Sir Edward Elgar was the greatest composer England had produced since the death of Purcell. His early life was not easy, and it was not until the great success of the 'Enigma' Variations in Germany in 1899 that his genius was generally recognized. Even then he had constant cause for complaint that only his smaller, more trivial pieces brought him money, whilst his nobler efforts like The Dream of Gerontius cost him a great deal in time and creative effort, but brought him little financial reward. They also gave rise to many troubles and frustrations when they were badly performed, as too often happened at first. After the Great War, he was greatly saddened by the death of his wife and although he continued to compose, he felt after the 'Cello Concerto (1919) that the inspiration had left him, and was increasingly seen as old-fashioned in comparison with the new generation of composers. Since his music came out of copyright, much of it has been arranged and published for flute.
