Elgar, Sir Edward

Comprising part of Gerontius's monologue "I went to sleep" at the beginning of Part II (with the words "Another marvel"), for tenor, marked "Ad lib", the text only lightly sketched in, a passage of some fourteen bars in short score, written in blue ink and pencil, with numerous alterations and revisions, many deletions and amendments, on five systems (fourteen staves in all), the page cancelled with a letter "K" in crayon, indicating that the composer had copied or incorporated the sketch

1 page, on a bifolium (c.35.5 x 27cm), 14-stave paper (B.& H. No.2.C.), no place or date, [c.1899], annotated by Edward Speyer in pencil at the top of the page, secured with a pin, later mount, framed and glazed, overall size: c.57 x 47cm, light creasing to corners

Edward Speyer (1837-1934), Elgar's friend and supporter, who annotated the manuscript at the top of the page. He was the cousin of the philanthropist Sir Edgar Speyer, who largely financed the Promenade Concerts at the Queen's Hall (until he was hounded out of the country as a German spy).

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
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The second part of Gerontius opens with the celebrated description of the soul immediately after death. It is notable for Elgar's unusual use of quintuple metre, being notated in 5/8 throughout.  This is an early draft, still some way from the final version of the passage found on pages 58-59 of the vocal score by Novello (rehearsal figures 9 to 11).  Elgar provides music of marvellous lightness and memorability, negotiating the sometimes unwieldy words and large concepts of Newman's poem with admirable deftness.  In one bar of some complexity, Elgar writes in the quaver beats for clarity. There are no details of scoring in this draft.  This manuscript is recorded by Christopher Kent in his Elgar catalogue, but not recorded by Robert Anderson in his study Elgar in Manuscript (1990).