Salut d'Amour( Liebesgruss), Op.12 by Edward Elgar(1857-1934)

Salut d'Amour (Liebesgruß), Op. 12, is a musical work composed by English composer Edward Elgar(2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) in 1888, originally written for violin and piano.

Edward Elgar wrote the piece in July 1888, and gave his pupil and fiancé Caroline Alice Roberts as an engagement present. Because Miss Roberts is fluent in German, Elgar called it Liebesgruss ('Love's Greeting').

The dedication to Miss Roberts was in French: "à Carice". "Carice" was a contraction of her name Caroline and Alice, and would be the name given to their daughter born two years later.

Liebesgruss was published by Schott & Co., a German publisher a year later, and became much more popular after Schott changed the title to Salut d'Amour with Liebesgruss as a sub-title, and the composer's name as 'Ed. Elgar'. It seemed the French title had helped the work being sold all over Europe.

The first public performance was of the orchestral version of the piece, at a Crystal Palace concert on 11 November 1889.

Edward Elgar c. 1900

Although Edward Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider, not only musically, but socially. 

In 1899, At the age of forty-two, Elgar produced the Enigma Variations, which achieved immediate success.  According to the composer: "I have sketched a set of Variations on an original theme. The Variations have amused me because I've labelled them with the nicknames of my particular friends ... that is to say I've written the variations each one to represent the mood of the 'party'  ... and have written what I think they would have written – if they were asses enough to compose".

Probably the best known variation is "Nimrod", depicting August Jaeger, Elgar's publisher and friend.

Apart from the Enigma Variations, some of his best-known compositions are the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies, choral works like The Dream of Gerontius, short pieces like Salut d'Amour, Chanson de Matin, etc.