Elgar: Harmony Music No.2 "Nelly Shed" - unusual wind quintet (2 fl, ob, cl and bsn)

Elgar’s seven works titled Harmony Music (from the German Harmoniemusik, music for wind ensemble) were among the pieces he wrote between the years 1878 and 1881 for the wind quintet he played in with his friends. 

The players for whom Elgar wrote the quintets were his young friends, who met regularly for music on Sunday afternoons. He wrote for the instruments available and to suit the capabilities of their players. 

 Elgar's younger brother Frank was a competent oboist while, to judge from the scores, his friends Hubert Leicester (later to become Mayor of Worcester) and Frank Exton were flautists of near professional standard. Hubert's brother William was co-opted to play the clarinet, while Elgar taught himself to play the bassoon to complete the quintet.

This work is a single Allegro movement, longer and more ambitious than his first Harmony Music. Elgar gave it the nickname “Nelly Shed” after Helen Weaver, to whom he was to become engaged a few years later.

It is arranged for 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and bassoon

Check out my arrangement for standard wind quintet here

The “preview” accesses an mp3. With repeat, the score is 12 mins 15 secs long.