Edward
Elgar’s Third Symphony was left unfinished. But why?
It
had been quite some time since Elgar composed a major work. He lost motivation
after the death of his wife in 1920 and it wasn’t until 1930 that inspiration
struck and he produced several works including the Severn Suite, the fifth Pomp
and Circumstance march, and the Nursery
Suite. After being prompted by critic George Bernard Shaw to write a Third
Symphony, Elgar received a commission from the BBC and began sketches for his
final symphony—one that would remain unfinished.
The
composition process for the Symphony No. 3 moved rather slowly. Elgar worked on
The Spanish Lady opera at the same
time and also began to suffer from health issues that delayed his progress.
In
1933, Edward Elgar was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He would never complete
his final symphony, but left behind plenty of sketches.
The
story of Elgar’s Third Symphony does not end there. Join me next time to hear
what became of the sketches that the composer left behind.
