Variation VIII W.N. with 'Ein feste Burg'



Winifred Norbury



"The Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys."

C.S. Lewis

Variation VIII is dedicated to Winifred Norbury, a gentle and gracious friend who served as a secretary of the Worcestershire Philharmonic Society. In the 1890s she was a regular visitor at the Elgar residence, performing chamber music along with the Fitton sisters, Basil Nevinson, Hew Steuart Powell and George Sinclair.

Ein feste Burg plays 'through and over' W.N. as shown in Figure 11.1. A sound file of this melodic solution is available here.  I carefully mapped Ein feste Burg over W.N. based on melodic interval mirroring, and the contrapuntal devices of contrary, parallel and similar motion. Melodic interval mirroring occurs when note intervals from Ein feste Burg are mirrored or reflected in the variation over similar or identical durations between notes. In many instances the same notes appear in both parts, a feature that helped considerably in clarifying the mapping process.

 

Table 11.1 identifies 60 melodic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and W.N. A melodic conjunction is defined as a shared note between both melody lines. Share melody notes are dispersed over 26 out of 27 measures in W.N., or slightly over 96% of the movement. It was determined Ein feste Burg does not play in the final measure (307).  In measures where the missing Principal Theme is deemed active, shared melody notes are present in 22 out of 26 measures, or almost 85% of all active measures. Such a high number of shared melody notes in the correct sequence bolsters the conclusion Ein feste Burg is the elusive Principal Theme.

Table 11.2 breaks down melodic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and W.N. by note type. There are seven shared melody note types with frequencies ranging from 3 through 16.

Table 11.3 gives a complete breakdown of shared notes between Ein feste Burg and the piano reduction of W.N. The number of shared notes is shown according to measure number. There are 159 shared notes dispersed over 26 out of a total of 27 measures. Of those conjunctions, 60 are melodic and 99 are chordal. Ein feste Burg was found active in 26 measures, so 100% of active measures contain shared notes. There are 7 shared note types with frequencies ranging from 6 (B) to 42 (D).

Table 11.4 summarizes all note conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and W.N., stating percentages for each note type in the melodic and chordal categories.

Conclusion

Based on data presented in Figures 11.1, and Tables 11.1-11.4, the preponderance of the evidence proves W.N. is a clear and convincing counterpoint to Ein feste Burg.

Soli Deo Gloria