The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Following the important discovery that Ein feste Burg is the missing principal Theme of the Enigma Variations, the next step in confirming this solution was to successfully map A Mighty Fortress “through and over” each of the variations. One of the earliest candidates to undergo such an analysis was C. A. E., the first Variation. The initials stand for Elgar’s wife and dearest friend, Caroline Alice Elgar. She was an early and enthusiastic supporter of his compositions, recognizing well before her contemporaries that her husband’s gift eclipsed that of a mere provincial composer. Her family practically disowned her for stooping to the level of marrying a “jobbing” musician with no wealth, no prospects, and no future. In the end, she proved them wrong by exercising faith in her own judgment and heart, and by unselfishly supporting her husband’s work against what seemed like impossible odds. She remained a source of strength and inspiration for Elgar throughout his most productive years. It is not coincidental that Elgar’s first major work, Froissart, was completed the year of his marriage to Alice. His last major work, the cello concerto, was completed a year before her death in 1920.
The following short score documents how Ein feste Burg plays “through and over” Variation I as a counterpoint. An audiovisual file of this melodic mapping supports the efficacy of this contrapuntal solution, with Variation I performed on piano while Ein feste Burg is played simultaneously on flute, allowing the listener to hear the two themes in a direct contrapuntal relationship. The phrase structure of the hymn (ABABCDEFB) is faithful to the original, and the inversion of the phrase pattern observed with the Enigma Theme where the covert Theme plays in retrograde.
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A defining feature of this contrapuntal mapping is that it preserves the correct phrase structure of Ein feste Burg. Luther’s chorale follows the scheme ABABCDEFB — nine phrases in a specific sequence, with Phrases A and B each appearing twice before the chorale proceeds through its remaining sections. In the mapping over Variation I, this sequence is maintained without alteration: no phrases are omitted, reordered, compressed, or repeated out of turn. The chorale unfolds from Phrase A through the concluding Phrase B in its proper order, beginning to end. This matters because a correct melodic mapping that simultaneously scrambles or truncates the phrase architecture would be a far weaker form of evidence. Here, both dimensions — the melodic notes and the phrase structure — are correct. The integrity of the ABABCDEFB sequence across the full span of Variation I is not a trivial constraint to satisfy, and its preservation strengthens the case that Ein feste Burg is the hidden theme Elgar described as going “through and over” the Enigma Variations.
The phrases of Ein feste Burg mapped over Variation I are sourced from three contrasting versions of the hymn. Phrases A and B reflect Bach’s rendering in the final chorale (“Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn”) from his Cantata BWV 80. Phrase C is based on a combination of Bach’s version and Mendelssohn’s adaptation from the Finale of the Reformation Symphony. Phrase D draws on all three versions simultaneously, reflecting Luther’s original, Bach's faithful preservation of it, and Mendelssohn’s corresponding rendition. Phrase E reflects Mendelssohn’s version exclusively. Phrase F likewise reflects Mendelssohn’s version. The final Phrase B returns to Bach’s rendering, mirroring the hymn's opening. Tellingly, four of the nine phrases draw on Mendelssohn’s version of the hymn — the same number of Mendelssohn incipits Elgar cites overtly from the concert overture Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage in Variation XIII. Each of those incipits consists of precisely four notes, meaning Elgar embeds four incipits of four notes each, a numerical consistency that suggests his engagement with Mendelssohn was deliberate and structural rather than incidental. Consult the following exhibit to readily compare three renditions of Ein feste Burg by Luther, Bach, and Mendelssohn.
The following short score illustrates precisely how Ein feste Burg was mapped over Variation I based on a combination of melodic interval mirroring and the principles of counterpoint. Melodic interval mirroring occurs when note intervals from Ein feste Burg are reflected in the variation over comparable or identical distances between notes. These notes do not necessarily appear in the melody line of the movement. The contrapuntal devices of similar and contrary motion were also considered in this analysis. Similar motion is when both voices move in the same direction, but not necessarily by the same degree. Contrary motion takes place when Ein feste Burg moves in the opposite direction than the variation, again not necessarily by the same interval. Similar motion is indicated by SM, and contrary motion by CM. For the purposes of this analysis, similar motion includes any instances of parallel motion, and contrary motion any instances of oblique motion. In some cases, the upper voice of the variation moves parallel with Ein feste Burg while the bass line moves in a contrary manner. An effective counterpoint typically employs a fairly balanced mix of contrary and similar motion, something clearly evident with this mapping.
