ELGAR – As Torrents in Summer (from the cantata ‘King Olaf’, Op.30) – FOUR CELLOS (easy)

Other Identification:
“As Torrents in Summer” is a four-part song from the cantata “King Olaf” Opus 30; the music being composed by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) with the words written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). It is surprisingly very little-known, and very little recorded, which I find strange as the composition is a key progress point in Elgar’s journey to the future maturity of ‘Gerontius’. Perhaps its very large scale, lasting for more than 80 minutes in performance, has been a detriment, because it is almost operatic in scope.

The work is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which was made into a libretto consisting of a prologue, nine scenes and a concluding epilogue. The work was completed in 1896 and was first performed in the Victoria Hall, Hanley during that year’s North Staffordshire Music Festival. The story chosen by Elgar was the saga of the Norse hero, Olaf Tryggvasson (c.950-1000). The basic ‘plot’ of the cantata is the life, wars, loves and death of the great King Olaf, who was a Norse warrior turned Christian. Longfellow’s verses required shortening and adaptation and for help in this respect Elgar turned to his Malvern neighbour, H. A. Ackworth, who was later to fashion the libretto for Caractacus (1898).