What is The Apostles (Elgar)?
'''''The Apostles''''', op. 49, is an [[oratorio]] for soloists, [[choir|chorus]] and [[orchestra]] composed by [[Edward Elgar]]. It was first performed on October 14, 1903. ==History of its composition== Elgar had been thinking for many years about writing a musical work about [[Jesus|Jesus's]] [[Twelve Apostles]]. He was already 42 when his orchestral work ''[[Enigma Variations]]'' was first performed in 1899. He was then asked by the [[Birmingham Triennial Music Festival]] to compose a big work for the following year. At first he thought of writing ''The Apostles'', but then he realized he would need more than a year to write it, so he composed an oratorio called ''[[The Dream of Gerontius]]''. When it was first performed it was not a success. This was because the orchestra and choir had only had two weeks to learn it and also because the conductor did not like Elgar's music anyway. Then it was performed in [[Düsseldorf]] in [[Germany]] and shortly afterwards in [[Westminster Cathedral]], [[London]]. Both these performances were greeted with lots of [[applause]]. Elgar was given a [[doctorate]] (title of Dr) by the [[University of Cambridge]] and he was becoming famous. He started to work on ''The Apostles'', and it was performed in Birmingham in 1903. Originally Elgar wanted to write three oratorios which would belong together. ''The Apostles'' is the first one, the second one became ''[[The Kingdom (Elgar)|The Kingdom]]'' but the third one, which would have been about the [[Last Judgement]], was never written. ==The words and music== The oratorio is about the [[disciple]]s of Jesus and the way they react to the amazing things that Jesus does. There are six soloists: the narrator (who tells the story)- he has a [[tenor]] voice and also does the part of [[John the Apostle|St John]], [[Saint Peter|St Peter]] ([[bass (singer)|bass]]), Jesus (bass) and [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]] (bass) and the two female singers: the [[soprano]] who is both the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Blessed Virgin]] and the [[an