Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (2nd June 1857 - 23rd February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have achieved enduring popularity. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed oratorios, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924. Elgar has been described as "the first composer to take the gramophone seriously." In the early days of recording, he made a series of discs of his works between 1914 and 1925. After the microphone was invented, making realistic recording possible, he conducted new recordings of most of his major orchestral works, and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius.
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