The Spirit of England the tone of "The Spirit of England" and that of other imperialist Elgar works: "The conception is grandiose, but not as the "Pomp and Circumstance" Marches are. It moves along with no less splendour, but with a more austere deliberation." The Spirit of England The Spirit of England, Op. 80, is a work for chorus, orchestra, and soprano/tenor soloist in three movements composed by Edward Elgar between 1915 and 1917, setting text from Laurence Binyon's 1914 anthology of poems "The Winnowing Fan". The work acts as a requiem for the dead of World War I and is dedicated "to the
Pomp and Circumstance Marches violins, four horns and two clarinets) and repeated by the full orchestra including two harps. What follows is a repetition of what has been heard before, including a fuller statement of the "Trio" (this time in the 'home' key of D) in which the orchestra is joined by organ as well as the two harps. The march ends, not with the big tune, but with a short section containing a brief reminder of the brisk opening march. March No. 2 was composed in 1901 and dedicated "To my friend Granville Bantock". The instrumentation is: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2