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. Second Bridge Passage Melodic Anagram Cipher
41. Ysobel’s Sea Crossing Ciphers
42. Second Bridge Passage IHC Christogram Cipher
43. Rehearsal 19 PAPE Cipher
44. Proximate Initials “Parry” Cipher
45. Second Bridge Passage “EE” and “ED” Ciphers
46. Third Bridge Passage Ciphers 
47. Nimrod Cipher
48. Nimrod Varying Tempi Cipher 
49. Nimrod Timpani Cipher 
50. Roman Numeral IX Cipher
51. Three Bridge Passages Ciphers 
52. Biblical Names Cipher 
53. Variation XIII “ML” Cipher 
54. Variation XIII “L” Cipher 
55. Variation XIII “Loethe” Cipher 
56. Variation XIII Luther’s Asterisks Cipher 
57. Star Cipher
58. Variation XIII REX Cipher 
59. “FAE” Cipher 
60. FAE Syllables Cipher 
61. Mendelssohn Fragments “Junker Jörg” Cipher
62. Mendelssohn Initials “EFB” Cipher 
63. “Frei” Acrostic Anagram Cipher 
64. FACE Cipher
65. “I See A Face” Cipher 
66. Variation XIII “See Holy Face” Cipher 
67. Pope Leo XIII Cipher 
68. Dual Initials Enigma Cipher 
69. Mendelssohn Fragments Scale Degrees “EFB” Cipher 
70. Mendelssohn Clarinet Solo Nominal Notes Cipher 
71. Rehearsal 55 Clarinet Solo Cipher 
72. Variation XIII Clarinet Key Signature Cipher 
73. Mendelssohn Keynotes Cipher 
74. Mendelssohn Psalm 46 Cipher 
75. Music Anagram Cipher 
76. XIII Cipher 
77. Romanza Cipher 
78. Chi-Ro Cipher 
79. Mendelssohn Pi Cipher 
80. Mendelssohn Pi-C Cipher 
81. Mendelssohn Fragments Melodic Intervals Cipher 
82. Mendelssohn Fragments Major Keys Cipher 
83. Mendelssohn Fragments Clefs Cipher 
84. “See Abba Mendelssohn Cipher 
85. Mendelssohn-Wagner Melodic Merger Cipher 
86. Mendelssohn Quotations Accidentals Cipher 
87. Mendelssohn Quotations Elimination Cipher 
88. Mendelssohn Fragments Solo Passages Cipher 
89. Mendelssohn Quotations Polybius Box Cipher 
90. Dominant-Tonic-Dominant (5-1-5) Cipher 
91. 515 Ciphers 
92. “DEAD G-D” Cipher
93. Letters Cluster Cipher 
94. Rehearsal 66 Cipher 
95. Six 6-Letter Names Cipher 
96. Tasso Position Cipher 
97. Tasso Performance Direction Cipher 
98. Luther’s Death Anniversary Cipher 
99. Hyperion Cipher 
100. Divine Comedy Ciphers 
101. General Gordon Ciphers 
102. Cross Reference Ciphers 
103. Extended Finale Acrostic Anagram “EFB” Cipher 
104. Proximate Title Letters Enigma Ciphers
105. “RX EFB” Cipher
106. German Sixth Enigma Ciphers
107. 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