Elgar, arr. Brookes: "Shed" Symphony No. 4 in F, from Harmony Music 2 and four dances

Elgar never had more than rudimentary lessons on the violin or piano: a natural talent instead began to emerge that was ‘at home’ in the world of practical music-making. Nothing demonstrates this better than the music he wrote - from April 1878 until 1881 - for himself and a number of friends to play on Sunday afternoons. For most of the time the ensemble was a woodwind quintet consisting of two flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, all played by amateurs of differing abilities: Elgar’s brother Frank (oboe - clearly an outstanding player), Hubert and William Leicester(flute and clarinet), Frank Exton (flute) and Edward Elgar on bassoon.
Because the ensemble was an unusual one there was no existing repertoire available to play, so Elgar composed or arranged all of it. The ensemble (which later included a violin and cello - Elgar playing the latter) met every Sunday afternoon in a shed behind Elgar Brothers’ music shop, and they called themselves “The Brothers Wind” or “The Sunday Band” and serenaded many locals at rural events. More particularly, Elgar called the music “shed music” and marked the seven volumes with the designations “Shed 1”, Shed 2”, etc. Several of the longer compositions he called “Harmony Music” - an Anglicization of the German “Harmoniemusik”, a serenade for wind instruments.
The Shed books were in fact preserved by Hubert Leicester and are now in the British Library.
One thing can be said for certain: Elgar never seems to have considered turning any wind quintets into symphonies. It is nonetheless true that several pieces of Harmony Music are in classical sonata form, showing that the young composer had studied well the scores in his father’s shop and was thinking on a large scale. One work (Harmony Music 5) is actually in classical symphonic form and lasts nearly 28 minutes; it mirrors similar works by Krommer, Hummel, Danzi and others.
This work has less of a classical model than a Baroque one. It begins with a substantial movement in classical sonata-form, but then mirrors a baroque dance suite, with four short(ish) dances. They are a gavotte, a sarabande, a gigue, and a polonaise with a musette-like trio.
It is scored for a very small orchestra with no trumpets and drums.
I hope this (last) "Shed" Symphony will help bring some very attractive music to a wider audience.
I. Allegro non tanto 00:00
II. Alphonsa Gavotte 08:20
III. Sarabande 11:52
IV. Gigue 14:53
V. Polonaise & Musette 18:10

[@R08Tam]

Is that Vladimir Putin bottom left? Seriously though, thanks for posting this little gem