A MUSIC manuscript autographed by Sir Edward Elgar will be auctioned after being found in the library of a disgraced aristocrat.

The two bars from Coronation Ode, with the text from Land Of Hope And Glory, will be auctioned at Christie's, London, tomorrow.

It was discovered in the Brocket Hall Library, Hertfordshire, the former home of disgraced Lord Brocket, who was jailed for five years in 1996 for a £4.5m insurance fraud.

The Elgar memento is part of a collection of autographed letters, quotations and fragments by composers including Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Berlioz.

All of the items are expected to fetch between £12,000 to £18,000.

"How the Elgar item ended up at Brocket Hall is not made clear by Christie's, but it's a fascinating discovery nonetheless," said a spokeswoman for the auctioneers.

The Coronation Ode was written for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.

"This is where it gets interesting because the last piece of Coronation Ode became Land of Hope and Glory," said Wendy Hillary, secretary to The Elgar Society.

"The words to Land of Hope and Glory were by A C Benson, and the music is, of course, the alternative National Anthem and Elgar's most famous piece.

"If the manuscript is in reasonable condition I would think it's a good find."

Sir Edward Elgar was born in Broadheath, near Worcester, in 1857 and died in 1934.

In his youth, as well as composing, he worked as an orchestral violinist and became conductor of Worcester Glee Club and the County Asylum Band.

He also became organist of St George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcester.