C79CDA9D-9911-4EE7-81D6-3B72FF048491
| ID | C79CDA9D-9911-4EE7-81D6-3B72FF048491 |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | A912402 |
| Title Name | The Music Makers, Op. 69 for Contralto Solo, Chorus, and Orchestra |
| Marketing Copy | Edward Elgar (1857-1934) began work on The Music Makers, Op. 69, a work for solo contralto, mixed chorus, and orchestra, in 1903 and completing it in 1912. It sets the entirety of Ode by Arthur O'Shaughnessy to music, a text that likely appealed to Elgar's sense of an artist's life and relationship to society. (The text begins with, "We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams.") Perhaps given the kinship he felt to the text, Elgar's music is almost autobiographical in ways, quoting music from some of his own most popular works, including: The Dream of Gerontius, the Violin Concerto, "sea-breakers" from Sea Pictures, "Nimrod" from the Enigma Variations, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, the Violin Concerto, Rule, Britannia, and La Marseillaise. Despite the many quotations, most of the music is original. It premiered on October 1st, 1912 at the Birmingham Festival, with Muriel Foster singing the alto solo, and Elgar himself conducting the Festival Chorus and Orchestra. This vocal score includes piano accompaniment for rehearsal or performance. |
| Instrumentation | Alto Solo, Mixed Chorus: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.2+CBsn: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(2-3): Hp(2).Org: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set) |
| Commission | (not set) |
| Dedication | Dedicated to "my friend Nicholas Kilburn" |
| Program Notes | add |
| Title Brand | 1 |
| Year Composed | 1912 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 40 |
| Ensemble Size | 0 |
| Date Created | 2022-12-05 20:18:29.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:18:29 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | MUS037030 |
| Text Author | Text by Arthur O'Shaughnessy (1844-1881), whose Ode was set in entirety |
| Premier Performance Memo | (not set) |
| Recording Credits | (not set) |
| Review | (not set) |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 3 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | D466D7EB-39B5-4447-492B-08DB00B0FAFD |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Cantata/ Oratorio |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 55 |
| Title Instrument Header | 32 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | the-music-makers-op-69-for-contralto-solo-chorus-and-orchestra-a912402 |