QUESTION Did Edward Elgar write a football chant?
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), one of Britain’s great composers, was a Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. He did write a short football chant, though it never caught on.
Elgar’s love for Wolves began in 1895 when he visited his friend Dora Penny, affectionately known as Dorabella, the daughter of the rector of St Peter’s Church, Wolverhampton. Dorabella recorded in her book Edward Elgar: Memories Of A Variation: ‘I quickly found out that music was the last thing he wanted to talk about. I think we talked about football.
He wanted to know if I ever saw the Wolverhampton Wanderers play, and when he heard that our house was a stone’s throw from their ground he was quite excited.’
The pair subsequently attended several matches together. Elgar was enchanted: ‘It all delighted him.
The dense crowd flowing down the road like a river; the roar of welcome as the rival teams came on to the ground… the deafening roar that greeted a goal.’
In February 1898, Elgar was present when Wolves beat Stoke 4-2 and a phrase in a press report — ‘he banged the leather for goal’ — describing a move involving Billy Malpass, inspired the composer to write a short tune to those words.
He included the score in a letter to Dorabella which was later unearthed by Wolves historian Dr Percy Young. The chant’s first known public performance happened in 2010.
Elgar named Variation 10 of his 1899 Variations On An Original Theme (Enigma) ‘Dorabella’ as a dedication to his friend.
Richard Summerby, Ledbury, Herefordshire
QUESTION What is the earliest record of the word ‘Christmas’?
The word Christmas originates from the phrase ‘Cristes Mæsse’, (Mass of Christ or Christ’s Mass).
It was first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1038: ‘forðferde… þa toforan Cristes mæssan Brihteh biscop on Wigraceastrescire.’ (‘Then, before Christmas, died Bishop Brihteh in Worcestershire’.)
Cristes-messe appears in 1131 and by the early 14th century it was one word, as found in the poem Ase Y Me Rod This Ender Day (As I rode out the other day):
‘That other joie of that may Wes o Cristesmasse day: When God wes bore on thoro lay Ant brohte us lyhtnesse.’
(‘The next joy of that maiden / Occurred on Christmas day: / When God was born in perfect light, / And brought us to enlightenment.’)
The word Christ comes from the Greek word Khristos, which is a translation of the Hebrew ‘messiah’, meaning ‘anointed one’. Mass, on the other hand, derives from the Latin messa which describes the Eucharist (from missa, meaning ‘dismissal’), a service performed in memory of Jesus Christ, where Christians eat bread and drink wine.
While early Christians did not celebrate Christ’s birth, the birth date of December 25 can be traced to the third-century historian Sextus Julius Africanus, who dated Jesus’s conception to nine months earlier, March 25.
It was in AD 336, during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, that the church in Rome began to formally celebrate Christmas on December 25, although it wasn’t until the ninth century that it became a major Christian festival.
Mrs G. H. Short, Padstow, Cornwall
QUESTION Why shouldn’t I use the dishwasher to clean my pet’s food bowl?
In fact you can use a dishwasher to clean your pet bowls, provided they are labelled as dishwasher safe.
Washing them in the dishwasher, on a high temperature setting, is effective for sanitisation because the high water temperatures and dish detergent help eliminate harmful bacteria that may accumulate on the bowls.
Research has highlighted the importance of regular cleaning to prevent bacterial contamination, as dog bowls can harbour pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli.
A study of dog owners’ feeding practices and bowl hygiene published in the Public Library of Science’s One journal found that dog bowl contamination significantly decreased when strict hygiene guidelines were followed, including washing in hot water (above 70c) or using a dishwasher with high temperature settings.
Materials also matter. Generally, stainless steel bowls are recommended because they are durable, resistant to bacteria and also dishwasher-safe.
Plastic bowls, on the other hand, can develop scratches that trap bacteria, while ceramic bowls may crack, exposing porous surfaces that are harder to clean.
For optimal hygiene, it’s suggested to wash your dog’s bowl daily.
Pauline Oliver, Manchester