While the growing sense of imperialism and nationalism grew in the eyes and minds of the citizens of Britain. So too did patriotism abide in the composers of classical and popular music of the time during the Empire of Great Britain. One of these composers is named Sir Edward Elgar. Known for being a major supporter of British imperialism and nationalism, Elgar’s popularity in the eyes of the British was unshaken. British ties with their colonies allowed for the exchange of a variety of cultural, religious, economic, societal, and musical ideas. After the Delhi Durbar of 1911, Elgar used his compositions to support both the crown of England and the British agenda. The Crown of India by Sir Edward Elgar controversial, nationalism movement which sparked conversations about culturally appropriate music, recounting history, orientalist music, and music composition as a whole. The Crown of India was written not as an honest imitation of Indian music, but as a form of entertainment in which musical accuracy was not required. Through specific writing styles, Elgar was able to portray a view of India in which aligned with the thinking of his nation, and we can see this view of India in the number ‘March of the Mogul Emperors’ (video below). Elgar used the compositional techniques of the ‘orientalist musical code’ to make obvious fun of Indian music and culture. Overall, the racist idiom which is Elgar’s The Crown of India was intended to be viewed as a British nationalist joke straining from popular culture and orientalist origins.
Historical Background:
During the early 1900s, Indian culture was popular in theaters, music halls, comedy, and other forms of entertainment. Elgar took this opportunity, along with a commission by music hall impresario Oswald Stoll in 1912, to write a music score which reflected both his view and his country’s view of India, or Orient, in which has no culture or historical basis of fact. Edward Elgar lived from 1857 to 1934, dying at the age of 76. He lived during and age of musical history called the ‘romantic period’. Spanning from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, the romantic period is characterized by ideas of originality and individuality, freedom, expression, and experimentation. The Crown of India uses what musicologists call ‘Orientalism’. Like ‘Exoticism’, which is the display of exotic forms of art, music, culture, and food for European audiences, orientalism involves the display of India for western civilization. (Bellman 97) Additionally, the romantic movement saw a focus on the outdoors, nationalism and nation building, nostalgia for the country side, and history. (Romanticism) Aligning with Elgar’s support for British imperialism and nationalism, his composition of The Crown of India aligns perfectly with the ideas of romanticism.
The Crown of India was written in 1912 following the historical event called the Delhi Durbar of 1911. Historically, there were three “Delhi Durbars”. This ceremonial celebration recognizes the new or current monarch of the British Empire as Emperor and Empress of the colony of India. Traditionally, a durbar is an Indian ritual ceremony in which the rulers of two countries meet to discuss changes in legislation. This “court ritual” was adapted by the British monarchy in order to present themselves before their subjects to receive homage. (Historical Record) The Delhi Durbar of 1911 was highly controversial because it not only marked the coronation of the new Emperor and Empress, but it celebrated the newly moved capital of Delhi from Calcutta, as decreed by King George V. Author and musicologist Martin Clayton, along with fellow author Bennett Zon explain the significance of this event in regards to the writing of The Crown of India saying, “The propagandist aspects of the 1911 Durbar were transferred directly into the masque: the first of its two tableaux concerns King Georg V’s controversial announcement that the capital of India would move from Calcutta to Delhi, while the second is a re-enactment of the durbar ceremony itself.”. (Clayton & Zon 149) Edward Elgar’s The Crown of India recounts an Indian ceremony in a foreign land, while being told through a British nationalist mindset.
The layout in which The Crown of India was written is called a masque. A masque is an early form of music theater in which there is speaking followed by singing and dancing. Elgar was responsible for about sixty minutes of music involving choirs, solo singers and orchestra including: ‘Dance of the Nautch Girls’, ‘Warriors Dance’, and the ‘Entrance of “John Company”’. Another characteristic of a masque is the use of ‘tableaux’. Similar to ‘acts’ we use today for music theater, tableaux are used to separate sections of theatrical works. As explained above, the first tableaux discusses the change of the Indian capital from Calcutta to (Old) Delhi. The second tableaux is a British recount of the Delhi Durbar celebration.
