Elgar's Empire March was written in 1924 for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium. The work (in its original form for full orchestra) was never published, although the parts reached printed proof stage, and the manuscript has since been lost. The Acuta Music edition, which marks the first appearance in print of the original orchestral score, was prepared from a surviving set of proof copies of the orchestral parts : this set includes detailed corrections in Elgar's own hand and now (in the absence of the manuscript score) probably constitutes the prime source material.

ISBN : 978-1-873690-08-6

Duration : 5 minutes.

Orchestral requirements : 2+1  2+1  2+1  2+1  4 3 3 1 Timp 2Hp 4Perc Organ  Strings. The Cor Anglais, Bass Clarinet, Contrabassoon, Harps and Organ could be dispensed with if circumstances dictate. The Percussion includes Tubular Bells (scale of B flat) which are not essential.

Difficulty : Fairly straightforward.

Study score : Available from Acuta Music in a limited edition of 300 copies. Includes detailed Editorial commentary. See "Sales" bookmark for price and ordering details.

Orchestral parts, Conductor's full score : Available for sale from Goodmusic. Click here for link to Goodmusic's Empire March web page.

Copyright : Although Elgar's music is out of copyright, the Acuta Music and the Acuta/Goodmusic editions of the Empire March constitute a "copyright edition" for the purposes of performance and recording, and should be disclosed as such on PRS or MCPS returns.