A man of letters
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Elgar: 15 facts about the great composer
3. A man of letters
Elgar was particularly keen on sending letters to his nearest and dearest. Whether they were dewy-eyed love letters to his wife and other muses or simply humorous asides to colleagues, his collected correspondence has been the subject of much literary and musical scholarly discussion. He once wrote to August Jaeger (whom he called 'Nimrod', hence the title of one of his 'Enigma Variations') simply: "Dreary weather - Good music - Liver pills - Calomel - Income Tax - No Biking - New Boots - Bad golf - etc etc - Fill up the life of your despised E.E."