Formation of Edward Elgar’s cantata-oratorial works in the “stage of trials”

Section 3. History and modernity in world musical art

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Oratorio is not a genre that was firstly adopted in British musical culture, unlike masque, yet it was a genre that was extremely popular in Britain; furthermore, “on the continent” only in Germany oratorio gained importance comparable with that of Britain. it is quite natural that in Edward Elgar’s (1857–1934) creative evolution his orchestral-choir works are important both as an indispensable component of his outcome and as a material through which his formation as a composer can be traced. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to illuminate establishment of cantata-oratorial genres of Edward Elgar on the beginning of his creative evolution, thus, on a “stage of trials”. Methods of research include comparative, genre, stylistic, biographical and intonation ones. Dissertation written by the author of this article gives periodization of orchestral outcome of the composer, defining the first stage as one ending in 1899–1900. The novelty of research of this article lies in studying of cantata-oratorial works by E. Elgar through the prism of author’s conception of composer’s evolution. Research results. First four cantata-oratorial works were created by the composer at the stage of his creative evolution that was defined by the author of this article as “stage of trials”. Those works allow to reveal the same basic tendencies as the orchestral works of that time: principle of search, that has its consequences in the lack of stable style orienteers, and gradual accretion of compositional tools, movement to crystallization of style, connected, among others, with assimilation of the influence of R. Wagner. The latter allowed E. Elgar in the following years to take a qualitative leap, which resulted both in creation of a unique musical language and in his wide recognition as a composer (in Britain and beyond its borders). In this context, the cantata “Caractatus” acquires significance of the predictor of the new stage of creative evolution, some sort of “modulation performed on a single note”, a tool that he used both in this cantata and in a famous next work, “Enigma” variations. Conclusion. Studying of early cantata-oratorial works shows a fundamental unity of Elgar’s creative evolution in this sphere and in orchestral music, them being synchronized on the way to profoundly prepared (while being seemingly “sudden”) growth of composer’s mastership and composer’s success in 1899–1900.