Elgar's Variations on an original theme, Enigma, were written when one evening, Elgar was playing the piano. His wife, Alice, spotted a melody, and asked him to play it again. Once it had been recalled, Elgar began imagining how it would be interpreted by their friends. Andante, was dedicated to C.A.E. or Caroline Alice Elgar, his wife. He says of the piece, 'Those who knew (C.A.E) will understand this reference to one whose life was a romantic delicate inspiration.' Download Andante now!(Zip, 800k)

Elgar was born in Broadheath, nr Worcester. He was the son of a music shop proprietor in Worcester. He played the violin in local orchestras, and was conductor of several. Between 1883, and his marriage to Alice in 1889, Elgar was in demand locally, but was unknown outside of the Midlands. After his marriage he moved to London, but met with little success and returned to Malvern. Elgar was earning his living as a Violin teacher, when he was commissioned to write a choral work for the 1900 Birmingham Festival. He chose to set Newmans poem, 'The dream of Gerontius.' The first performance was a failure, but the value of the music was recognized and two perfomances in Dusseldorf followed. Strauss hailed Elgar as the foremost English composer of the Day, and an Elgar vogue developed on the continent. He overnight became the most talked about composer of the day. From 1901 until 1914 were years of great acclaim for Elgar. The work which made him a household name, was No1 of a set of Pomp and Circumstance marches. First performed in 1901, these caught the ear of King Edward VII, who suggested it should be set to words. In 1902 it emerged as 'Land of hope and glory' the 'alternative' national anthem. Elgar was knighted in 1904, became Peyton Prof. of music, Birmingham University from 1905, to 1908. He became conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and moved from Hereford, to Hampstead. In 1920, his wife died, and Elgar wrote hardly anything, that was not derived from earlier sketches. In 1923 he returned to Worcestershire, and often appeared as conductor of his own works, many recorded onto gramophone records, until his death in February 1934.