Elgar and the Number 13

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

. . . As to myself the following are F A X about me. Just completed a set of Symphonic Variations (theme original) for orchestra — thirteen in number (but I call the finale the fourteenth, because of the ill-luck attaching to the number). I have in the Variations sketched portraits of my friends – a new idea, I think – that is, in each variation I have looked at the theme through the personality (as it were) of another Johnny.

Edward Elgar in The Musical Times

The number thirteen has from time immemorial been associated with distress and trouble. In Bible numerology the number thirteen indicates rebellion, disaster and judgment.

M. R. De Haan from Studies from Revelation

The British composer Elgar displays a peculiar fascination with the number thirteen, for it appears time and again within the Enigma Variations. For his first biographical sketch published in the October 1901 issue of The Musical Times, Elgar wrote there are thirteen variations. The problem with that description is there are fourteen variations preceded by the original theme. Why the discrepancy? Elgar’s explanation is simple enough. The number thirteen refers to only his friends pictured within, not to himself. Excluding the composer, there are thirteen friends portrayed in the Enigma Variations. Like the unstated principal Theme, one of these friends remains nameless, the inspiration behind Variation XIII.

Symbol of the Society of Jesus

“A. M. D. G.” inscribed at the top of the cover page for The Dream of Gerontius

Why would Elgar portray thirteen friends if he attributes bad luck to that number? Compounding the mystery is the fact Variation XIII is the only movement lacking a friend’s initials or nickname. Instead, it is identified by three cryptic asterisks (✡ ✡ ✡) that are dark silhouettes of the Star of David. The answer is spiritually symbolic and intensely theological. The secret friend behind Variation XIII is Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of Elgar’s Roman Catholic faith. This should come as no surprise as Elgar dedicated the majority of his major works to God with the initials “AMDG”, an abbreviation of the Jesuit motto “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (For the greater glory of God). The initials for Elgar’s famous friend are transparently encoded by the Roman numerals for this movement. “X” stands for the tenth letter of the alphabet (J), and “III” for the third (C). Converting the Roman numerals “X” and “III” into their alphabetical equivalent produces the initials for Jesus Christ (JC). Elgar uses the same method to encode August Jaeger's initials via the Roman numerals for Variation IX (I = A, X = J). In a revealing parallel, the symbol of the Jesuits includes a cross and three nails, characters subtly captured by the Roman numerals “X” and “III”.

In Biblical numerology, the number thirteen is associated with judgment and rebellion. When Jesus was flogged by the Romans, tradition holds that he received 13 lashes on the right shoulder, 13 on the left shoulder, and 13 on his back for a total of 39 stripes. The “deathly stillness” of Variation XIII alludes by its number to the judgment and death of the Messiah. This observation is reinforced by the discovery of a cipher in Variation XIII that encodes the phrase “Dead God.” The Roman numerals graphically symbolize Christ's death with an “X” representing the cross, and “III” the three nails that pierced his hands and feet. Jesus equated his impending death and resurrection to the Sign of Jonah, linking his death to the sea. Excluding Christ’s variation, there are twelve of Elgar’s friends pictured within. This presents a numerological allusion to the twelve disciples who precede Jesus in the set. Christ lowered himself before the twelve at the Last Supper, washing their feet like a common servant to demonstrate his humility and willingness to serve others. With this gesture, Jesus made himself last among his disciples. In like manner, Elgar places Christ’s Variation after the twelve, and closest to his musical self-portrait (E. D. U.).

In light of Elgar’s fascination with the number thirteen, it is remarkable he sequentially encodes the numbers 1 and 3 in the first violin and viola parts of the Enigma Theme and Variation XIII. In the string choir, the first section is the first violins, and the third the violas. The Enigma Theme begins with the first violins playing in third position on B-flat and G using the fingers 3 and 1. These fingerings also correspond to the same scale degrees in G minor.

In Variation XIII, the violas recapitulate the rhythmic pattern of the Enigma Theme one measure after rehearsal 56. This ostinato figure is played in the first position with the upper voice cycling between A-flat and C using the first and third fingers. Again, these fingerings match the degrees of the scale. The alto clef used by the violas closely resembles the number 13.

Key modulations in Variation XIII spell the number 13. The movement begins in G major and modulates up one note to A-flat major. From A-flat major, it modulates down three notes to F minor. These first two key modulations hint at the number thirteen with the numbers 1 and 3 paired together to form 13. From F minor it then modulates back up one note to the tonic key of G major followed by a modulation three notes down to E-flat major. These ensuing modulations one (1) note upwards and three (3) notes downard present yet another coded reference to the number 13. Given the Biblical connotations attached to this number, it is deeply symbolic Elgar selected Variation XIII to portray his greatest friend. The repetition of the number 13 may be a coded allusion to the year 1313 when the Rosicrucian Order was established. A symbol of that order, the Christian Rosenkreuz or Christian Rose Cross (C. R. C.) which was adapted by Martin Luther as his personal seal. Consequently, the year 1313 may be interpreted as a clue regarding the composer of A Mighty Fortress, the covert principal Theme to the Enigma Variations.

The Luther Rose

The Enigma Variations harbor multiple music ciphers in the Enigma Theme and Variation XIII. It makes sense that these two movements are linked by the presence of ciphers that encode a set of mutually consistent answers. Just as the Enigma Theme has a missing Principal Theme, in like manner Variation XIII has a missing friend. These overt puzzles hint at covert puzzles in the form of ciphers with coded solutions. The most sophisticated of Elgar’s ciphers is a Music Box Cipher. The cipher key is a four-sided checkerboard grid that encodes plain text solution letters using melody-bass note pairs from the first six measures of the Enigma Theme. Rosicrucians used ciphers to send coded messages, and the grid pattern of the Rosicrucian cipher is reminiscent to Elgar’s box cipher table. Among the ciphers in Variation XIII are the F-A-E Cipher, the Romanza Cipher, and the Mendelssohn Cipher. Two of these ciphers – the F-A-E and Mendelssohn Ciphers – identify the unstated principal Theme, Ein feste Burg. The Romanza Cipher identifies the burial cloth of Christ, the Turin Shroud. Elgar’s coded reference to the Turin Shroud in Variation XIII further hints at the numbers 1 and 3 because that linen cloth was woven in a 3 over 1 herringbone twill pattern.

Close-up of the Turin Shroud’s fabric revealing its
distinctive three-to-one herringbone twill weave.

This analysis documents multiple references to the number thirteen within Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Ranging from the number of friends portrayed to key modulations in Variation XIII, the number thirteen is suggested in a variety of ways. In Biblical numerology, the number thirteen is associated with judgment and rebellion. It is theologically appropriate the movement secretly dedicated to Jesus is assigned this number. Martin Luther led a rebellion against the Catholic Church, and it is equally appropriate various ciphers within Variation XIII identify his most famous hymn – Ein feste Burg – as the hidden melody to the Enigma Variations. In his own way, Elgar rebelled against his publishers who preferred trivial, shallow works that sell over serious ones with depth and profound meaning. Perhaps this explains Elgar’s secret identification with Luther, a person who placed personal integrity and spiritual purity over curdled traditions and the Church’s insatiable greed for indulgences. Elgar was a very public Roman Catholic, so such an opinion would necessarily remain veiled in secrecy. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. Please support my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.

Soli Yah Gloria

Jesus walking on water (1888) by Ivan  Aivazovsky

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.

He made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.

Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.

Psalm 107:28-30 English Standard Version