The latter half of the nineteenth century was highly favourable to British composers of church services, canticles, anthems and hymns; of sacred and secular oratorios and cantatas; and of part-songs and orchestral works. Elgar was born in 1857, and as a contemporary British composer he could, on the face of it, establish himself at music festivals and with choral societies as they would be more prepared to commission and perform his works, especially the oratorios and cantatas. A number of general factors – economic, social, religious and political – played their part in creating this encouraging background.

Economic Factors

The 1871 Census indicated that Great Britain remained predominantly a rural country. Farm labouring was the largest single male occupation with working hours regulated primarily by the seasons, by fluctuations in demand and by the type of agriculture pursued, whether arable or livestock. The concept of a demarcation between time at work and time set aside for leisure pursuits on a consistent basis throughout the year was virtually unknown as daily life was largely dictated by the rhythm of nature.

This settled way of life was, however, disrupted by the Agricultural Depression which began in the late 1870s. It was induced by a long series of poor harvests and continued into the 1880s and 1890s. Moreover, the traditional link created by the price mechanism, whereby arable incomes had remained stable as the lower yields from poor harvests had been offset by rising prices, was cut. Foreign competition, as a direct consequence of the government's free trade policy, upset this long-standing equilibrium.