When Edward Elgar died in 1934, he left behind 130 pages of sketches for his uncompleted Third Symphony. In the 65 years since, musicologists have often disagreed about the musical value of the sketches. Did they show Elgar breaking new ground as a composer, or were they merely a reworking of old themes in ways that showed Elgar in decline?

At the request of Elgar's heirs, British composer Anthony Payne has produced an "elaboration" of Elgar's final musical thoughts. This is not a "completion" of the work; only Elgar could have done that. It is a way of presenting Elgar's ideas in full orchestral dress, while also adding some developmental and transitional passages that were missing from the sketches.

The resulting work, "Elgar/Payne Symphony No. 3," was a great success when it was premiered in the UK and released on CD early in 1998. The work received its US premiere in Philadelphia in November of 1998 and will be performed during 1999 in New York, Washington and Chicago. More than 60 other performances have been scheduled around the world.

In this book, Payne describes how he fell in love with this music and worked with it over a period of years to create a finished work. This is essential reading for Elgarians, but it will also fascinate anyone who has ever wanted to look over a composer's shoulder and see how a symphonic composition is created.