Elgar

“Can you imagine eternity with Elgar?”

Aziraphale shut his eyes. “All too easily,” he groaned.

— p. 33

Sir Edward Elgar (1854-1934) was an English composer. In 1899, at the age of 42, his first major orchestral work — the Enigma Variations — was premiered in London. It was received with general acclaim, establishing Elgar as the pre-eminent British composer of his generation. This work is formally titled Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma). The enigma is that, although there are thirteen variations on the “original theme”, the ‘enigma’ theme, which Elgar said ‘runs through and over the whole set’ is never heard. Many later commentators have observed that Elgar is today regarded as a characteristically English composer.

According to Crowley, as far as the major classical composers go, Heaven only has two: Elgar and Liszt. He implies that Hell got the great majority (33).

Other sources:
“Elgar.” Wikipedia. Accessed 3 July 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgar>.

Edition referenced in this article: US Ace paperback (1996)
Written by Ida