A new book reveals for the first time the remarkable role which a North East businessman played in the development of the career of Sir Edward Elgar – Britain’s greatest classical composer.
‘Elgar’s Unknown Muse’ by Herefordshire author Richard Westwood-Brookes, lifts the lid after more than a century on the crucial influence Bishop Auckland industrialist Nicholas Kilburn had on the great composer.
‘At one point – just as he was writing his famous ‘Enigma Variations’, Elgar was seriously considering giving up composition altogether and returning to being a full time music teacher,’ said Richard, who has spent more than 50 years researching the story. ‘It was Kilburn who told him that if he did so it would be ‘an afront to the gods, something very nearly wicked which you will always regret.’ As a result, Elgar soldiered on and went on to the great composer he became.
‘Kilburn was a tireless champion for Elgar but was also a major figure in the development of classical music in this country. His greatest love was music and he became the founder and chief conductor in Music Societies in his native Bishop Auckland, as well as in Middlesbrough and Sunderland. As such he gave some of the earliest performances of Elgar’s music, as well as performances of other English composers who were emerging at the same time.
‘He lived to be 80 and was a live wire in the life of the North East. His company manufactured pumps for the mines and factories and was an international business, exporting to many countries overseas. He was also a magistrate and a leading member of North East society.
‘But his role in saving Elgar for musical history and then providing him the crucial support as he developed as a composer is perhaps his most significant achievement. He has long been considered a shadowy figure in Elgar’s life – but I hope this new book will finally confirm his remarkable importance, not just to Elgar but to English music in general.’
‘Elgar’s Unknown Muse – Nicholas Kilburn, The Musical Apostle of the North’ – is available from Amazon at £15 in paperback and £25 in the hardback version. Further information from: Richard Westwood-Brookes on 07377 728725.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
