What is the sound of Love’s Greeting? Edward Elgar tells us (from experience?!) in this piece, Salut d'Amour (Love’s Greeting).

Elgar wrote this 3-minute piece for piano and violin in the Summer of 1888 as a musical pledge of love to Caroline Alice Roberts, one of his pupils, and the daughter of a major-general. He called it Liebesgrüss, saluting her knowledge of German.

The piece was a reciprocal gesture: Elgar was then away on a holiday, and as they parted, Alice had presented to him a poem that she had written and entitled Love’s Grace. (Though one of his pupils, her gifts tended more towards the literary than towards music. And yes, the two had been in love for some time already.)

The two were engaged soon after, and they married the following year. Their marraige was a successful one, by most (if not all) accounts. As suggested by this piece of music, their relationship was marked by tenderness as opposed to passionate desire.

Alice was 7 years older than Elgar, and of a higher social status as well - their marraige would certainly not have been approved of by her parents, who had by then passed away. Alice’s relatives disapproved of the match, and some of them even cut her out of their wills. Only a few of Elgar's family attended the wedding ceremony.

But back to the piece: Elgar sold Liebesgrüss to the publishers Schotts for two guineas, and they insisted on using the French title that we now know it by. They also gave the composer’s name as Ed. Elgar, believing that a French title and a less-obviously English composer would help the piece gain wider international approval. It did.

It was the first piece Elgar ever published, and he was excited, as he gushed in a letter, that “they do it for p.f. Solo - vn. & p.f. - orch. parts & score!!! four editions!! gosh!!!”

The work was inscribed “à Carice,” a word derived from “Caroline Alice.” (It is interesting to note that the couple later named their only child, a girl, Carice, after the inscription.)

The sentiment of the piece made it immediately popular, and 3000 copies were sold in January 1897. By this time, Elgar wished that he had made some sort of royalty arrangement with the publishers.

Elgar later wrote a companion piece, Liebesahung (Love’s Word), it too was renamed as Mot d'Amour (Op.13). Though better than the previous piece, it did not become popular.

Recommended recording:
Elgar - Salut d’Amour: An outstanding recording of Elgar works such as his Enigma Variations and Salut d’Amour. Definitely not to be missed.

Can you hear the call of love? Listen to “Salut d'Amour.”