The Christmas Music of Edward Elgar

The Christmas Music of Edward Elgar

by R. Rojas

Updated: Jan. 12, 2023

We are putting together articles on the Christmas carols and  music by John Rutter and Elizabeth Poston continuing our series on the carol repertory. This may require weeks of work, but we wanted to post a little about composers who may have a smaller Christmas repertory.

As famous and as long of a career that Edward Elgar had, his Christmas output is not much. Of course, you can search for a good biography of Elgar anywhere on the Internet.

The first piece is is "Lo! Christ the Lord is Born" (1908), below performed by the Gustav Mahler Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Society of Colombo. The notes on the video say the "hymn" is "rarely heard hymn...." It is describes as :Christmas carol SATB unacc.,after Grete Malverne on a Rocke, 1897. ." The text is by poet Shapcott Wensley. In this recording, brass begins the carol before flowing into the chorus accompanied by organ. It is very hymn like:

"Lo! Christ the Lord is Born"

The second Christmas piece is called "A Christmas Greeting" Op. 52 below of a 1978 recording of the Hereford Cathedral. Even on that video, the notes say, "As far as we know, this is the only live recording of one of Elgar's least-known works. From a BBC radio programme entitled 'Reflections in Words and Music', which was recorded in 1978 and eventually broadcast on 25 April 1980." 

It has an instrumental introduction before the entrance of the children's choir, which is very beautiful. The string and piano adornments are also very well crafted to go along with the choir crescendos and diminuendos. The text is by Caroline Alice Elgar (1848-1920). It is listed as a carol for 2 sopranos, male chorus ad lib, 2 violins and piano and the strings and piano in the background is what makes "A Christmas Greeting" great as well has how Elgar is able to make the text of the poem stick to music so elegantly. 

The notes of Hyperion's website for a Worchester Cathedral Choir recording of the work state:

On 8 December 1907, while they were in Rome, Elgar revived the two violins and piano accompaniment when he set another poem by Alice, A Christmas Greeting. They sent it home to Hereford for Dr G R Sinclair and his cathedral choristers who gave the first performance on New Year's Day 1908, The setting is for high voices, with optional tenor and bass parts and, like the Enigma theme, it is in G minor and G major. It contains a quotation from the 'Pastoral Symphony' in Handel's Messiah at the reference to pipers wandering far.

A Christmas Greeting

Bowered on sloping hillsides rise
In sunny glow, the purpling vine;
Beneath the greyer English skies,
In fair array, the red-gold apples shine.
   To those in snow,
   To those in sun,
   Love is but one;
   Hearts beat and glow,
   By oak and palm.
Friends, in storm or calm.

On and on old Tiber speeds,
Dark with the weight of ancient crime;
Far north, thr' green and quiet meads,
Flows on the Wye in mist and silv'ring rime.
   To those in snow,
   To those in sun,
   Love is but one;
   Hearts beat and glow,
   By oak and palm.
Friends, in storm or calm.

The pifferari wander far,
They seek the shrines, and hymn the peace
Which herald angels, 'neath the star,
Foretold to shepherds, bidding strife to cease.

Our England sleeps in shroud of snow,
Bells, sadly sweet, knell life's swift flight,
And tears, unbid, are wont to flow,
As "Noel! Noel!" sounds across the night.
   To those in snow,
   To those in sun,
   Love is but one!
   Hearts beat and glow,
   By oak and palm. 

Friends, in storm or calm. 

The third piece is "I Sing the Birth" based on text by Ben Johnson. It was first published in 1923 and listed as Christmas carol SATB unaccompanied. Below it is performed by the Rodolfus Choir under the direction of Ralph Allwood.

The last piece we mention is of course Elgars most performed "Christmas piece" which is "The Snow" Op. 26 (1894). The text is also by C. Alice Elgar and is not necessary Christmas, but certainly winter and song has crept into many a Christmas album and Christmas choir concert. It is especially popular with children's choirs. It has some similarity to "A Christmas Greeting" though the orchestrations give a more winter and "cold" feel.  "A Christmas Greeting" is the younger piece (1908).  Below is the University of Utah's Women's Chorus:

"The Snow" Op.26

Elgar wrote arraignments of "The Snow" for piano, two violins, and SSA, as well an arraignment for same but with orchestra. It is among Elgar's earlier compositions.

Elgar also has an 1898 arraignment of "The Holly and the Ivy" of which we are still looking for a recording or video.

UPDATE January 12, 2023: We were listening to an episode of The Choral Chihuahua Podcast December 22, 2022 episode, and it was mentioned Elgar's "Holly and the Ivy" was played on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics with Georgia Man. You can hear the episode, with Elgar's "Holly and Ivy" being the third piece played by going to this link:

BBC Radio 3 - Essential Classics, Georgia Mann

The Elgar piece from 1898 is rarely performed and has been rarely recorded. We posted it on our Instagram Page and tagged many ensembles hoping to spur them to record it. The BBC Radio 3 audio will only be available until January 18, 2022.

Elgar also has a lullaby like song, "A Child Asleep" (1910) on the text by Elizabeth Barret Brown. It is not necessary about the Christ child, but can be used for a Christmas concert or recording. Below is Catherine Wyn-Rogers performing it:

"A Child Asleep"

Elgar also has a lullaby in From the Bavarian Highlands: "3. Lullaby."

"3. Lullaby"

"IX. Nimrod" Op. 36 (1899) from Elgar's Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) has also sneaked its way into many a Christmas concert, especially as an opening piece for an orchestra who will be accompanying the choir  for most of a concert.

Elgar composed many great sacred music works including his Three motets / anthems Op. 2 (1887) which include "Ave verum  corpus," "Ave maria," and "Ave Maris Stella"; "Jesu, Meek and Lowly"; his Te Deum and Benedictus Op. 34 (1897); The Apostles Op. 39; "O Hearken Thou" Op. 64 based on Psalm 5; "Great is the lord" Op. 67 bases on Psalm 48; among others.

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