

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “yes” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “no” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

Remember to vote on the polls that are currently running: Pinocchio (1940) | The Adventures of Food Boy (2008) | Sonic: Night of the Werehog (2008) | Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) | Carry On Doctor (1967) | The Grapes of Wrath (1940) | Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) | A Shot in the Dark (1964) | Elgar: Portrait of a Composer (1962) | Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) | Rebecca (1940) | Taxi (2015) | The Namesake (2006) | Pajama Party (1964) | Eating Raoul (1982) | The Mortal Storm (1940) | Themroc (1973) | District 9 (2009) | The Lovely Bones (2009) | Return to Oz (1985) | Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) | We Are the Night (2010) | House of Tolerance (2011) | Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) | Beverly Hills Cop (1984) | Fantasia (1940) | (A)sexual (2011) | The Mark of Zorro (1940) | Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) | Knock Knock (2021) | The Bank Dick (1940) | Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1992) | In the Loop (2009) | Wild Rose (2018) | Girl with a Suitcase (1961)

[uniquestream]

Elgar: Portrait of a Composer 1962 A partly dramatised account of the life of Sir Edward Elgar classical composer. Huw Wheldon narrates the life story over backdrops of beautiful mountain scenery, especially memorable is the image of young Elgar riding his horse around Malvern Hills.

[romanlightman001]

Elgar: Portrait of a Composer (Ken Russell) Part 2 / 4

[todayclassical]

May 14 in Music History

1652 Birth of composer Johann Philipp Fortsch.

 1574 Birth of Italian tenor Francesco Rasi in Arezzo.

1707 Birth of composer Antonio Teixeira.

1723 FP of G. F. Handel´s opera Flavio at the King's Theater in London.

1748 FP of Gluck's opera Semiramide Riconosciuta for the reopening of the Burgtheater in Vienna.

1749 FP of Galuppi's "L'Arcadia in Brenta" Venice.

1749 Opening of the Burgtheater, Vienna.

1763 FP of Gluck's "Il trionfo di Clelia" Vienna.

1788 FP of Dalayrac's "Sargines" Paris.

1791 Death of German singer and composer Francesca Lebrun in Berlin. 

1799 FP of G. Ferrari's "I due Svizzeri" London.

1805 Birth of Danish organist and composer Johann Peter Emilius Hartmann.

1816 Birth of composer Gualtiero Sanelli.

1832 FP of the Hebrides Overture by Mendelssohn, conducted by the composer from the manuscript at Covent Garden, London.

1842 Birth of composer Alphons Czibulka.

1845 FP of Balfe's "The Enchantress" London.

1847 Death of composer and pianist Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.

1853 Birth of Italian tenor Francesco Marconi. 

1855 FP of Halévy's "Jaguarita l'indienne" Paris.

1863 Birth of French tenor Pierre Cornubert.  1864 Birth of American composer and singer Eleanor Everest Freer.

1872 Birth of composer John Stepan Zamecnik. 

1874 Birth of Italian tenor Giuseppe Armanini in Milan. 

1883 Birth of #composer Juan Manen

1885 Birth of German conductor Otto Klemperer in Breslau. 

1889 FP of Massenet's "Esclarmonde" Paris. 

1891 Birth of composer Egon Kornauth.

1892 Birth of Russian composer Arthur Vincent Lourie´, in Paris. 

1892 Birth of composer Felix Petyrek.

1893 Birth of composer Ivan Alexandrovich Vishnegradsky.

1895 Birth of composer Renato Lunelli.

1898 Birth of composer Bonifacio Gil Garcia

1900 Birth of Dutch composer Leo Smit in Amsterdam. 

1902 Birth of #tenor Antonio Salvarezza.

1908 Birth of German bass Helmut Eyle in Halberstadt. 

1911 Birth of composer Hans Vogt.

1914 FP of Richard Strauss' ballet Josephslegende in Paris.

1917 Birth of American composer Lou Harrison in Portland, OR.

1917 Birth of American choral conductor Norman Luboff in Chicago. 

1917 Birth of Austrian baritone Hans Braun in Vienna. 

1919 Birth of German tenor Martin Vantin in Nurnberg. 

1919 FP of Claude Debussy's Saxophone Rhapsody orchestrated by Roger-Ducasse. Société Nationale de Musique, conducted by André Caplet at the Salle Gaveau in Paris.

1924 Birth of Portuguese composer Joly Braga-Santos in Lisbon. 1923 FP of Gustav Holst's opera The Perfect Fool at Covent Garden, London. 

