The Black Knight, Op. 25 is a cantata for symphony orchestra and chorus written by Edward Elgar in 1889-1893. The librettist borrows from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of the ballad ‘‘Der Schwarze Ritter’’ by Ludwig Uhland.
Basil Maine, a leading Elgar biographer, believes the purpose of the work is to create a close mix of vocal and instrumental tones . Elgar’s need to organize the loose format of the cantata by shaping it to a more r...
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The Black Knight, Op. 25 is a cantata for symphony orchestra and chorus written by Edward Elgar in 1889-1893. The librettist borrows from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of the ballad ‘‘Der Schwarze Ritter’’ by Ludwig Uhland.
Basil Maine, a leading Elgar biographer, believes the purpose of the work is to create a close mix of vocal and instrumental tones . Elgar’s need to organize the loose format of the cantata by shaping it to a more rigid form is also apparent. For example, Elgar divides the text into four contrasting scenes similar to the movements of a typical symphony.
Elgar’s The Black Knight tells story of a medieval jousting competition held in honor of Pentecost. In the jousting competition, the stalwart’s son beats everyone in the lists until a mysterious knight arrives. The strange knight beats all his opponents and wins undefeated. Later that night the king holds a feast and during the feast, the black knight arrives and begins to dance with the king’s daughter....
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