Musical Analysis:
There are two numbers which I would like to focus and study. The first as mentioned earlier, the March of the Mogul Emperors [video below] is near the end of the first tableaux. When you listen to the piece, the audience or listener is supposed to hear and imagine the Indian leaders, officers, and company marching. Through the use of trills, glides, minor mode, and irregular rhythms, the listener additionally is supposed to understand that the marchers are having difficulties keeping time and marching to the beat. This usage of crude signifiers, which would have been understood to be crude by the intended audience, offers historians an opportunity to dive deep into the prejudices which surround the people of Britain. Authors of the book, Music and Orientalism in the British Empire, 1780s-1940s, authors Bennett and Zon describe the overall effect of the March of the Mogul Emperors best, they say:
"The overall effect of the march is far removed from Elgar’s usual compositional style and defies the ‘civilizing’ conventions of the Western musical aesthetic. Thus, the march could be perceived as a symbolic expression of Indian Culture as represented in the imperialist rhetoric at the time: the flouting of the normative conventions of Western musical harmony can be interpreted as a metaphor for the East’s primitive nature in comparison with the more organized and capable Western society."
Not only does this piece mock the orient, but it additionally mocks it’s people. (Bennett & Zon 158) Contrastingly the second piece in which I recommend listening to is the Crown of India March [video below]. Unlike its “mogul” partner, the Crown of India March is a fast and traditional English march. This means that it is in written in duple meter, the major key, includes words and singing, and even begins with a trumpet fanfare. This trumpet fanfare is a typical French Overture, this style begins with slow notes followed by short and fast notes. This creates the unique fanfare style which is often used to introduce royalty or royal operas.
This comparison between the March of the Mogul Emperors and the Crown of India March is easily described as a fight between good and evil, through the use of the major and minor keys. Since it is assumed that there is an obvious parallel ideology between the Indians and the British, it is hard to accept that Elgar had troubles writing such crude material. Not only is Edward Elgar content with belittling colonial nations, but he does it in such a way in which leaves little doubt of their inferior status in the eyes of the British. (Bennett & Zon 160)
In a way, it is obvious that The Crown of India by Edward Elgar was intended for an audience in which found this work entertaining and appealing. This does not justify the overabundance of racist tension which we still feel to this day. Elgar knew what he was doing, even in retrospect the librettist Henry Hamilton did not expect the dualist ideology to be as much as it was. At the end of the masque, the message of it is quite clear. The Indians are inferior, underdeveloped, and incapable of defining itself, it is only through the of the British Empire that they are made right. This message of British dominance is one we hear in numerous stories around the empire, we hear it in Africa, we hear it in Asia, and we hear it in the Americas. These messages are not only told through the mouths of the rich and powerful, but it is also told through the culture of the common people. Most countries’ music help define its integrity. In Britain’s case, Edward Elgar is making public his support of the Imperialism and nationalism in which is occurring throughout his life. What better way is there to solidify your place in history but through the composers and musicians of the day. The text of Elgar’s The Crown of India reinforces the dutiful notion of British rule that propaganda tries to instill in the British population. “Lift aloft the flag of England! / Hers it is to lead the light / Ours to keep her yet the King-Land / Keep her ancient Honour bright / Her manhood ever glorious / her Valour still victorious / Lift aloft the Flag of England / Break the Wrong and make it Right!” (The Crown of India)
Videos of Movements:
March of the Mogul Emperors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axhqzeSa9zo
The Crown of India March (26:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3JLWEWfmPg&t=1631s
Works Cited & Recommended Readings:
The Historical Record of the Imperial Visit to India. 1911. Available through: Adam Matthew, Marlborough, Empire Online. Date Accessed Online 4/3/18.
Romanticism. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed on: 4/19/18
Bashford, Christina, and Leanne Langley. 2000. Music and British Culture, 1785-1914: Essays in Honour of Cyril Ehrlich. London: Oxford University Press.
Bellman, John. 1998. The Exotic in Western Music. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Elgar, Sir Edward, and Henry Hamilton. 1912. The Crown of India Op. 66. London.
Clayton, Martin, and Bennett Zon. 2007. Music and Orientalism in the British Empire, 1780s to 1940s: Portrayal of the East. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate.
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