Elgar - Arrangement of Nimrod

[Martin Cooke]

This news piece relates. You will see that the recital detailed here is to include an arrangement of this work by GC Martin. Is anyone aware of such an arrangement? The one in common use - (well, I assume it's common use) - is by WH Harris, and I would be interested to see one by Martin if it truly exists. I just wonder if this is a mistake and they are thinking of the GC Martin arrangement of Imperial March. Can anybody throw some light on this?

[timothyguntrip]

I have four 'Nimrod's here at home - William Harris, Noel Rawsthorne, Colin Hand, Adrian Self - and only the Imperial March, as you mention, by G. C. Martin. I think it probably is a misprint!

 

Tim

[wolsey]

I think it probably is a misprint!

I agree.

 

Martin Cooke's mention of Sir George Martin's arrangement of Imperial March prompts me to draw attention to my post here eight years ago about a misprint in it. I wrote then that having listened to at least four different orchestral samples (courtesy of iTunes) and consulted the full score online, there is a misprint in the Martin transcription published by Novello: bar 27 (two bars before the modulation from B flat to E flat) - the pedal minim (beats 1 and 2) should be bottom C - not E flat as printed.

[Philip]

FWIW I use the Robert Gower version in OUP 'Ceremonial Music'.

[David Drinkell]

I use the Noel Rawsthorne version of Nimrod. The problem with the Harris arrangement, IMHO, is that it calls for an enclosed Tuba - mine is enclosed, but most of those on your side of the Atlantic aren't. In any case, I find the Rawsthorne more straightforward and less fussy.

 

When I was at school, my teacher, Colin Nicholson, told me that he was once set as an exercise the task of making an organ arrangement of Nimrod. Being short of time, he more or less copied out the Harris version. He took this to Herbert Howells, who tore it up and said it was rubbish!