In elgars day it was deemed so catholic, in fact, that. Whats controversial about a sacred piece of choral music, you might ask. Please note that even expedited orders will be delayed. The dream of gerontius, first published in 1865, is cardinal newmans epic poem describing the descent of gerontius, an everyman character, into death and purgatory. The dream of gerontius by edward elgar 18571934 book. Edward elgars the dream of gerontius is a splendid oratorio for mezzosoprano, tenor and bass with chorus and orchestra. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library.
However, brittens performance on decca is coupled with deliuss seadrift and another work by holst, whereas barbirollis has no pairing. The composer, often selfdeprecating about even his most ambitious works, felt that this effort, inspired by a poem of cardinal newman, represented his finest music. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. Full text of the dream of gerontius see other formats j c. Nevertheless, he wrote a very great poem, the dream of gerontiusa poem which the intellectual world admires more and more every year, and which yields its best only after careful study and consideration. Such is the popularity today of elgars oratorio that it is easy to overlook the fact that newmans poem, which elgar took as the basis of his libretto, had experienced remarkable. The selfish interests of individuals are replaced by the churchs interest, the salvation of each one of its members. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. This, if anything of mine, is worth your memory, wrote edward elgar quoting ruskin regarding his oratorio the dream of gerontius. One challenge is the technical complexity of the work.
I had the privilege of singing in it at wells cathedral last year. The dream of gerontius the complete text classic fm. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. This page lists all recordings of the dream of gerontius, op. Cardinal newmans poem tells of the journey of a mans soul after death gerontius may be translated roughly as old man. But, while he undoubtedly toyed with the idea of setting it to music intermittently over the intervening period, the decision to do so for the 1900 birmingham festival appears to have. In elgars day it was deemed so catholic, in fact, that the.
So, this should be the clear firstrunner if one is interested in the dream of gerontius. It relates the journey of a pious mans soul from his deathbed to his. John henry newman not only had a vivid sense of that world, a. Probably elgars most popular choral work, the dream of gerontius demands a large choir and strong orchestra. His father, william henry elgar 18211906, was raised in dover and had been apprenticed to a london music publisher. In 1841 william moved to worcester, where he worked as a piano tuner and set up a shop selling sheet music and musical instruments. Edward elgar sheet music, music books, scores and more. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
London symphony orchestra richard hickox 1988 recorded in watford town hall. Firmly i believe and truly, and praise to the holiest in the height. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Elgar made a conscious decision not to write down to amateur singers, and his choral. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. It relates the journey of a pious mans soul from his deathbed to his judgment before god and settling into purgatory. Cd was bought for the dream of gerontius a superb performance of a deeply moving and uplifting work. Edward elgar was born in the small village of lower broadheath, outside worcester, england. Theological themes in newmans dream of gerontius 4 the ecclesiology reflected in the dream of gerontius is based on the common end of the church. The two choral societies are coming together to perform this great work, under the baton of their musical director, richard brain, as a joint celebration of their 80th anniversaries. Over the years i have sought to hear a variety of different interpretations to go alongside my beloved copy of the barbirolli.
Dream of gerontius as a revelation of the destiny of the human person fr thomas norris the creed of christians includes the statement, i look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Elgar edward dream of gerontius oratorio chant piano. Satb orchestra study score composed by edward elgar 18571934. Lovers of elgars transcendent masterpiece, the dream of gerontius, will have their favorite recorded versions of the workbarbirolli, boult, britten, gibson, and rattle, among others. Until further notice we will only be able to ship orders on mondays and thursdays. A guide to why elgars the dream of gerontius is the most. Although the dream of gerontius is held in high esteem in england, it is less frequently performed in the united states. The poem opens with the old mans realization that his time has come. I know it now, not by the token of this faltering breath. The other alternative is brittens, although it is at times a little too eccentric for general consumption. Elgar was given a copy of the poem in 1889 as a wedding present. I t is hard to explain why the dream of gerontius manages to have such a powerful effect on someone who rejects every particle of the religious impulses that nourish it.
The following 1 pages are in this category, out of 1 total. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The dream of gerontius cardinal john henry newman first phase gerontius. The dream of gerontius, oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra 18991900. Satb choir sheet music book by edward elgar 18571934. Follow the text of edward elgars the dream of gerontius, to text from the poem by cardinal john henry newman. Elgar received a copy of newmans poem as a wedding present from his priest. The poem was dedicated to the memory of john joseph gordon, a much loved oratorian who had died 12 years before, and tells of the death of gerontius from the greek for old man and the experience as his soul approaches god. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. The dream of gerontius synopsis the oratorio opens with an orchestral prelude laying out some of the themes that will take on special significance as. Cardinal john henry newmans the dream of gerontius was begun on 17 january 1865, and took 22 days to complete.
Find dream of gerontius by cardinal newman at biblio. The dream of gerontius by john henry newman free ebook. The dream of gerontius, part 2 saint cardinal john henry. Throughout the dream of gerontius john henry newman underlines the communion of the saints, which is the belief that christians in heaven, purgatory and earth are united in charity. Not by the token of this faltering breath, this chill at heart, this dampness on my brow. The dream of gerontius, popularly called just gerontius, is an oratorio opus 38 in two parts composed by edward elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by cardinal newman. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Telling the story of the journey of a dying mans soul into the afterlife, the subject originally caused uproar within the english church yet is now acclaimed as one of the great choral masterpieces and one of elgars most popular works.
The theological themes in newmans dream of gerontius. Elgar was catholic and though much of his music is associated with the anglican church, the dream of gerontius is really quite catholic gerontius prays to the virgin and the piece ends up with his soul being sent to purgatory. Full text of the dream of gerontius internet archive. Scores at the international music score library project imslp. Whatever version you may own, however, you must hear sargents 1945 recording. The dream of gerontius by elgar, sir edward, hill, david, bournemouth symphony chorus, waynflete singers, fryer, sarah, kendall, william, best, matthew from amazons classical music store. It is based on the epic poem, the dream of gerontius by john henry newman written in 1865. Not by the token of this faltering breath, this chill at heart, this dampness on my brow, jesu, have mercy. Juan velez november 25, 2016 the dream of gerontius, part 2.
Elgars dream of gerontius was thought by many to be outlandishly modern at the time of its completion in 1900. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Jesu, maria i am near to death, and thou art calling me. The original vocal score of gerontius was actually printed before elgars had even finalised or completed his final orchestration and as such it was printed without. The dream of gerontius by elgar, edward and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
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