1925 Birth of American soprano Patrice Munsel in Spokane WA. 

1925 Birth of composer Tristram Ogilvie Cary.

1926 Birth of composer Cestmir Gregor.

1930 Birth of American soprano Margaret Hoswell. 

1931 Birth of American composer Alvin Lucier in Nashua, NH.

1931 Birth of German pianist Aloys Kontarsky, in Westphalia.

1936 Birth of American mezzo-soprano Joann Grillo in Brooklyn, NY. 

1937 Birth of composer Peter Frederic Williams.

1940 Birth of Austrian bass-baritone Peter Wimberger in Vienna.

1941 FP of John Cage's Third Construction for four percussionists in San Francisco.

1942 Birth of American composer Gerald Shapiro in Philadelphia, PA.

1942 FP of Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, narrated by William Adams and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andre Kostelanitz.

1943 Birth of American composer and conductor Tania León in Havana, Cuba.

1948 Birth of Welsh composer Albert Alan Owen in Bangor, Wales.

1947 Birth of English composer and singer Peter Skellern.

1948 Birth of American soprano Carmen Balthrop in Washington, DC. 

1949 Birth of American pianist Alan Marks in Chicago. 

1950 Birth of French pianist Maria de La Pau.

1951 Birth of Welsh soprano Helen Field in Anyn, North Wales.

1957 Birth of Italian soprano Daniela Dessi in Genoa.

1957 FP of Malipiero's "Il Figliuol prodigo" 1st stage perf. and his "Venere prigioniera" Florence.

1959 FP of Glanville-Hicks' "The Glittering Gate" New York (1959).

1965 Death of tenor Franz Gollnitz. 

1965 American debut of cellist Jacqueline DuPre. Plays Elgar concerto in Carnegie Hall, NYC.

1966 FP of Alberto Ginastera's Concerto per Corde. Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting.

1974 Final London performance by Leopold Stokowski at age 92 conducting premiere of Otto Klemperer's Merry Waltz by New Philharmonia Orchestra.

1978 Death of Ukranian bass Alexander Kipnis.

1986 FP of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Symphony No. 5. Finnish Radio Symphony, Paavo Berglund conducting in Helsinki.

1987 FP of Alvin Singleton's Shadows for orchestra. Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw conducting.

1992 FP of James MacMillan's Sinfonietta. London Sinfonietta, Martyn Brabbins conducting at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London

1993 FP of Philip Glass' opera Orphée. American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.

2005 FP of English-Canadian composer Robert Farnon's Third Symphony.

[schu-pinn]

I have nothing to do while I wait for my cello lesson, so here we go!

1. I play piano and cello!

2. Clarinet is actually my favorite orchestra instrument

3. Least favorite are the basses.. always out of tune sorry guys

4. Elgar’s enigma variations kinda describes my life? Because I believe music can describe people, and each of Elgar’s variations was a portrait of his friends/family.

5. Saddest piece I’ve heard .... probably sibelius violin concerto? Idk. The saddest piece I’ve played is Fauré’s Elegy on the cello.

6. Happiest piece I’ve played is mozart’s magic flute overture. It brings back good memories

7. I’ve been playing piano for 10 years and cello for 6

8. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided my dream occupation is to be a music professor. If I don’t major in music though, it’ll be psychology

9. Favorite era: impressionist, neo classical, and of course romantic

10. Favorite composers (in order): Debussy, Chopin, Schumann, Ravel, Scriabin, Bach, Haydn (couldn’t choose one of course!)

11. Favorite chamber music piece: Schubert’s quintet in C, also Dvorak’s serenade for strings, but I don’t think it counts as chamber

12. Favorite symphony: brahms’ first? Any of tchaikovky’s? Or new world? I can’t decide

13. Not exactly what comes to mind at the thought of a concerto, but I love Bach’s bradenburg concerto no 3 dearly.

14. Without music, life would b flat (we’ve all heard that one before)

15. I would tell my past self to stick with music, and it’s not a burden despite my mom making me practice every day. It would take time, but soon I would start to enjoy what I was doing instead of forcing my way through it because mom said I had to. Music would become the best thing about my life, and there’s so much more to it than just practice and theory.

16. A minor is def my favorite key

17. I hate F major, it’s so hard to play on the piano. Also any key with too much accidentals

18. I never had a “huge” musical accomplishment. I won 2nd place in a tiny honors recital when I was 9 but that didn’t really feel like anything. I was principal cellist for a few months in my youth symphony, but I dont consider that a big accomplishment either (i only became principal because a bunch of people left). I‘ll say it’s going on tour in the Uk/ireland with my youth symphony.

19. Yep I come from a musical family. My mom is an amateur singer and her mom is a choir conductor, my uncle is a pianist and conductor, and my paternal grandma is an amateur pianist. Also, my brother plays piano and clarinet, my sister just plays piano.

20. Most difficult piano piece I’ve played: Chopin’s 3rd ballade and Schumann’s piano concerto (still working on it!)

Cello: Haydn’s concerto in C major (only played the 1st and 2nd movement though)

Hope you enjoy if you did read it!

