The disappearance of composer Sir Edward Elgar from the £20 note tomorrow is a sad day for the arts and a "national disgrace", according to a music professor.

The Bank of England's decision to drop the creator of Land Of Hope And Glory from legal tender in Britain means artists were no longer represented on any notes.

Perhaps fittingly in these austere times, the note which replaced the old Elgar one features an economist, the 18th Century pioneer Adam Smith.

Jeremy Dibble, professor in the Department of Music at Durham University, said the decision showed how little we thought of cultural giants.

"The withdrawal of the Sir Edward Elgar £20 note is a national disgrace as the arts will no longer be visible on our notes," he said.

"Land Of Hope And Glory is one of the most stirring tunes ever composed and its composer, Edward Elgar, is an iconic figure and a fitting symbol of artistic inspiration in England.

"Dropping Elgar tells us much about the way in which the arts is now viewed in England.

"Bank notes should applaud the greatest aspects of England and English culture." The latest change to the £20 note follows the phasing out of the William Shakespeare version in 1993.

He added: "The removal of writing and music in the shape of Shakespeare and Elgar on Bank of England notes makes our currency much less colourful. Science and economics are important but so too are the arts.

"Why is it that the public are never consulted on these matters that are intrinsic to our culture?"

Depicted on the £5 note is 19th Century social reformer Elizabeth Fry. Naturalist Charles Darwin appears on the £10 note and Sir Charles Houblon, the first Bank of England governor, features on the £50 note.

The Bank of England has published a list of names suggested by the public for inclusion on bank notes. Among them are several giants of the arts, including composer Henry Purcell, writers John Bunyan and Geoffrey Chaucer, and poets John Milton and John Donne.

A Bank of England mouthpiece said people depicted on notes were chosen from various fields.

"The Bank of England has been delighted to honour Sir Edward Elgar on our £20 banknote," she said.

"With only 13 famous personages on our notes to date, he joins an illustrious few along with such others from the arts as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Sir Christopher Wren.

"Others who have been similarly honoured include a range of notable contributors in a variety of fields.