Talk:The Dream of Gerontius

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About the classification: Elgar objected somewhat to this being called an oratorio, but he didn't have a better word. He just called it a "setting to music of a poem". He did consent to including it in the Oratorio section of the Novello catalogue.

[edit] Questions and Invitations

I don't think I have done a consistent review of the piece in musical terms; this may be weak. I'd be happy for anyone to rewrite it. DavidBrooks 15:33, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The synopsis appears twice: once briefly as an outline of the plot and then in more detail during the description of the music. Is this redundant? I think having a brief, compact introduction is helpful. DavidBrooks 08:03, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I live in the U.S., so I used American spellings out of habit for this most English of entries (except for "catalogue" in this talk page). I don't know if that looks too bizarre to English eyes. Fix it if you want. DavidBrooks 15:33, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

After Janet Baker, who "owned" the Angel; who owns it now? Alfreda Hodgson? Yvonne Minton? Who are the new British mezzos? David Brooks 06:52, 27 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] The poem

One day someone may write an entry on the poem itself. If that happens, I suggest that be disambiguated at the top of this article, and not that we create a separate disambiguation page. My guess is that someone who goes to "The Dream of Gerontius" is more likely to be looking for the oratorio than the original poem, but that could be showing my bias as a musician and not a poetry guy. DavidBrooks 08:04, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Elgar as Roman Catholic

Am I right in thinking that C.V. Stanford, upon hearing the work, said, "It stinks of incense"? Wspencer11 16:29, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Reportedly, yes. It might fit as a parenthetical illustration in the first para of Additional Notes. David Brooks 17:40, 12 July 2006 (UTC)


The article says Elgar followed Bach in signing his music AMDG. This is actually the motto of the Jesuits. Bach's music was signed Soli Deo Gloria--which, while similar in meaning, has a different origin, being a characteristically Protestant phrase.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.247.152.151 (talk)

I don't have access to a definitive bio, and the idea that Bach used A.M.D.G. among other signatures seems to be widespread (including in the Ad maiorem Dei gloriam article). If you want to make the sentence less definitive, go ahead. David Brooks (talk) 17:34, 24 January 2008 (UTC)