The Dog Days of Sir Edward ElgarJune 4th, 2025Many years ago, I found myself in a position that forced me to give up a much-loved pet. English composer Sir Edward Elgar found himself in a similar dilemma. In 1886, when she was thirty-eight years old, she decided to take piano lessons from thirty-year-old Edward Elgar. It must have been hard for Sir Edward Elgar to give up his beloved Marco, even for a wonderful woman, but we should be glad he did. Sir Edward Elgar was devastated but found a single consolation.