For homonymous articles, see Falstaff (disambiguation).
Falstaff, symphonic study in C minor op. 68 is an orchestral work written by Edward Elgar in 1913.
She's inspired by William Shakespeare's character Falstaff.
It is dedicated to the conductor and pianist Landon Ronald and was premiered on October 1, 1913 by the Leeds Festival Orchestra under the direction of the composer. This is a commission from this same festival.
This piece is a work of the maturity of the musician (he was almost 56 years old at the time of his writing), most of his orchestral music that made his name having already been written. The first sketches date from 1901 but most of his writing is done in the summer of 1913.
The work consists of four parts with two interludes and its duration is about half an hour.
The first part describes a conversation between Falstaff, symbolized by cellos and contrabasses with the son of Henry IV, companion marauding and symbolized by the violins. The second part is in a London street tavern (Eastcheap) where the two friends decide to attack a few travelers in Gadshill. Falstaff, however, gets himself assaulted and returns to heal his wounds at the tavern. There, he sinks into a drunken sleep. The third part sees Falstaff raise a cavalry to defend Prince Hal. The last part announces the death of King Henry IV and the accession to the throne of his son, Prince Hal who rejects his companion. Notes and edit the code
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