Talk:Edward Elgar/Archive comments

Composers Project Assessment of Edward Elgar: 2009-02-13

This is an assessment of article Edward Elgar by a member of the Composers project, according to its assessment criteria. This review was done by Magicpiano.

If an article is well-cited, the reviewer is assuming that the article reflects reasonably current scholarship, and deficiencies in the historical record that are documented in a particular area will be appropriately scored. If insufficient inline citations are present, the reviewer will assume that deficiencies in that area may be cured, and that area may be scored down.

Adherence to overall Wikipedia standards (WP:MOS, WP:WIAGA, WP:WIAFA) are the reviewer's opinion, and are not a substitute for the Wikipedia's processes for awarding Good Article or Featured Article status.

Origins/family background/studies

Does the article reflect what is known about the composer's background and childhood? If s/he received musical training as a child, who from, is the experience and nature of the early teachers' influences described?

• ok

Early career

Does the article indicate when s/he started composing, discuss early style, success/failure? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed?

• ok

Mature career

Does the article discuss his/her adult life and composition history? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed?

• ok

List(s) of works

Are lists of the composer's works in WP, linked from this article? If there are special catalogs (e.g. Köchel for Mozart, Hoboken for Haydn), are they used? If the composer has written more than 20-30 works, any exhaustive listing should be placed in a separate article.

• ok; should be split into separate article

Critical appreciation

Does the article discuss his/her style, reception by critics and the public (both during his/her life, and over time)?

• ok

Illustrations and sound clips

Does the article contain images of its subject, birthplace, gravesite or other memorials, important residences, manuscript pages, museums, etc? Does it contain samples of the composer's work (as composer and/or performer, if appropriate)? (Note that since many 20th-century works are copyrighted, it may not be possible to acquire more than brief fair use samples of those works, but efforts should be made to do so.) If an article is of high enough quality, do its images and media comply with image use policy and non-free content policy? (Adherence to these is needed for Good Article or Featured Article consideration, and is apparently a common reason for nominations being quick-failed.)

• Has images (could use more, though); no sound, although some is available in the Commons. Status image has deprecated license tag.

References, sources and bibliography

Does the article contain a suitable number of references? Does it contain sufficient inline citations? (For an article to pass Good Article nomination, every paragraph possibly excepting those in the lead, and every direct quotation, should have at least one footnote.) If appropriate, does it include Further Reading or Bibliography beyond the cited references?

• Article is well-referenced; poorly-cited (in spite of 50+ cites, most of the bio is not cited at all).

Structure and compliance with WP:MOS

Does the article comply with Wikipedia style and layout guidelines, especially WP:MOS, WP:LEAD, WP:LAYOUT, and possibly WP:SIZE? (Article length is not generally significant, although Featured Articles Candidates may be questioned for excessive length.)

• lead is short

Things that may be necessary to pass a Good Article review

• Article requires more inline citations (WP:CITE)
• Article lead needs work (WP:LEAD)
• Article needs (more) images and/or other media (MOS:IMAGE)
• Images and media have copyright/fair-use issues (WP:IUP or more specific GA/FA criteria)

Summary

This is a nice, well-written article. My quibbles with it are mostly structural and logistical. The works list is long enough that it should be put in a separate article. The article's lead is short (per WP:LEAD); it should be 3-4 paragraphs. The biography and legacy are also largely uncited, including a fair number of quotes. The image of the statue has a deprecated license tag.

This article is arguably A-class material; GA or FA consideration would entail more work. Magic♪piano 20:15, 13 February 2009 (UTC)