Sir Edward Elgar was an English composer of the Romantic era. Elgar was practically a self-taught violinist and spent most of his time learning music in his father's music shop. At the age of 16, he worked as a local violinist, bassoonist, conductor, and lecturer. His first choral works, including The Black Knight, King Olaf, The Light of Life, and Caractus, earned him a name. He then wrote The Dream of Geronitus and The Enigma Variations, making him widely known in the international scene. He also became famous for the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches, produced between 1901 and 1930.