''Sospiri'', Op. 70, is an

adagio Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to: Music * Adagio, a Tempo#Basic tempo markings, tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner * Adagio (band), a French progressive m ...

for

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

, harp (or piano), and

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(or harmonium) composed by

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

just before the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Elgar originally intended it for violin and piano, as a companion piece to ''

Salut d'Amour ''Salut d'Amour'' (''Liebesgruß''), Op. 12, is a musical work composed by Edward Elgar in 1888, originally written for violin and piano. History Elgar finished the piece in July 1888, when he was romantically involved with Caroline Alice Elg ...

'' and had in mind the title ''Soupir d'Amour'' (French for "Sigh of Love"). While composing it he realised that he was writing something more intense, and so chose an Italian word, ''sospiri'', meaning "sighs". The work, with a performance time of approximately five minutes, was first performed on 15 August 1914 in the Queen's Hall in London, conducted by

Sir Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...

. ''Sospiri'' was dedicated to Elgar's long-time friend, the violinist W. H. "Billy" Reed.Elgar – His Music: Sospiri, Op.70
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Structure

Adagio 4/4

d minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

After the introduction of two bars, a melancholic melody is played by the first violin (Excerpt 1). Excerpt 1 \relative c' \new Staff \with The other subject is displayed more passionately (Excerpt 2). Excerpt 2A grace note appeared in third bar should be slashed. \relative c' \new Staff \with Excerpt 1 reappears, followed by dying end in the harmony of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

Notes & references

Notes References

Sources

* Score, Elgar: Sospiri, Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1914

External links

Sospiri, Op. 70
on the site of the

Elgar Society The Elgar Society was founded in 1951 to promote performance of the music of British composer Edward Elgar, especially the more rarely performed items. Registered as a charity on 22 January 1988, It is particularly concerned with introducing the co ...

,
"Sospiri, Op. 70" by Edward Elgar
with

Sol Gabetta Sol Gabetta (born 18 April 1981) is an Argentine cellist. The daughter of Andrés Gabetta and Irène Timacheff-Gabetta, she has French and Russian ancestry. Her brother Andrés is a baroque violinist. Career Gabetta began to learn violin at ...

and the Danmarks Radio SymfoniOrkestret, at youtube.com * * {{Authority control 1914 compositions Compositions by Edward Elgar Compositions for string orchestra Music for orchestra and organ