The Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys.
The English composer Edward Elgar dedicated Variation VIII from his Enigma Variations 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 with the Fitton sisters, Basil Nevinson, Hew David Steuart-Powell, and George Sinclair. When Elgar was appointed the artistic director of the Worcestershire Philharmonic Society in the Fall of 1897, he appointed Winifred as one of its two secretaries. The other secretary was Isabel Fitton, the friend depicted within Variation VI. Elgar chose the chorus “Wach Auf” from Richard Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master-Singers of Nuremberg) to serve as the motto and theme song of the newly founded Society. Wagner’s opera is saturated with Lutheran theology, imagery, and music. Elgar’s selection is highly relevant to this investigation because “Wach Auf” is a Lutheran anthem with lyrics by the Lutheran apologist Hans Sachs and music by the Lutheran composer Wagner. Elgar conducted performances of “Wach Auf” before, during, and after composing the Enigma Variations, a decision consistent with his selection of a Lutheran anthem as its secret melody.
The following short score reduction illustrates how the Lutheran chorale Ein feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress) plays “through and over” Variation VIII as a counterpoint, a requirement stipulated by Elgar in multiple primary sources. The hymn’s canonical phrase structure (ABCDEFB) unfolds across Variation VIII in the sequence ABCDEFBAB — nine phrases in all, proceeding through Phrases ABCDEFB before closing with restatements of Phrases A and B. As with each variation, Elgar subtly varies the hymn’s phrase structure from movement to movement, a strategy that serves to confuse and camouflage the hidden counterpoint. An audiovisual demonstration of this melodic mapping supports the efficacy of this contrapuntal solution. The ability to map both the notes and phrases of Ein feste Burg in their correct sequential order across the full extent of Variation VIII constitutes compelling evidence of a deliberate and systematic counterpoint.
The phrases of Ein feste Burg mapped over Variation VIII come from three contrasting versions of the hymn to form a tribrid melody. This pattern is likewise observed in the contrapuntal mappings of the chorale with the Enigma Theme, Variations I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII. Phrases A, B, and C reflect Bach’s rendering in the final chorale (“Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn”) from his Cantata BWV 80. Phrase D follows the pattern of Luther’s original version, which Bach and Mendelssohn retained in their renderings. Phrase E reflects Mendelssohn’s distinct version, as does Phrase F, both drawn from the Finale of the Reformation Symphony. The sequence closes with restatements of Phrases B, A, and B — all sourced from Bach — with the ending note of the second Phrase B overlapping with the opening notes of Phrase A. Ecclesiastes 4:12 declares that a threefold cord is not easily broken; and so it is with this tribrid theme, woven from the distinct but harmonious contributions from Luther, Bach, and Mendelssohn. Consult the following exhibit to easily compare phrases from all three versions of Ein feste Burg.
The following short score tracks the contrapuntal course of Ein feste Burg “through and over” Variation VIII by cataloguing two categories of note matches between the hymn and the movement. A melodic conjunction is defined as any matching note between the melody of Ein feste Burg and the melody line of the variation. A harmonic conjunction is defined as a match between a melody note from the chorale and any non-melodic note sounding simultaneously in the score. Both melodic and harmonic conjunctions require matching notes sound together. In the annotated short score, a melodic conjunction is represented by a diamond-shaped note head, and a harmonic conjunction by a triangle-shaped note head. The total number of melodic conjunctions, harmonic conjunctions, and their combined sum serve as objective measures of the efficacy of this contrapuntal solution. A robust counterpoint will distribute these matches broadly across the movement rather than clustering them in isolated passages, and the mapping of Ein feste Burg through and over Variation VIII achieves precisely that objective.
The contrapuntal devices of augmentation, diminution, similar motion (SM), and contrary motion (CM) are also observed in this mapping. For the purposes of this analysis, similar motion encompasses any instances of parallel motion, and contrary motion any instances of oblique motion. In some cases, the upper voice of the variation moves in 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 throughout this mapping.