Classical Music Questionnaire (reblog with your answers)

1. what instrument(s) do you play? 2. favorite instrument in an orchestra 3. least favorite instrument in an orchestra 4. piece of classical music that describes your life and why 5. saddest piece you’ve ever heard/played 6. happiest piece you’ve ever heard/played 7. how many years have you played your main instrument? 8. do you/are you going to pursue music as a career? if not what are you planning on majoring in? 9. favorite era 10. favorite composer 11. favorite chamber music piece 12. favorite symphony 13. favorite concerto 14. favorite music joke/pun/riddle 15. what would you tell your past musical self if you could give them one piece of advice right now? 16. favorite key 17. least favorite key 18. biggest musical accomplishment 19. do you come from a musical family? 20. most difficult piece you’ve ever learned

[gizedcom]

Visit UK spots that inspired famous composers, from the Malvern Hills to the Suffolk coast

The British countryside is woven through with home-grown classical music, from symphonies inspired by the Scottish islands to Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s chamber composition that references a prehistoric mound in Wiltshire.

And exploring the areas which influenced a composer’s finest work, or visiting museums which celebrate their legacy, makes for an inspiring break.

British composers might not have the exuberance of Italian ones, nor the fame of Bach or Mozart, but if there’s one thing that unites them it’s that their music is tied to the landscape around them. This can range from the sound of birdsong, a blustery Suffolk day or even, in the case of Gustav Holst when he wrote The Planets, the clear night skies.

Inspirational: Black Pear Tours has a self-guided, five-night Elgar walking tour through the Severn Valley and surrounding hills, visiting Malvern and Worcester

Sir Edward Elgar, perhaps Britain’s most famous composer, wrote the Pomp And Circumstance Marches as well as the music for Land Of Hope And Glory. Visit The Firs (nationaltrust.org.uk/the-firs), his birthplace in Worcester, and it’s soon clear how much the countryside meant to him, especially the soft green hills where he grew up and continued to live near for much of his life.

Elgar composed the Enigma Variations in Malvern in 1898, each one a musical portrait of a friend and inspired by the magnificent landscape. A keen cyclist and walker, he wrote The Apostles after cycling to the beautifully still Longdon Marsh, today a nature reserve and haven for birdwatchers.

And while staying at Spetchley Park Gardens, as a guest of the owner when it was privately owned, Elgar penned part of his choral masterpiece, The Dream Of Gerontius. The little-known 30-acre garden, three miles east of Worcester, is a Victorian delight, remains largely unaltered and contains one of the country’s biggest private collections of peonies (spetchleygardens.co.uk).

The dining area at The Cottage In The Wood hotel in Malvern Wells, which has a sense of Edwardian generosity

If you want a relaxing stay nearby, The Cottage In The Wood hotel in Malvern Wells has a sense of Edwardian generosity and spectacular views, especially in its 1919 restaurant. B&B costs from £109 (cottageinthewood.co.uk).

To dig a little deeper, Black Pear Tours has a self-guided, five-night Elgar walking tour through the Severn Valley and surrounding hills, visiting Malvern and Worcester. The price starts at £415pp and covers maps, B&B accommodation and luggage transportation between hotels (blackpearwalkingtours.com/the-walks/elgar-trail).

Elgar was also a regular guest at Long White Cloud, a house close to the Thames in Bray which is now part of the luxurious Monkey Island hotel (monkeyislandestate.co.uk). It was here that he worked on his Violin Concerto.

Not every Elgar haunt is so grand. On the Isle of Wight you can stay in Bermuda House, a Victorian villa in Ventnor where he honeymooned with wife Alice (ventnorselfcatering.co.uk/bermuda-house).

London has a special classical musical landscape of its own. Baroque composer George Frideric Handel left his native Germany and lived here for more than 40 years, becoming a British citizen (he’s buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey, alongside Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens). And, like Elgar, he had a strong connection with the Thames.

His Water Music, still wonderfully cheerful and party-minded, was written for a pageant on the river in 1717 where musicians performed while bobbing around on a boat. His Music For The Royal Fireworks was first performed in Green Park in 1749 flanked by a recently built Buckingham Palace.

Sir Edward Elgar, perhaps Britain’s most famous composer 

Handel’s home in Mayfair’s Brook Street also comes with a plaque to Jimi Hendrix, who spent a year living next door. The two very different musicians also share a museum (handelhendrix.org).

Just around the corner from the designer shops of Bond Street, the museum celebrates both with small but very popular concerts of Handel’s chamber music and also jam sessions, Hendrix-style. Until audiences can enjoy live concerts again, they are being filmed and can be found on the museum’s website.

Also on Brook Street, Claridge’s has history and comfortable double rooms costing from £660 a night (www.claridges.co.uk).

