Twenty Minutes - In Memoriam 1934

David Owen Norris looks through the newspapers of 1934 to find out how obituary writers and the public responded to deaths of Elgar, Holst and Delius. Much was made of the importance of Elgar's contribution to English music. Henry Wood wrote to The Times, saying 'he was such a mighty figure that one cannot think of him dead. It is the greatest loss to music that could have possibly happened, and a loss from which this country will take many years to recover, for there is no one else to touch him'. A telegram was also sent by the King and Queen to Elgar's daughter proclaiming their 'true sympathy in your bereavement'. The deaths of Holst and Delius later in the year attracted far fewer newspaper inches but Delius's death did make the front page of the Daily Express, unlike Elgar's. Opinion at the time was divided over Holst and Delius's contribution to British music and in Delius's case, much was made of his blindness and loneliness. The tabloids at the time reported that 'tragic' Delius was buried without a funeral but when David explores contemporary accounts, he reveals that even back in 1934, one shouldn't always believe what one reads in the newspapers.