Elgar’s Letters Cluster Cipher

The image is more than an idea. It is a vortex or cluster of fused ideas and is endowed with energy.

Ezra Pound

A comprehensive analysis of the Enigma Variations performed over eight years uncovered over seventy ciphers. One of the more basic among them is the Letter Cluster Cipher. The riddle is posed by three asterisks that ostensibly signify the initials for a secret friend portrayed in Variation XIII. What are those missing letters? A closer look reveals that the question is literally framed by the answer as an acrostic anagram. Consider the initials and subtitle for the movements immediately before and after XIII. 

After carefully scrutinizing the first letters of the initials for XII and XIV and its subtitle, it becomes apparent Elgar envelops the asterisks of XIII with the letters “EFB.” The E and F appear as the first letters in the title of Variation XIV, (E. D. U.)  and Finale. The B is the first initial in that title of Variation XII (B. G. N.). Why are these letters important? Because they are the initials for Ein feste Burg, the covert principal Theme of the Enigma Variations. It is astonishing that such a basic and transparent cipher had not been spotted sooner. Elgar literally encircles the question with the answer, proving yet again that the easiest way to conceal something is in plain sight.

Julian Rushton cites no less than five different lists of the variations compiled by Elgar. In the first two, Elgar places “B. G. N.” immediately before “E.D.U.” By the third reordering, he inserts “✡ ✡ ✡” between “B. G. N.” and “E.D.U.” Only the fourth list does not clearly pair “B. G. N.” and “E.D.U.” together or just before and after “✡ ✡ ✡” because “E.D.U.” is absent. With the fifth and final ordering, Elgar settles again on situating “B. G. N.” before “✡ ✡ ✡”, and “E.D.U.” right after as the Finale. The significance of these varying lists is Elgar paired “B. G. N.” and “E.D.U.” together in the first two followed by two other close pairings with “✡ ✡ ✡” sandwiched in between. With four of the five lists placing “B. G. N.” and “E.D.U.” together or before and after “✡ ✡ ✡” suggests a special connection between them. That Delphic link is the Letters Cluster Cipher.

 

It is hardly coincidental the initials “EFB” are also encoded by the Keys Cipher in the Enigma Theme, the Mendelssohn EFB Cipher in XIII, and the Enigma Date Cipher at the end of the original score. Like the four sides of a square, Elgar encodes these letters in four distinct places within the orchestral score.

The interrelated decryptions of the Enigma Variations Ciphers are mutually consistent and reinforcing, erecting a rational and coherent matrix of solutions to one of musicology’s most enduring mysteries. With so many ciphers pointing to the same answer, there is no room for doubt. The ciphers are genuine, authenticating Ein feste Burg as the hidden melody to the Enigma Variations. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my free eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. As Elgar's not-so-secret friend once said, “Seek and you will find.” Please help support and expand my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.

Soli Yah Gloria

Elgar's Enigma Date: Feb. 18, 1898

Ancient Greek Sphinx 

Though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive, even the smallest task in music is so absorbing, and carries us so far away from town, country, earth, and all worldly things, that it is truly a blessed gift of God. 

Felix Mendelssohn

In The Code Book, author Simon Singh likens the art of code breaking to climbing a smooth stone cliff. Any crack or crevice enables a determined climber to scale the summit. Anomalies within a code are comparable to small cracks and crevices on a sheer rock face. The skilled analyst hones in on these oddities to crack the code. For instance, the Tasso quote at the end of the original manuscript of Elgar’s Enigma Variations contains some peculiar features that lead to a revelatory resolution. The date Elgar wrote on the original manuscript of the Enigma Variations is another revealing anomaly. 

Why Elgar wrote the wrong date on the original score (Feb. 18, 1898) has never been satisfactorily explained. The problem is the work was completed on February 19, 1899. For some reason, he wrote a date that was off by one year and one day. Elgar was exceedingly fastidious with his scores. In April 1899 he wrote to Jaeger regarding the Enigma Variations, “If you have preserved my list of corrections (& I'll scalp you if you haven't) I will make ‘em myself in two minutes - only I should like to see an example of your Scoring.” Consequently, the superficial impression he absentmindedly penned the prior year and day by mistake is emphatically inadequate.

