Edward William Elgar was an English composer for orchestral and choral works. Born in Lower Broadheath near Worcester on June 2, 1857. His father was a piano turner, and his mother was supportive in his musical development. Elgar began composing at an early age, and one his musical draft written from ten years old was rearranged and orchestrated by himself forty years later, becoming the suites titled The Wand of Youth.
When Elgar was 29, he met Caroline Alice Roberts (known as Alice) who was an accomplished English author of verse and process fiction. They got married three years later, and since then Alice acted as Elgar’s business manager and social secretary and tried to bring supported Elgar with much encouragement. She gave up some of her personal aspirations f]to further his career. In her diary, Alice wrote “The care of a genius is enough of a life work for any woman.” When they got engaged, Elgar wrote a short violin and piano piece Salut d’Amour to her, and she gave him one of her poems The Wind at Dawn.
Through ups and downs, by 1890s Elgar was finally catching attentions from prominent critics and built up his reputation as a composer. In 1899, the Enigma Variation finally took off and received general acclaim for its originality, charm and craftsmanship. The year after Enigma’s premiere, Elgar was awarded an honorary doctorate by Cambridge University, and was subsequently knighted in 1904. Elgar’s Variations were his first major success and his first truly successful full-scale orchestral work.