An archive of around 1,500 artefacts relating to Sir Edward Elgar has arrived in Manchester, where it will become part of a collection held by The Hallé orchestra. Built over six decades by Elgar Society chairman Arthur Reynolds, the archive has made a 3,500-mile journey from the USA with support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
The collection spans Elgar’s musical and personal life, including autograph manuscripts, first-edition scores, correspondence and personal objects. Among its most intriguing holdings are materials documenting the composer’s pioneering engagement with sound recording technology.
Elgar began making acoustic recordings – he was one of the first composers to take the developing technology seriously – for HMV in 1914, going on to participate in 55 recording sessions between 1914 and 1934. The archive contains numerous discs, including one-off test pressings from unreleased sessions, some annotated in Elgar’s own hand with comments on individual takes. It also includes material relating to his later recordings made using the electric microphone.
Other highlights include a first edition of the Enigma Variations, annotated autograph manuscripts and correspondence with figures including artist John Singer Sargent and pianist Fanny Davis. More personal items include photographs, the composer’s shaving bowl and a family recipe book.
“When I came to study there in the mid 1960s, I was surprised to find my admiration for Britain’s greatest composer unshared by my contemporaries,” said Elgar Society chair Arthur Reynolds, a New Jersey businessman. “One consequence was a neglect that threatened to consign Elgar memorabilia to an undeserved oblivion. I decided then and there to make it my life’s work to prevent the disappearance of material related to Elgar’s creative life.”
The archive has particular resonance for the Hallé. Elgar was a friend of the orchestra’s second Principal Conductor, Hans Richter, and the Hallé gave the premiere of his First Symphony in Manchester in 1908. More recently, Sir Mark Elder championed Elgar throughout his 20-year tenure as Music Director.
The collection will be housed at the Hallé’s archive facilities in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and available for public view by appointment. Its catalogue will also be added to the Connecting Manchester’s Music Archives website, with selected items planned for future exhibitions.