Original ending to Variation XIV. (E. D. U.)

If it cannot credibly be explained as a careless mistake, why would Elgar deliberately write an erroneous date? On closer inspection, the wrong date is actually right, for it is another example of Elgar's penchant for cryptograms.

How? 

Let's begin with the month. It is remarkable Elgar wrote the month as Feb, not February. In a stunning coincidence, the letters “FEb” are an anagram for “EFb,” the initials for the unstated principal Theme (Ein feste Burg). Elgar encodes those same initials in Variation XIII within the Mendelssohn fragments using an alphanumeric cipher, covertly spelling out the mysterious three asterisks (✡ ✡ ✡). Concerning the numbers, these are best understood within the context of the sums for the even and odd integers.

The sum of the odd numbers (1+1+9) is 11. In a stunning parallel, there are 11 unique letters in the covert principal Theme's complete title (Table 1.2). The sum of the even numbers (8+8+8) is 24, posing yet another connection as there are 24 letters in the title Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. These numerical allusions to the unstated principal Theme’s title are anything but illusory or contrived. 

The numerological connections between the odd date and Ein feste Burg do not end with these numerological associations. Just as there are six numbers in the incorrect date, there are six words in the unstated principal Theme's complete title. The year 1898 was the thirtieth anniversary (30) of the publication of Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony, a work commemorating the tercentennial (300) of the Augsburg Confession. The similarity between 30 and 300 should not be overlooked. Elgar inserted four Mendelssohn fragments within Variation XIII to allude to the fact Mendelssohn quotes Ein feste Burg in the fourth movement of his first extended symphonic work, the Reformation Symphony. The incorrect date can hardly be described as an error because February 18 marks the anniversary of Martin Luther’s death in 1546. Elgar’s paraphrase from Torquato Tasso’s epic Christian poem Jerusalem Delivered is incorrectly dated 1595, a year that marks the death of that great Italian poet. Luther's most famous hymn is Ein feste Burg, a sublime theme quoted in the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Raff, and Wagner. Now we know this legendary theme is quoted surreptitiously by yet another devoted disciple of the German School, Edward Elgar. 

Why would Elgar cryptically draw attention to the end of Martin Luther’s life? By alluding to Luther’s death, Elgar is telling his audience where to look to find the answer to his contrapuntal riddle. How? Because the first line of Ein feste Burg is inscribed on Luther’s tomb in Wittenberg. It is also likely that he did so because the Enigma Theme’s haunting counterpoint begins with the ending phrase of Ein feste Burg, not with its opening phrase as one would ordinarily expect. By hinting at the end of Luther’s life via his date of death, Elgar intimates the search for the missing melody should also begin with its end rather than its beginning. For instance, he quotes the principal theme's closing phrase twice in the inner voice of Variation X, more commonly known by its subtitle Dorabella. 

The eighteenth of February is not only the anniversary of Martin Luther’s death but also the same date in 1884 when General Gordon arrived at Khartoum where he would ultimately meet his heroic demise in January 1885. There are multiple allusions to that famous general in Variation XIV, the rousing Finale of the Enigma Variations that sounds like a military march. In October 1898, Elgar was not planning a set of symphonic variations, but rather his first extended symphony in honor of General Gordon. The date Elgar affixed to the original manuscript of the Enigma Variations was no mistake – it is a cipher. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my free eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. Please support my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.

Soli Yah Gloria

The inscription Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott circles the steeple of All Saint’s Church

Elgar and his Heroes: General Gordon

General Charles George Gordon

Tell me about your heroes, then I will tell you about yourself

Robert Wayne Padgett

In a palindromic meter he mused,
Anguished, lonely, and beset by sorrow,
Moved by the Spirit to sing a new song,
Encouraged by the clarity of friends,
Disavowing all trivialities,
Willing from heart and mind a miracle –
A counterpoint to some popular tune –
Riveting, radical, and resplendent,
Devised as a theme and variations,
Elgar defied the world to decipher
Love’s mystery shrouded in harmony,
Giving rise to a lock with many keys
About God’s Son whose word is like a sword,
Revered by Gordon as the risen Lord.

