Unlike "The Dream of Gerontius" which people did not like the first time they heard it, "The Apostles" was an immediate success with audience and critics. People were getting used to the kind of big oratorio that Elgar was writing. However, today "The Dream of Gerontius" is the most popular of Elgar's oratorios. "The Apostles" is a strange mixture of words from different parts of the bible, but it has some very beautiful music. Elgar often wrote the music first and then added the words afterwards.