The following table identifies 73 melodic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and Variation VIII dispersed across 23 active bars, covering 85% of the movement's 27 measures. In most bars where melodic conjunctions are absent, harmonic conjunctions maintain the contrapuntal connection. 73 melodic conjunctions encompass seven note types with frequencies ranging between 3 and 21. Note E leads with 21 matches (29%), followed by G with 19 (26%), D with 13 (18%), C with 8 (11%), B with 5 (7%), F♯ with 4 (5%), and A with 3 (4%). The three most frequent notes (E, G, and D) account for nearly three-quarters (73%) of all melodic conjunctions, reflecting the submediant (E), tonic (G), and dominant (D) of G major, the home key of Variation VIII.
The next table breaks down 98 harmonic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and Variation VIII across 27 active bars, representing 100% of the movement’s 27 measures. The 98 harmonic conjunctions encompass seven note types with frequencies ranging between 3 and 31. Note D leads decisively with 31 matches (32%), followed by G with 26 (27%), E with 19 (19%), F♯ with 9 (9%), A with 6 (6%), B with 4 (4%), and C with 3 (3%). The two most frequent notes (D and G) account for nearly three-fifths (59%) of all harmonic conjunctions, reflecting the dominant (D) and tonic (G) poles of G major, the home key of Variation VIII.
There is a combined total of 171 note conjunctions (73 melodic + 98 harmonic) across the active bars of Variation VIII, covering all 27 measures for a 100% coverage rate. While melodic conjunctions are present in 23 of the 27 bars, harmonic conjunctions maintain the contrapuntal connection throughout the remaining 4, ensuring that every measure features some combination of melodic and/or harmonic conjunctions. This demonstrates that Ein feste Burg engages the full harmonic texture of Variation VIII rather than merely overlapping with its surface melody.
This comprehensive, note-by-note penetration — from the opening bars to the final cadence — embodies the defining hallmark of a genuine contrapuntal mapping. Elgar’s own description of the hidden theme proceeding “through and over” the entire set of Variations is thus borne out with striking quantitative precision. Far from merely visiting Variation VIII in passing, Ein feste Burg permeates it at every structural level: melodically with the movement’s principal tune, harmonically with its inner voices, and formally with the nine-phrase arc (ABCDEFBAB) from the first note to the last. Such a pervasive and structurally coherent alignment — encompassing 171 sequential note conjunctions across seven melodic and seven harmonic note types — provides compelling, quantifiable evidence that Ein feste Burg forms a clear and convincing counterpoint to Variation VIII.
The test Elgar set is straightforward 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 evidence presented in this essay demonstrates that Variation VIII (W. N.) serves as a compelling counterpoint to Ein feste Burg, a finding consistent with Elgar’s requirements for the hidden melody. The contrapuntal mapping yields 73 melodic conjunctions and 98 harmonic conjunctions for a combined total of 171, spanning all 27 of the movement’s 27 measures for a coverage rate of 100%. When melodic and harmonic conjunctions are considered together, every one of the 27 bars contains at least one conjunction of either type, rising to 100% coverage for all measures. While melodic conjunctions are present in 23 of the 27 bars, harmonic conjunctions maintain the contrapuntal connection throughout the remaining 4, ensuring complete coverage from first note to last.
Equally significant is the structural integrity of the mapping. The phrase structure of Ein feste Burg unfolds across Variation VIII in the sequence ABCDEFBAB — nine phrases in all, preserving the correct phrase order of the hymn with the repetition of Phrase A near the end. As with each variation, Elgar subtly varies the hymn’s phrase structure from movement to movement, a strategy that serves to confuse and camouflage the hidden counterpoint from straightforward detection. The insertion of Phrase A before the final Phrase B is not a disruption of the canonical sequence but an intentional elaboration — consistent with the strategic variations in phrase architecture observed across the Enigma Theme and Variations I through VII. The phrases mapped across this variation can be traced to three distinct versions of the hymn: the original by Martin Luther, and later renderings by Johann Sebastian Bach (Cantata BWV 80) and Felix Mendelssohn (Reformation Symphony).
The melodic and harmonic conjunctions, the integrity of the phrase structure, and the tribrid sourcing of phrases from versions by Luther, Bach, and Mendelssohn form a coherent and mutually reinforcing body of evidence affirming that Variation VIII is a clear and convincing counterpoint to Ein feste Burg. Elgar’s description of the hidden theme playing “through and over” the entire set of Variations is borne out here with striking quantitative precision: 171 sequential note conjunctions across seven melodic and seven harmonic note types, permeating the movement at every structural level from first note to last. To learn more about the secrets behind 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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