Robert Wayne Padgett 

The Gordon Symphony

In October 1898 Edward Elgar was not openly planning to compose a set of orchestral variations. Instead, he had a very different project in mind: A symphony in honor of the fallen hero of the Siege of Khartoum, General Charles Gordon. Up to that time, Elgar had never composed an extended symphonic work for orchestra alone, so this represented an escalation in his artistic ambitions. He proposed the “Gordon” Symphony in anticipation of a premiere at the Worcester Three Choirs Festival in September 1899. The day before beginning work on the Enigma Variations (October 20, 1898), he wrote to his friend August Jaeger:

‘Gordon Sym.’ I like this idee [sic] but my dear man why should I try? . . . I have to earn money somehow & it’s no good trying this sort of thing even for a ‘living wage’ & your firm wouldn’t give ₤5 for it – I tell you I am sick of it all: why can’t I be encouraged to do decent stuff & not hounded into triviality.[1]

Despite struggling with mixed feelings, he continued to ponder and plan his first symphony. Shortly after beginning the Enigma Variations, he still talked about the “Gordon” Symphony.[2] For instance, on November 11, 1898, he wrote, “Now as to Gordon: the thing possesses me, but I can’t write it down yet.”[3] It is significant that at the same time Elgar was composing his first extended symphonic work – the Enigma Variations – he was openly discussing his Gordon Symphony. Could the two projects be interconnected in some way? And if so, how? Before answering these questions, let us first familiarize ourselves with one of Elgar's heroes – General Gordon.

General Gordon’s Last Stand

 

General Gordon

Who was General Gordon and why of all people would Elgar turn to him as the inspiration for his first major symphonic work? He certainly exercised a considerable influence over Elgar. Consider the following examples. When Gordon was on campaign, he placed a flag on his tent to show that he should not be disturbed. Elgar adopted the same practice when composing in a tent erected outside his home during the warm summer months. Elgar was well known for maintaining a military bearing, emulating respected military figures like his wife’s father (Major-General Sir Henry Gee Roberts), and of course, General Gordon.

Sending messages in secret code is standard operating procedure among military leaders. One well-known from the history of cryptography is Julius Caesar and his Caesar cipher. Consistent with his imitation of military men, Elgar was deeply interested in secret codes and puzzles. In his correspondence, Gordon liberally peppered his prose with the Latin acronym D.V. (Deo Volente), an apotropaic that Elgar also used in his letters. In the Enigma Variations, Elgar cryptically incorporates these initials in his musical self-portrait (E. D. U.), the Finale. This is the case because the Latin letter U is equivalent of V. It is exquisitely appropriate this veiled allusion to Gordon occurs in the movement that sounds like a military march. Even more intriguing is the Finale is in the key of G major, an illuminating coincidence since Gordon was a Major-General at the time of his death.

A surprising conclusion that can be drawn from the fact Elgar talked about Gordon in connection with a symphonic work immediately before, during, and after composing the Enigma Variations is that both works are, in certain respects, one and the same. As evidence of this possibility, the initials for General Charles George Gordon are formed at rehearsal 62 of Variation XIV as shown below:

This musical cryptogram is highly reminiscent of Elgar's Allegretto on GEDGE (1885), a work based on the last name of some students who were sisters. The veiled reference to General Gordon in the most martial sounding of the Enigma Variations makes complete sense and reaffirms Elgar's public quasi-military persona.

Elgar’s greatest source of identification with Gordon was most assuredly his unwavering Christian faith. Gordon was an Anglican warrior-evangelist who died the death of martyr-hero at the siege of Khartoum in 1885.[4] He was also Queen Victoria’s favorite General. Following his tragic death mourned by not just one nation, but an Empire spanning the globe, his sister Augusta “presented the Queen with her brother’s Bible, which was placed in one of the corridors at Windsor, open, on a white satin cushion, and enclosed in a crystal case.” Gordon quotes the Bible extensively in his letters, and so does Elgar in his oratorios: The Light of Life, The Saga of King Olaf, The Dream of Gerontius, The Apostles, and The Kingdom. Gordon dedicated his life to God, and willingly sacrificed it rather than abandon his faith. Elgar dedicated the majority of his works to God with the initials A. M. D. G., and willingly endured decades of obscurity before being discovered for a talent he always enjoyed. Finally, Gordon encouraged a more ecumenical form of Christianity, a path that Elgar also embraced in later life.

