In 1905 Edward Elgar was appointed Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham. The Music Department thus celebrates its centenary in 2005. Elgar’s relationship with Birmingham was long but highly ambivalent. In the 1880s he regularly played the violin in a Birmingham orchestra. Later, four of his major choral works were commissioned by the triennial Birmingham Festival. He accepted the Professorship in preference to offers of academic posts from other cities. However, Birmingham also caused him grief and anxiety. The first performance of The Dream of Gerontius (1900) was a debacle. He hated lecturing, and resigned his Chair after only three years. His dealings with the city exemplify the ways in which, despite himself, Elgar remained an outsider in English society.

After a successful programme of Lectures and Concerts, the remaining event is the Elgar Conference 2005, details of which are given below.

The appointment of Sir Edward Elgar as Peyton Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham in 1905 represents the founding of the Music Department. To conclude its celebrations of this event, the Department will host a conference devoted to the composer. The papers will cover such topics as:

Elgar's use of harmony and rhythm
Elgar's aesthetics
The reception of Elgar in the press
Elgar and Edwardian popular culture
Elgar and modernity

Booking is now open on the Conference website at:
www.music.bham.ac.uk/elgar/index.htm