Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op.61 program notes for Movement 1 and companion works by Edward Elgar and Fritz Kreisler

Abstract

This study provides an analysis of Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61, first movement, and selected companion works by Edward Elgar and Fritz Kreisler, as performed for a graduate recital in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree. The document is organized into four chapters, each devoted to a work included on the recital program. Chapter One examines Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 and includes biographical information on the composer, historical background, and structural and harmonic analyses of the first movement. This chapter also considers the concerto’s performance history, and technical-pedagogical considerations. Chapters Two and Three focus on Elgar’s Romance in E minor, Op. 1, and Salut d’amour, Op. 12, respectively, examining their historical backgrounds, theoretical analyses, and stylistic and technical-pedagogical considerations. Chapter Four explores Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesleid and includes biographical information on the composer, historical background, theoretical analysis, and stylistic and technical-pedagogical considerations. Together, these chapters position Elgar’s Violin Concerto as the central work of the recital while contextualizing it through smaller-scale companion pieces, highlighting historical connections between Elgar and Kreisler and addressing interpretive considerations relevant to the graduate violinist.