Elgar, Gordon and the Bible 

The most influential book in Gordon's life was undoubtedly the Bible, and the same could be said concerning Elgar. For the vast majority of his oratorios, the Bible was Elgar's libretto. In Gordon’s case, it was the only book that mattered. The Bible is the most published and quoted book in history, so Gordon's lofty opinion is not without merit. In 1886, Henry William Gordon published a biography about his famous brother. In the introduction he states:

[Gordon] always took his stand upon the Bible. In distress of mind or in times of hesitation, he turned to it for advice. His Bible was to him his friend and companion in the time of trouble.[5]

He further explains Gordon “rested his faith upon the word of God, and upon the Savior, in whom he trusted.” A comparison is even made with the Apostle Paul: “Without meaning to affirm that General Gordon approached to the perfectness of the great apostle to the Gentiles, yet I discern a strong resemblance in the lives of the two men; while both suffered death, sooner than surrender their faith as Christians.”[6] At the Siege of Khartoum, General Gordon was granted multiple opportunities by the Mahdi to escape certain death by converting to Islam, but he refused to abandon his Christian faith or the people of that besieged city. Gordon believed it was noble to fall in battle, and that is exactly how he left this life and world behind.

Khartoum, the Crusades, and Gordon 

In many respects, the fall of Khartoum hearkens back to the Crusades and the historic clash between East and West, Christianity and Islam, broad sword and scimitar, and the conquest of Jerusalem. As one writer describes it, “The narrative of Gordon in China, in Africa, at home in Christian England, or abroad in the service of the Khedive or of his own sovereign, reads like a page torn from medieval history, when a religious fervor moved prince and knight to take up the crusade against the defilers of the Holy Sepulchre.” Elgar's fascination with Gordon and his martial zeal for Christ would account for his use of a modified Tasso quote at the end of the score of the Enigma Variations taken from Jerusalem Delivered. In that epic Christian poem, Tasso describes how an army of Christian Knights led by Godfrey (a General whose name begins with the letter G) liberates Jerusalem from Muslim occupation. After the city is saved, Godfrey and troops piously shed their armor and kneel beside other pilgrims to worship at the tomb of Christ.

Godfrey’s overarching goal in Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered is to secure unfettered access for pilgrims to the Holy Sepulcher. A sacred relic directly linked to the tomb of Jesus is the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth of Christ. Elgar encodes a reference to this sacred relic in Variation XIII. It was previously shown how Luther's Ein feste Burg plays “through and over” Variation XIII. The object of Tasso's poem is directly connected with this sacred relic, for Christ rested in the tomb while wrapped in the shroud. It is remarkable Elgar alludes to the crypt of Christ and His burial shroud using cryptography and Christograms, a feat encapsulating Elgar's subtle and elaborate sense of wordplay. Another example of his affinity for wordplay is described here.

Gordon’s Calvary

There is an even more direct link between General Gordon and Jerusalem. In 1883 Gordon devoted almost an entire year in Jerusalem researching four questions:

1. The site of the Crucifixion 
2. The line of division between the tribes of Benjamin and Judah 
3. The identification of Gibeon 
4. The position of the Garden of Eden.

During his extended stay in the Holy City, he acknowledged and popularized a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem as the location of Golgotha (“skull” hill), the site where Jesus was reportedly crucified. Originally discovered in the nineteenth century by Otto Thenius of Dresden, Golgotha hill has the sinister outlines of a skull.

Gordon's Calvary (Skull Hill)

 

In the New Testament, Golgotha is also called Calvary (a word derived from the Latin calvus for “scalp” or “bald head”). Today “skull” hill is known as Gordon’s Calvary, for Gordon was convinced of its authenticity after discovering nearby what he believed to be the Garden Tomb. This is where Christ was reportedly interred following his gruesome crucifixion.[7] For Christians, it is also the place of the resurrection and where the Shroud of Turin was miraculously transformed into a photographic negative of the crucified Christ.

