Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was the son of a piano specialist and music shopkeeper. He left school at 16 and largely taught himself all the musical skills that would nurture his later spectacular compositions.
Located next to Cathedral Square in Worcester is a beautiful bronze statue of Edward Elgar, England’s most famous classical composer. Elgar’s statue is positioned so that he is looking at the Cathedral that he loved and where he would conduct during the Three Choirs Festival. The statue was created by Kenneth Potts and was unveiled by HRH Prince of Wales on 2 June 1981.
Kenneth Potts is recognised as have a deep virtuoso for figurative work and has created an extraordinary collection of commissions including works depicting Douglas Bader, Wellington and Napoleon.
Elgar, recognised as a musical genius, originally lived in Worcester and spent much of his time at his father’s music shop located a short distance away from where the statue stands today.
Some of Elgar’s most famous musical works include the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, the Enigma Variations, concertos for violin and cello, and symphonies One and Two.
