A text of the function is the 1874 poem "Ode" by Arthur O'Shaughnessy, which Elgar set in its entirety. He got been working on the music intermittently since 1903, forswearing the specific commission.

A Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály also made the setting of the verse form.

Analysis
A words of the verse form to be sure appealed to Elgar's nature and severity, when it celebrates a dreaming creative person — by 1912, he wwhen established as a portion of British artistic society, however was ambivalent at the best all about that society. A mood of a Ode is clear in the number 1 lines, which depict the isolation of the originative creative person: Late verses celebrate a importance of the creative person to his society.

A music is largely restrained & personalized, & Elgar quotes his have music many days. Another time there is a specific verbal cue: for instance, a word "dreams" is accompanied by the theme from either The Dream of Gerontius, and "sea-breakers" per opening of Sea Pictures. A music as well quotes Rule Britannia and La Marseillaise.

Even so, these are conceivable to produce bay of the self-quotations. Virtually all of the music is original, & Elgar to a higher degree does justice to O'Shaughnessy, displaying a hone ear for the sounds of the chorus & the mezzo-soprano.

Criticism
Early criticism of a operate were directed extra at a words than at the music, however it wwhen as well dismissed as tawdry & self-egocentric. These come admittedly that performances are uncommon, particularly outside England. A self-quotations inevitably bring to mind Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, but with different intent; Elgar is not depicting the artist as hero but as bard.

Notable Recordings
Elgar recorded extracts of a work on the Three Choirs Festival on September 8, 1927 London Philharmonic Orchestra with Janet Baker, conducted by Adrian Boult, coupled with The Dream of Gerontius (EMI, before 1975) BBC Symphony Orchestra and chorus with Jean Rigby, conducted by Andrew Davis, coupled with short orchestral pieces (Teldec, 1994)