The Enigma Variations Ciphers

He who fears is half dead.

Elgar’s decryption of an 1896 challenge cipher by John Holt Schooling

A nine-year investigation of the Enigma Variations uncovered over one hundred different cryptograms. While seemingly extraordinary, this is entirely consistent with a reigning facet of Edward Elgar’s psychological profile – an intense fascination for ciphers. More importantly, their decryptions are critical as they give definitive answers to the central questions posed by the Variations. What is the secret melody to which the Enigma Theme is a counterpoint and on which the ensuing movements are based? Answer: Ein feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress) by Martin Luther. What is the “dark saying” associated with the Enigma Theme? Answer: A Music Box Cipher embedded in the opening six measures of the Enigma Theme. Who is the secret friend and inspiration behind Variation XIII? Answer: Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of Elgar’s Roman Catholic faith. To learn more about the diverse ciphers of the Enigma Variations and their decryptions, consult the list below with links to more in-depth explanations.

1. Program Anagram Cipher
2. 1899 Program Note Quotations Ciphers
3. Maeterlinck Enigma Ciphers
4. Enigma Dedication Ciphers
5. Enigma Title Word Lengths Cipher
6. Enigma Title Page Square Word Lengths Cipher
7. Enigma Score Dates “EFB” Cipher
8. Title Page Box Ciphers
9. Title Page “EFb” Monogram Cipher
10. Enigma Variations Keys Cipher
11. Enigma Variations Key Numbers Cipher
12. Enigma Theme Clefs Cipher
13. Enigma Theme Structure Cipher
14. Enigma Theme Falling Sevenths Cipher
15. Enigma Theme Relative Modes Cipher
16. Enigma Wordplay Cipher
17. Enigma Theme Tempo Marking Cipher
18. Enigma Psalm 46 Cipher
19. Enigma Locks Cipher
20. Enigma Theme Locks Initials Cipher
21. Enigma Theme Keys Cipher
22. Enigma Theme Music Box Cipher
23. Enigma Theme “Elegy” Cipher
24. Enigma Theme “Craeg Lea” Cipher
25. Enigma Theme Timpani Tuning Cipher
26. Enigma Bridge Passage “Opus Dei” Cipher
27. Enigma Bridge Passage Psalm 46 Ciphers
28. Enigma Bridge Passage Tau Ciphers
29. Related Enigma Bridge Passage Words Ciphers
30. Enigma Theme Double Bars “Dead” Cipher
31. Enigma Theme “GAG” Cipher
32. A. M. D. G. Cipher
33. “I AM” Cipher
34. Pi Cipher
35. Pi-C Cipher
36. God Cipher
37. 24 Cipher
38. German Sixth Cipher
39. Plagal Cadence Cipher
40. Hyphen Cipher
41. Variation II “Hide Psalm 46” Ciphers
42. Second Bridge Passage Melodic Anagram Cipher
43. Ysobel’s Sea Crossing Ciphers
44. Second Bridge Passage IHC Christogram Cipher
45. Rehearsal 19 PAPE Cipher
46. Proximate Initials “Parry” Cipher
47. Second Bridge Passage “EE” and “ED” Ciphers
48. Third Bridge Passage Ciphers
49. Nimrod “Genesis 10:9” Cipher
50. Nimrod Cipher
51. Nimrod Varying Tempi Cipher
52. Nimrod Timpani Cipher
53. Nimrod Glyphs “Ein” Cipher
54. Roman Numeral IX Cipher
55. Three Bridge Passages Ciphers
56. Bridge Passages Acrostic and Anagram Ciphers
57. Biblical Names Cipher
58. Variation XIII “ML” Cipher
59. Variation XIII “L” Cipher
60. Variation XIII “Loethe” Cipher
61. Variation XIII Luther’s Asterisks Cipher
62. Star Cipher
63. Variation XIII REX Cipher
64. FAE Cipher
65. FAE Syllables Cipher
66. Mendelssohn Fragments “Junker Jörg” Cipher
67. Mendelssohn Initials “EFB” Cipher
68. Joachim’s Motto “FAE-EFB” Cipher
69. “Frei” Acrostic Anagram Cipher
70. FACE Cipher
71. “I See A Face” Cipher
72. Variation XIII “See Holy Face” Cipher
73. Pope Leo XIII Cipher
74. Dual Initials Enigma Cipher
75. Mendelssohn Fragments Scale Degrees “EFB” Cipher
76. Mendelssohn Clarinet Solo Nominal Notes Cipher
77. Rehearsal 55 Clarinet Solo Cipher
78. Variation XIII Clarinet Key Signature Cipher
79. Mendelssohn Keynotes Cipher
80. Mendelssohn Psalm 46 Cipher
81. Music Anagram Cipher
82. XIII Cipher
83. Romanza Cipher
84. Chi-Ro Cipher
85. Mendelssohn Pi Cipher
86. Mendelssohn Pi-C Cipher 
87. Mendelssohn Fragments Melodic Intervals Cipher
88. Mendelssohn Fragments Major Keys Cipher
89. Mendelssohn Fragments Clefs Cipher
90. “See Abba” Mendelssohn Cipher
91. Mendelssohn-Wagner Melodic Merger Cipher
92. Mendelssohn Quotations Accidentals Cipher
93. Mendelssohn Quotations Elimination Cipher
94. Mendelssohn Fragments Solo Passages Cipher
95. Mendelssohn Quotations Polybius Box Cipher
96. Dominant-Tonic-Dominant (5-1-5) Cipher
97. 515 Ciphers
98. “DEAD G-D” Cipher
99. Letters Cluster Cipher
100. Rehearsal 66 Cipher
101. Six 6-Letter Names Cipher
102. Tasso Position Cipher
103. Tasso Performance Direction Cipher
104. Tasso Fragment Ciphers
105. Luther’s Death Anniversary Cipher
106. Hyperion Cipher
107. Divine Comedy Ciphers
108. General Gordon Ciphers
109. Cross Reference Ciphers
110. Extended Finale Acrostic Anagram “EFB” Cipher
111. Proximate Title Letters Enigma Ciphers
112. Enigma Titles “EIN” Cipher
113. “DR. MARINUS” Enigma Cipher
114. “RX EFB” Cipher
115. “St. Martin” Enigma Titles Ciphers
116. German Sixth Enigma Ciphers
117. Organo Label Ciphers
118. 1911 Turin Program Note Ciphers

Conclusion

The interrelated decryptions of the Enigma Variations Ciphers are mutually reinforcing and consistent, erecting an elaborate yet rational series of solutions to one of music history’s enduring mysteries. With so many ciphers pinpointing the same set of answers, there is no room for doubt. The ciphers are genuine, so the solutions must be correct and valid. The secret melody to the Enigma Variations is Ein feste Burg by Martin Luther. The secret friend of Variation XIII is Jesus Christ, Elgar’s inspiration behind not only the Enigma Variations but also his sacred oratorios: The Light of Life (Lux Christi), The Dream of Gerontius, The Apostles, and The Kingdom. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my free eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. Please help support and expand my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.

Soli Yah Gloria