Elgar's Enigma Theme Unmasked: A Planned Enigma

"Awake, my St.John! leave all meaner things

To low ambition, and the pride of kings.

Let us (since Life can little more supply

Than just to look about us and to die)

Expatiate free o'er all this scene of man;

A mighty maze! but not without a plan."

Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

There are some who contend Elgar did not deliberately plan the Enigma Variations based on an unstated main theme, and that the idea occurred to him only as an afterthought or publicity stunt. What did Elgar have to say on this subject? A great deal, and it all points to premeditation and meticulous planning.

In a letter quoted in the original program note from 1899, he said:

It is true that I have sketched for their amusement and mine, the idiosyncrasies of fourteen of my friends, not necessarily musicians; but this is a personal matter, and need not have been mentioned publicly. The Variations should stand simply as a ‘piece’ of music. The Enigma I will not explain – it’s ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the connexion between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played…So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some later dramas – e.g., Maeterlinck’s ‘L’Intruse’ and ‘Les sept Princesses’ – the chief character is never on the stage.[1]

The language is unambiguous, specifying “through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’ but is not played”, and “the principal Theme never appears.” The context could not be more straightforward as the word Theme is capitalized and refers to a musical rather than symbolic or metaphorical subject. This was a program note for a symphonic performance, not a poetry reading or sedate college lecture on literary symbolism. Instead of calling the opening melody the Theme, he deliberately labels it Enigma to capture the mystery of the missing Principal theme. Any alleged vagueness on this point is quashed by interviews Elgar granted soon after the 1899 premiere. The following year he was questioned by the editor of The Musical Times, F.G. Edwards, for a biographical article appearing in the October 1900 issue. Concerning the Enigma Variations Edwards reported:

In connection with these much discussed Variations, Mr. Elgar tells us that the heading ‘Enigma’ is justified by the fact that it is possible to add another phrase, which is quite familiar, above the original theme that he has written. What that theme is no one knows except the composer. Thereby hangs the ‘Enigma.’[2]

In this context the terms phrase and theme are used interchangeably, again both referring to a melody that may be added above the original Enigma theme. This observation dovetails precisely with the original program note stating “through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played…” Only a musical theme can be played, something inconceivable with a symbolic or metaphorical one. The article was closely vetted by Elgar and his wife prior to publication, so the language could not be more obvious or intentional.

There is additional evidence verifying the character of the melodic enigma from no less of a source than Elgar’s first biographer. Robert J. Buckley closely collaborated with the composer to produce an intriguing biography in 1905. As the music critic for The Birmingham News, he first met Elgar in 1896 and knew him for almost a decade prior to publication.[3] In the introduction he confidently declares:

Whatever this book states as fact may be accepted as such. The sayings of Elgar are recorded in the actual words addressed directly to the writer, and upon these I rely to give to the book an interest it would not otherwise possess.[4]

On the subject of the Enigma Variations he writes:

The ‘Enigma’ orchestral-piece is Op. 36. What the solution of the ‘Enigma’ may be, nobody but the composer knows. The theme is a counterpoint on some well-known melody which is never heard, the variations are the theme seen through the personalities of friends, with an intermezzo and a coda, the last added at the request of friends aided and abetted by Dr. Richter, who accepted the work on its merits, having received the score in Vienna from his agent in London, and who at the time had not met with the composer.”[5]

Based on three primary sources – the 1899 program note, the 1900 interview in The Musical Times, and the 1905 biography – four facts concerning the Enigma Variations are known with absolute certainty:

The Enigma Theme is a counterpoint to the Principal Theme.
The Principal Theme is not heard.
The Principal Theme is a melody that can be played “through and over” the whole set of Variations including the Enigma Theme.
The Principal Theme is famous.

Any claims contrary to these conditions must ultimately be made in direct conflict with the recorded words of the composer by multiple, independent, unimpeachable sources. It is deeply distressing that some highly placed Elgar scholars continue to parrot pseudo-theories that openly contradict these indisputable facts. Composing a counterpoint to a famous melody requires deliberate, meticulous planning. Counterpoint is by definition not a random, thoughtless act.

A Deliberate Enigma
My investigation is rooted on the objective fact Elgar deliberately created the melodic enigma to be solved by supplying specific rules towards that end. This helps explain why he was so secretive during its conception and development over a four month period from October 21, 1898 to February 21, 1899. In lieu of the Principal theme’s traditional place in the Master Score, Elgar directed his friend and confidant, August Jaeger, to pencil in the subtitle Enigma. This word was written by Jaeger sometime between March 17 and 22, 1899.[6] Elgar was not alone in his silence as he painstakingly worked out the details of the puzzle. His wife Alice was unusually mum about the Variations in her diary, only mentioning it for the first time on January 25, 1899.[7] It is widely believed Alice and Jaeger were apprised of the secret, but were instructed by Elgar to keep it closely guarded. Patrick Turner observes the appearance of the subtitle Enigma took place virtually at the same time Hans Richter gave his consent to conduct the premiere in London.[8] The timing of Elgar’s disclosure could not be more revealing. He waited to acknowledge the existence of the melodic enigma until the famous Wagnerian protégé Hans Richter agreed to conduct the premiere. Only afterwards did he instruct Jaeger to add the final piece of the puzzle to the score. It is reasonable to conclude Elgar refused to openly acknowledge the enigma until it was fully formed and ready to be revealed to the world. To do so beforehand would have been premature.

