In July 1888, Edward Elgar finished a musical miniature for violin and piano titled “Liebesgruss.” At the time, the name “Elgar” merely belonged to a young provincial musician: an amateur conductor, violinist, and teacher who had largely set aside hopes of a full-time professional career as a violinist.
Circumstances were not ideal; Elgar wrote to a friend in 1884, “My prospects are about as hopeless as ever … I have no money—not a cent. I am living here alone, and am very miserable.”
