Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
THE EMPIRE MARCH
Goodmusic Concert Classics GMCL164
Level of Difficulty
Attributing a particular level of difficulty to an orchestral piece is awkward!
A piece may be easy for the strings but difficult for the brass; it may feature a tricky instrumental solo but the other parts may be relatively straight forward. A number of the arrangements listed are designed to simplify works to some extent but composers of many original works featured did not consider difficulty when writing them.
What our levels mean:
A = for players up to UK Grade 3
B = Grade 3 to 5
C = Grade 4 to 6
D = Grade 5 to 7
E = Grade 6 to 8
F = Grade 7 and over
Our gradings should be taken only as a rough guide.
To be sure if a piece is suitable for you, take a look at the score.
Orchestration
Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais*, 2 Clarinets in Bb, Bass Clarinet*, 2 Bassoons, Contra Bassoon*
4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion (Triangle, Side Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells* [scale of Bb])
2 Harps (2nd Harp*)
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)
* = Instruments marked with an asterisk may be omitted
Elgar's Empire March (also known as The British Empire March) was written to open the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley in 1924. The piece was never published in its original form for full orchestra although arrangements were published for military band, and for piano. The manuscript material for this and for the associated choral suite Pageant of Empire is now almost entirely lost. The Empire March is one of the handful of original works completed by Elgar between the death of his wife in 1920 and his own demise in 1934. It is well up to the standard of his other marches: the Imperial March and the Pomp and Circumstance series.
PUBLICATION HISTORY This edition of the Empire March is based on a surviving set of printed draft orchestral parts, with corrections in Elgar's own handwriting. First published as a corrected set of parts by Acuta Music in 1993, this Acuta/Goodmusic edition represents the first appearance in print of Elgar's original full score. The orchestral material has not previously been published for sale.
A study score with detailed editorial commentary is also available from Acuta Music.
Duration 4½ minutes
A PACK comprises an A4 sized full score plus a complete set of parts including strings 4/4/3/4/2.
An A3 sized score is also available separately.
Audio Sample
Click the play button below to hear a performance which has been computer-generated from the score.