Serenade for Strings, Op. 20
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Elgar was born and raised in Worcester, England. His father owned a music store and was also an organist, teacher, and piano tuner. From a young age, Edward aspired to a performance career as a violinist. He played violin in several local orchestras and briefly went to London for advanced study. He realized he would not become a virtuoso, and so began devoting himself to musical composition and conducting, working his way from leading amateur musical societies to the great ensembles of the world.
The Serenade for Strings was composed when Elgar was 35 years old, but still relatively unknown as a composer outside of his native Worcester. It is the first of Elgar’s works which bears throughout the unmistakable Elgar characteristic sound. The second movement is slow, beautiful, lyrical, and somewhat elegiac in character. It is the longest of the three movements, and is the core of the entire serenade.
Elgar Serenade for Strings, mvt 2
