Today, Elgar鈥檚 The Dream of Gerontius is a national monument. But at its first performance in Birmingham, 105 years ago, the music was thought daring, even difficult, while the subject matter was viewed in some quarters with intense suspicion. One of Elgar鈥檚 problems is neatly, if unintentionally, illustrated on the reverse side of some of the Bank of England's 拢20 note.
The composer is portrayed against a background that includes the cathedral of his native city, Worcester. But Worcester Cathedral is Anglican, Protestant; Elgar was a Roman Catholic.
The text of The Dream of Gerontius 鈥 by the Victorian Catholic convert, Cardinal John Henry Newman 鈥 is rich in doctrine that had been emphatically rejected by the Protestant church since the time of the Reformation. The central character, Gerontius (the name derives from the Ancient Greek gero炉n, meaning simply 鈥榦ld man鈥), prays for assistance to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to other saints, and after his soul-searing first sight of God, he doesn鈥檛 go straight to Heaven, but is committed to Purgatory for purification. For some Protestants in Elgar鈥檚 day, all this would have been pure heresy. When a performance of Gerontius was proposed for the 1902 Three Choirs Festival, the Bishop of Worcester objected. Performance in the Cathedral was only permitted once the text had been modified: the words 鈥楯esus鈥, 鈥楲ord鈥 or 鈥楽aviour鈥 were substituted for 鈥楳ary鈥; 鈥榮ouls鈥 for 鈥榮ouls in Purgatory鈥; 鈥榩rayers鈥 for 鈥楳asses鈥; and so on. It may seem petty now, but in early 20th-century England these were acutely sensitive issues.
As for the music, let us not forget that Elgar was a Wagnerian, and that for many English music-lovers in 1900, Wagner was still very difficult modern music. The modernity of Elgar鈥檚 writing was too much even for the experienced Birmingham Festival Choir: the Demons鈥 Chorus and much of the semi-chorus writing came over poorly at the Birmingham premiere.
Elgar鈥檚 debt to Wagner was recognised at an early stage of the work鈥檚 composition by his close friend August Jaeger (the 鈥楴imrod鈥 of the 鈥楨nigma鈥 Variations): 鈥楽ince Parsifal nothing of this mystic, religious kind of music has appeared to my knowledge that displays the same power and beauty as yours. Like Wagner you seem to grow with your greater, more difficult subject and I am now most curious and anxious to know how you will deal with that part of the poem where the Soul goes within the presence of the Almighty. There is a subject for you!鈥 But it was at that very point in the story that Elgar鈥檚 Wagnerian nerve temporarily failed him. 鈥楶lease remember that none of the 鈥渁ction鈥 takes place in the presence of God,鈥 he replied to Jaeger. 鈥業 would not have tried that, neither did Newman. The Soul says 鈥淚 go before my God鈥 鈥 but we don鈥檛 鈥 we stand outside.鈥
Fortunately for us, Jaeger was underwhelmed by Elgar鈥檚 first, over-cautious musical setting of this passage and bullied the composer repeatedly: 鈥業 have tried and tried and tried, but it seems to me the weakest page of the work! Do re-write it! 鈥 It seems mere whining to me and not at all impressive.鈥 Eventually Elgar gave in and complied 鈥 and the result is possibly the most original moment in the whole score. As Gerontius goes to be 鈥榗onsumed, yet quicken鈥檇, by the glance of God鈥, there is an awe-inspiring crescendo; then the full orchestra, with organ and four percussionists, delivers a lacerating Parsifal-like discord 鈥 but only for a split second:
Elgar marks it fffz-p. The effect is like a blinding flash of light, infinitesimally brief, but one which leaves the eyes and brain reeling. Even the supremely egotistic Wagner would have had to acknowledge Elgar鈥檚 mastery here.
There was something else Elgar learnt from Wagner 鈥 though, as with every influence on Gerontius, he digested it so thoroughly that the listener hears only authentic Elgar. Before Wagner, operas and oratorios tended to be arranged in numbers: arias, duets, ensembles, choruses 鈥 all more or less detachable from the larger dramatic argument. In his music dramas Wagner found a way of making dramatic works evolve continuously, seamlessly, like huge symphonies. Elgar achieves something very similar in The Dream of Gerontius. Some sections 鈥 like the Angel鈥檚 beautiful lullaby 鈥楽oftly and gently鈥 from the end of Part 2 鈥 can be extracted, with the help of a little surgery; but even then there are details (recollections of earlier themes, for instance) which only make sense if heard in context. And the sense of symphonic current 鈥 steadily, if at times slowly, unfolding 鈥 is essential to the work鈥檚 message. Early in Part 2, Gerontius鈥檚 disembodied soul describes how 鈥榓 uniform and gentle pressure tells me that I am not self-moving, but borne forward on my way鈥. Elgar鈥檚 music registers the sense of that 鈥榰niform and gentle pressure鈥 with subtle power. In a good performance, we can feel that we too are 鈥榖orne forward鈥, through the Demons鈥 Chorus, through the angelic hymn 鈥楶raise to the Holiest in the height鈥, to the final, agonising yet transfiguring encounter with God.
The sense of symphonic current is audible right from the start. Clarinets, bassoons and violas introduce a quiet, lamenting theme, at first unaccompanied, then continuing against a slow, heavy tread from double basses and low woodwind. Slow as it is, it moves; there is a sense 鈥 as in all great symphonies 鈥 that something could grow from this. The theme doesn鈥檛 merely provide the impetus; it is also a melodic seed. The shape created by the first four notes (A鈥揋 sharp鈥 A鈥揋 natural) has an influence on almost all the important motifs in Gerontius. These thematic inter-relations are so ingenious and far-reaching that one can imagine Elgar spending hours of concentrated mental effort on them. But Elgar insisted that it all came about by instinct 鈥 none of it was consciously contrived.
The orchestral Prelude leads without a break into Gerontius鈥檚 first words, 鈥楯esu, Maria鈥. The music keenly registers the dying man鈥檚 hope and dread. Other voices join with him: souls on Earth and in Heaven, praying for his deliverance. There is a magnificent, impassioned declaration of faith (鈥楽anctus fortis鈥), more choral prayers, then the moment of death (鈥榓nd I fain would sleep, the pain has wearied me鈥). The almost heart-breaking sadness of this passage may derive, not so much from Elgar鈥檚 faith, as from his doubts, and from the dark, depressive side of his character. The critic Ernest Newman remembered an occasion, not long after the premiere of Gerontius, when Elgar鈥檚 wife 鈥榯actfully steered the conversation away from the topic of suicide that had suddenly arisen; she whispered to me that Edward was always talking of making an end of himself鈥.
But this is not the end of Gerontius鈥檚 adventures. The words of the Priest (鈥楪o forth upon thy journey, Christian soul鈥) send him on his way to the next world.
Then in Part 2 comes the meeting with the Angel, the encounter with demons, the angelic hymn, and the spiritual thunderbolt when Gerontius glimpses God for the first time. Elgar reserves one of the most beautiful of all the melodies in Gerontius for the end: the Angel鈥檚 consoling 鈥楽oftly and gently鈥. Nearly a century after Gerontius was almost denied entry to Worcester Cathedral, this music is now cherished by believers of many denominations, as well as by countless agnostic music-lovers. It is no longer the doctrine that matters, but the heartfelt expression of loss and hope in the face of death: 鈥楩arewell, but not for ever!鈥
Programme note by Stephen Johnson 漏 麻豆社
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