Unfinished Elgar to go under the hammer

The only two surviving sketch-leaves in private hands for Edward Elgar’s unfinished Third Symphony are to be sold at auction in London on 22nd November.

They are part of a collection of material that belonged to Vera Hockman, the woman with whom Elgar fell in love with and who re-lit the composer’s creative spark after 10 fallow years. 

The two sketch-leaves are the first and last ones for his Third Symphony. The first bears the inscription, in Elgar’s hand, “Ist sketch of VH’s own theme above/Edward Elgar” with the addition “Will never be finished?”. The last leaf bears the inscription “First thought for Sym III and last though for VH and is dated Jany 1933.”

Part of the proceeds will go towards helping Vera’s great granddaughter study at the Royal College of Music.