ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that in The Crown of India Edward Elgar publicly exposed his acceptance of the dominant imperial doctrines of the time by musically articulating the Orientalist and imperialist ideals of the libretto. Contrary to the claims of many of his biographers, then, there appears to be no evidence that Elgar shied away from the imperialist aspects of the production. Rather, the relevant letters, diaries and music itself seem to reinforce that he viewed it as an ‘inoffensive thing’, indicating his ease with its ideological basis. Far from being homogenous, every empire was supported by a unique set of ideological beliefs and ambitions which had a direct impact on the way in which colonial Others were perceived. Colonial instability in the years between the Boer and First World Wars promoted a huge propagandist effort, of which The Crown of India was a part, which extolled the virtues of Empire, both for colonizer and colonized.