A melodic conjunction is represented by a diamond-shaped note head, and a harmonic conjunction by a triangle-shaped note head. A melodic conjunction is defined as any matching melody note between Ein feste Burg and the movement’s melody line. A harmonic conjunction is defined as a match between a melody note from the covert principal Theme and any non-melodic note from the movement. Both melodic and harmonic conjunctions must sound simultaneously to be considered a match.
The following table documents 42 shared melody notes between Ein feste Burg and Variation I. These melodic conjunctions are present in bars 20, 23-25, 27-28, 30-32, 34-35, and 37-39, a total of 14 out of 21 measures for 66.7% of the movement. There are 11 note types with frequencies ranging from 1 to 14, the tonic G being the most common. Variation I is 21 measures in length, excluding the two-bar bridge (bars 18-19) with the Enigma Theme. Further analysis revealed that the two-bar bridge is an extension of the ending to the Enigma Theme, and that phrase A of Ein feste Burg plays over this transitional section.
The next table documents that there are 100 harmonic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and the short score of Variation I for an average of 4.76 per measure. There are 9 shared note types with frequencies ranging from 1 to 28, the dominant D being the most prevalent. The combined total of melodic and harmonic conjunctions covers 62 out of 75 melody notes from Ein feste Burg. 82.67% of the melody notes from the covert Theme are embedded sequentially into the melody and harmony of Variation I. For such a high percentage of melody notes to appear sequentially throughout the score of Variation I strongly suggests deliberate compositional intent rather than random chance.
The test Elgar set is simple but demanding: the covert principal theme must play “through and over” the entire set of Variations as a counterpoint. More than a century of purported solutions have failed to meet that requirement, for none has ever been successfully mapped contrapuntally above any complete movement. Ein feste Burg has met that test across every movement without exception, replicating sequential note content phrase by phrase while preserving the hymn’s phrase architecture from the Enigma Theme to the Finale. Ein feste Burg stands in a class all its own because it accomplishes what no other attempted solution can: it plays “through and over” the set as a counterpoint.
Conclusion
The preponderance of the evidence outlined above demonstrates that Variation I is a clear and convincing counterpoint to Ein feste Burg. The contrapuntal mapping reveals a relationship of remarkable depth and consistency. Forty-two melodic conjunctions confirm that the melody of Ein feste Burg aligns directly with the uppermost voice of Variation I across 14 of its 21 active measures. A total of 100 harmonic conjunctions establishes that the covert theme is embedded still more pervasively in the inner voices and bass, achieving an unbroken harmonic presence across every measure of the movement without exception. Together, these melodic and harmonic conjunctions account for 62 of the 75 melody notes of Ein feste Burg — a sequential coverage rate of nearly 83% that far exceeds what random coincidence or the casual application of free rhythm could plausibly produce.
Every bar containing a melodic conjunction is simultaneously reinforced by harmonic support, reflecting a compositional discipline consistent with deliberate design. The tribrid phrase structure of the mapping — drawing on Luther, Bach, and Mendelssohn across all nine phrases — further underscores this intentionality. That four of those nine phrases draw on Mendelssohn’s version of the hymn, mirroring the four Mendelssohn incipits of four notes each that Elgar cites overtly in Variation XIII, points to a Mendelssohn thread woven through the Enigma Variations with structural precision. That Elgar dedicated this variation to his wife and closest companion, Alice, while constructing it as a counterpoint to a hymn whose very title means “A Mighty Fortress,” suggests the musical architecture carries personal and spiritual significance as well. Variation I does not merely accommodate Ein feste Burg — it plays beneath it as a viable counterpoint, precisely as Elgar described. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my free eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. Please support my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.
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