Delay is not Denial

Some misinterpret Elgar’s belated disclosure as evidence the enigma was an afterthought and not integral to the work’s original conception. Nothing could be further from the truth as the composer’s own words attest. Since when is the reluctance to disclose something proof of the absence of forethought and planning? His tardiness in revealing the existence of the melodic enigma is eclipsed by his own persistent refusals to divulge the solution during his lifetime. What pleasure could Elgar possibly take in creating a brilliant musical riddle if he merely intended to fritter away the answer without requiring a meticulous and exhaustive search? What is lightly given is of little value, but what is achieved through strenuous effort is greatly prized. Elgar knew the satisfaction of cracking an allegedly insoluble cryptogram, so surely he would not deny the same exhilaration to another like minded individual. In his 1905 biography he boasted about solving a supposedly impossible puzzle by John Holt Schooling — a Nihilist cipher featured in an article from an 1896 edition of The Pall Mall Gazette.[9] The Nihilist cipher is one of many variations on the ancient Polybius square, a very old cipher conceived thousands of years ago in ancient Greece. The article Secrets in Cipher is presently held with his personal papers and remnants of his library at the Elgar Birth Place Museum. He said the solution must remain “unguessed” and consistently refused to affirm any suspected solutions for that very reason. Guessing simply would not do. Ciphers are not guessed —they're solved.

Guess Again

Someone who did guess again and again without success was Dora Penny, the Dorabella of Variation X. After speculating in vain on the hidden theme, she begged Elgar to divulge it to her. He said, “Oh, I shan’t tell you that, you must find it out for yourself.” She replied, “But I’ve thought and racked my brains over and over again.” He responded, “Well, I’m surprised. I thought that you of all people would guess it.”[10] He was clearly humoring himself at her expense, but was making the very same point found in the original program note: The solution must remain ‘unguessed’. One obvious implication of this exchange is Dora was exceedingly familiar with the hidden tune. Since almost everyone should be familiar with a famous melody, this is not volunteering very much useful information. Evidently Dora's life experience enjoyed some special connection to the mystery theme. Among Elgar’s friends while he composing the Enigma Variations, Dora was the most active musically. As she explained, “I was so mixed up with tunes in those days; Choral music; Church music, and orchestral music — and then my own solo singing, scenes from opera, songs, ballads, and so on.”[11]
Another friend who guessed unsuccessfully was Troyte Griffith, the dedicatee for Variation VII. He once suggested God Save the King, but Elgar replied, “Of course not, but it is it is so well-known that it is extraordinary no-one has found it.”[12] On another occasion at Craeg Lee (a home Elgar moved into one month after completing the Enigma Variations), Elgar challenged Troyte to play a melody on the piano using numbered stamp edges affixed to the keys. Some of the piano keys had more than one number, indicating some notes were repeated. After a few attempts, he managed to play the numbered note sequence in the correct order and remarked, “I believe it’s a tune. What is it?” Elgar laughed and shrugged it off as nothing, but Troyte suspected it was the hidden melody from the Enigma Variations. 1=[13] Investigators like Patrick Turner discuss this incident as proof the missing theme has repeated notes. Given that virtually all themes have repeated notes, this insight is no more instructive than Elgar’s comments about Dora’s familiarity with a famous tune.

The drop in the seventh

Near the end of his life Elgar provided some notes for a set of pianola rolls of the 'Enigma' Variations. Regarding the Enigma Theme he wrote, “The drop of a seventh in the Theme (bars 3 and 4) should be observed.” [14] Most investigators devote considerable attention to Elgar’s unusual language concerning the seventh, insisting the correct solution must provide some reasonable explanation about why it should be observed. There are two descending sevenths in measures 3 and 4 (G-A, and F-G), and it is remarkable the sum of those bar numbers is equal to 7. G is the first note or tonic of the natural G minor scale, A is the second or supertonic, and F is the seventh note or subtonic. In the alphabet G is the seventh letter. It is intriguing these three notes (A, F and G) form a cluster around the first note of the scale (G), and are the only scale degrees identified with the word tonic. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for Elgar's language regarding the seventh as my melodic and cipher solutions make clear.

Soli Deo Gloria

[1] Original 1899 program note by C. A. Barry citing a letter by Elgar

[2] The Musical Times (October 1, 1900), p. 647

[3] Turner, Patrick. Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations - a Centenary Celebration. London: Thames Publishing, 1999, p. 51

[4] Buckley, Robert J. Sir Edward Elgar (1905). New York: Kessinger Publishing, Llc, 2009, p. xi

[5] Ibid, p. 54-55

[6] Turner, Patrick. Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations - a Centenary Celebration. London: Thames Publishing, 1999, p. 29

[7] Ibid, p. 18

[8] Ibid, p. 31

[9] Buckley, Robert J. Sir Edward Elgar (1905). New York: Kessinger Publishing, Llc, 2009, p. 41

[10] Powell, D. M. (1947). Edward Elgar: Memories of a variation (2nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press, p. 23

[11] Turner, Patrick. Elgar’s Enigma Variations: A Centenary Celebration (Thames Publishing, London, 2007), 112.