Edward Elgar The Dream of Gerontius

Newmans poem tells the story of a souls journey through death and provides a meditation on the unseen world of Roman Catholic theology Gerontius a name derived from the Greek word geron old man is a devout Everyman Elgars setting uses most of the text of the first part of the poem which takes place on Earth but omits many of the more meditative sections of the much longer otherworldly second part tightening the narrative flow