Translate

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

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



No comments:

About Mr. Padgett

My photo
Mr. Padgett studied violin with Michael Rosenker (a student of Leopold Auer), and Rosenker’s pupil, Owen Dunsford. Mr. Padgett studied piano with Sally Magee (a student of Emanuel Bay), and Blanca Uribe (a student of Rosina Lhévinne). He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in psychology. At Vassar he studied music theory and composition with Richard Wilson. Mr. Padgett has performed for Joseph Silverstein, Van Cliburn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Steve Jobs, Prince Charles, Lady Camilla, Marcia Davenport, William F. Buckley, Jr., and other prominent public figures. His original compositions have been performed by the Monterey Symphony, at the Bohemian Grove, the Bohemian Club, and other private and public venues. In 2008 Mr. Padgett won the Max Bragado-Darman Fanfare Competition with his entry "Fanfare for the Eagles." It was premiered by the Monterey Symphony under Maestro Bragado in May 2008. A member of the Elgar Society, Mr. Padgett is married with five children.