Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of World War I, the oratorio was Britain's most important and accesible musical genre. Understanding Elgar's four oratorios within this history should add a great deal to our understanding of Elgar, musical life at the time, and the differences between the public and private spaces of Britain's religious worship.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. vi)
• Abbreviations (p. xvi)
• 1 The Nineteenth-Century British Oratorio (p. 1)
• 2 Narrative and the Oratorio (p. 46)
• 3 The Light of Life and the Traditional Oratorio (p. 88)
• 4 The Dream of Gerontius and Operatic Narrative (p. 126)
• 5 The Apostles and the Narrative Construction of an Epic (p. 177)
• 6 The Kingdom and the Epic Continued (p. 245)
• 7 Epilogue: Elgar and the Oratorio after The Kingdom (p. 293)
• Appendix A Select British Music Festival Programs, 1790-1906 (p. 303)
• Appendix B Narration in British Oratorios and Oratorios Performed in Great Britain, ca. 1730-1944 (p. 311)
• Bibliography (p. 325)
• Index (p. 335)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

McGuire's research has made him indecently knowledgeable on the subject of Elgar's four "oratories" (he discusses why the term includes Gerontius). This book (a revision of the author's doctoral dissertation) includes many good things, but a few sharply focused articles might be more welcome than this very formulaic discussion of works that, for the most part, few will ever hear live. Beginning with a very interesting discussion of the musical and social reasons accounting for the popularity of oratorios in Victorian England (the book ends by suggesting why they fell out of favor thereafter), McGuire (Oberlin College and Conservatory) briefly summarizes the salient characteristics of pre-Elgarian oratorios. He then quickly segues into his real task, an analysis of the several forms of narration employed, and substantially developed, in The Light of Life, Gerontius, The Apostles, and The Kingdom--an exercise in "narratological studies" that might be useful to a conductor preparing to perform one of these works. An underlying theme, poorly integrated, compares Elgar with Wagner, elucidating the subtleties of the "reminiscence theme" versus leitmotif. Conclusions throughout are not always obviously derived from the evidence. Poor oversight by the publisher results in typos and grammatical gaffes. Recommended only for specialists. W. Metcalfe emeritus, University of Vermont

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Charles Edward McGuire is Assistant Professor of Musicology at Oberlin College and Conservatory, USA. An expert on the music of Edward Elgar, the British music festival, Temperance music, and Tonic Sol-fa, he has given and published papers on Elgar's Gerontius and Apostles, as well as Vaughan William's early connections with British music festivals