There’s something particularly magical about hearing a piece of music in the place it was first designed to be performed, and Britain’s churches and cathedrals will be for ever intertwined with such an experience, even in more modern cathedrals – Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem was commissioned for the opening of the newly consecrated Coventry Cathedral in 1962.

Next year, Martin Randall Travel has a trip to Oxford that focuses on Divine Office, a series of psalms and hymns written to be performed at certain times of the day.

Held over four days in a variety of colleges, including Magdalen and Christ Church, there’s strong emphasis on British composers, ranging from Thomas Tallis and Henry Purcell through to Britten and modern works. Prices start at £2,580pp including accommodation, breakfasts and some dinners (martinrandall.com/divine-office).

Many of Britain’s oldest stately homes nurtured the talent of English composers. Cliveden House – now a luxury hotel – saw the first performance of Rule, Britannia! in 1740 when Frederick, George III’s eldest son, lived there. Room-only from £445 (clivedenhouse.co.uk).

These days, patronage operates in different ways. Glyndebourne (glyndebourne.com) and Garsington Opera (garsingtonopera.org) are just two historic organisations that started in stately homes.

As well as staging classic operas, both commission new compositions that play to music fans who come to take in culture amid meadows and formal gardens. This year the season has been disrupted but operas can be viewed online, and at 5pm today you can watch the premiere of Rossini’s The Barber Of Seville from Glyndebourne on YouTube.

Cliveden House – now a luxury hotel – saw the first performance of Rule, Britannia! in 1740 when Frederick, George III’s eldest son, lived there

Ralph Vaughan Williams devoted his life to collecting English folk tunes before they were lost, and used them as a basis for lyrical classical music, from the glorious The Lark Ascending to the more mournful Norfolk Rhapsody and In The Fen Country.

He grew up at the 17th Century mansion Leith Hill Place in Surrey, now owned by the National Trust. There are some glorious walks that allow you to follow in his footsteps. Even if you can’t guarantee hearing a lark these days, you can really get a sense of the peaceful, nature-filled landscape that Vaughan Williams grew up in (nationaltrust.org.uk/leith-hill/trails/leith-hill-woodland-walk).

With eight acres of protected landscape, including a river, the rather special Wotton House Country Estate Hotel, which dates from the 16th Century, is a ten-minute drive from Leith Hill Place. Room-only from £110 (wottonhouse.co.uk).

Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft in 1913 but spent most of his life down the Suffolk coast in Aldeburgh, working on operas such as Peter Grimes, Billy Budd and The Turn Of The Screw.

Sound sculpture: The Scallop on Aldeburgh beach, dedicated to Suffolk-born Benjamin Britten

His home, the Red House (brittenpears.org/visit), full of hip 1960s furnishings and his purpose-built Composition room, is open to the public. Visitors are welcome to picnic in the classic cottage garden, but venture outside this protected zone and you’re on the starker, moodier North Sea coast that suddenly makes sense of the Sea Interludes in Peter Grimes.

Full Aldeburgh immersion can be had by staying at the seafront Brudenell Hotel, a mile from the Scallop, Maggi Hambling’s controversial four-metre-high steel sculpture dedicated to Britten. Doubles from £150, including breakfast (brudenellhotel.co.uk).

Britain’s composers tend to leave festivals as one of their legacies. Britten set up the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948, starting as a few concerts in the nearby Jubilee Hall. It is now held in Snape Maltings (snapemaltings.co.uk) – a venue converted from a barley warehouse which is on the banks of the River Alde and surrounded by fields.

The Aldeburgh Festival has been cancelled this year, but some of its archives are now online so it’s more accessible than ever. It’s due to host the festival again in 2021.

Three Choirs Festival, which runs each year at Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford cathedrals (3choirs.org) is most closely associated with Elgar but has also featured work composed by Sir Arthur Sullivan, whose favourite collaborations were with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, resulting in The Pirates Of Penzance and The Mikado.

Felix Mendelssohn visited Staffa (pictured) in 1829 – and wrote an overture inspired by it first performed in 1833 in Berlin

Fingal’s Cave was written by Felix Mendelssohn about Staffa, an uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides, when he visited it in 1829. Queen Victoria’s favourite composer, he dedicated his Scottish Symphony to her.

And this tradition of Scottish scenery inspiring music continued into the 20th Century. Composer and conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies lived in the Orkney Islands for more than 40 years, using the location to inspire operas – most joyously with An Orkney Wedding With Sunrise, depicting the aftermath of a riotous wedding.

If ever there was a year to enjoy the remote beauty of the Orkneys, it’s 2020.

The Storehouse restaurant with rooms makes a perfect base, with doubles costing from £110 including breakfast (thestorehouserestaurantwithrooms.co.uk).

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