Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934) - photo 1
Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934) - photo 2

Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934)

Starting price
£ 4 800
Auction dateClassic
08.11.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1053231
Lot 117 | Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934)
Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934)
Autograph music manuscript, sketches for The Dream of Gerontius, op. 38, [1900]
'These are giddy old Devils': sketches for The Dream of Gerontius.

Sketches for material including the fugue ('Dispossed, aside thrust') of the Demons' Chorus in part II, titled at head 'Fuga / a tre voci / Demons / mem. / These are giddy old Devils'. In pencil, approx. 35 bars in 9 systems of two or three staves on two pages, 300 x 232mm, one fugal phrase noted 'Answer', a later theme marked 'fantastico', the recto cancelled in red crayon with the letter 'K', pencil numbering '4' on verso.

Provenance:
(1) Bonhams, 23 November 2010, lot 63.

(2) Schøyen Collection, MS 5473.

The Demons' Chorus interrupts the journey of the Soul and the Angel towards the judgement throne towards the beginning of part II of the work. After an initial chorus ('Low-born clods of brute earth') in which they express their disdain of mankind in a series of short phrases, the demons' rage comes to a peak in this intense fugal section. The first system of this sketchleaf notates the vocal line ('Dispossessed, Aside thrust, Chuck'd down ...') against a semiquaver figure in the bass clef, corresponding broadly with the vocal and string parts at the tenor entry in figure 36, p.108 ff. of the first edition; the time signature is 2/4 rather than the 4/4 of the final version. Additional unidentified sketches on the verso including a brief theme in C minor marked 'fantastico' and an extensive pianissimo section in 3/4.

The Dream of Gerontius was composed for the Birmingham Music Festival of 1900, setting the poem by John Henry Newman: although the initial performance bordered on a disaster, it soon came to be accepted as one of Elgar's greatest works.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
02.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
03.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
04.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
05.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
06.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
07.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
£100
Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934)
Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934)
£500

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.