Gordon and Newman's Dream of Gerontius

During the siege of Khartoum, Gordon read and underlined in pencil a famous poem by John Henry Cardinal Newman called The Dream of Gerontius. He cherished that poem. When death and destruction loomed, he underlined passages such as “Now that the hour is come, my fear is fled.”[8] He died with a copy of it on his person, but not before his markings were duplicated and given to Frank Power, a special correspondent for The Times in Khartoum. It was soon published and became hugely popular. In a bid to comfort his future bride when her father died in 1887, Elgar lent Alice his personal copy of Gerontius with General Gordon’s markings. When they married in 1889, they received another copy of Gerontius with Gordon's markings as a wedding present.[9] Elgar immortalized this poetic work in his sacred oratorio, The Dream of Gerontius, composed in 1900 just after he completed the Enigma Variations in 1899.

The link between General Gordon and Gerontius is obvious, for he read and meditated on that poem in the Sudan before his tragic death. Since Elgar completed his sacred oratorio Gerontius just the Enigma Variations, the close proximity of the two works suggests some connection with Gordon. After all, Elgar’s correspondence mentions the Gordon Symphony before, during and immediately after he composed the Variations. Shortly after Hans Richter wired his acceptance to conduct the Enigma premiere in late March 1899, Elgar abruptly dropped his plans for the Gordon Symphony by mid-April 1899. Is it possible Elgar called off the Gordon Symphony because he had just completed it? All the evidence points in that direction.

General Gordon eschewed earthly honors, preferring instead to embrace an ascetic lifestyle characterized by hidden acts of charity at great personal sacrifice. One example of his noble generosity involves a great gold medallion he received from the Chinese government following his successful campaign against the Taipings. During the Lancashire famine in England, Gordon scratched the inscription off his gold Chinese medal and anonymously donated it to help feed starving widows and orphans. If he sought fame and earthly glory, he could have just as easily donated the medallion with his title still etched into it. He did not because he believed it was better to give than receive, and that charitable acts should be done in secret. Jesus told his disciples that “when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” Gordon gave much of his earthly wealth to help underprivileged boys, and following his death, a school was founded in his honor to perpetuate his charitable work. Today is known as Gordon's School, but when it was originally founded in 1886 it was known as the Gordon Boys' School.

Given Elgar’s desire to emulate General Gordon, it is not unreasonable to conclude he finally recognized a symphony in Gordon's honor would contradict everything the General believed in. By April 20, 1899, Elgar abandoned the Gordon Symphony and likely did so after coming to terms with Gordon's austerity and revulsion for public recognition. What greater contradiction could he contrive than to overtly compose a symphony in Gordon's honor? That would be the last thing Gordon would want, and more importantly, condone. The best way for Elgar to honor Gordon would not be to praise the General publicly with a symphony, but rather to emulate his example by glorifying Gordon's spiritual Commander In Chief in secret.

Just as Gordon practiced his charitable acts in secret, so too Elgar found it fitting to honor Gordon’s God in secret. Ultimately this is what he did with the Enigma Variations. In his first great symphonic work, Elgar secretly honors Gordon's Lord, the God who hides himself, using a hidden theme, a hidden message and a hidden friend to all who will receive Him. These three hidden aspects of the Enigma Variations form a trinity of mystery. Elgar's choice for the unstated Principal Theme – Ein feste Burg – is readily associated with Gordon because he was Anglican, and hence a Protestant. A Mighty Fortress was the battle hymn of the Reformation. Gordon may also be associated with Ein feste Burg because of its military connotations as a war hymn performed on the eve of battle and to commemorate military victories. An excellent example of the latter is Wagner's Kaiser March, a work performed in England at the Coronations of 1902 and 1911.

A “Mighty” Coincidence 

On October 21, 1898 – the day he first performed the Enigma Theme for his wife – Elgar wrote, “‘Gordon’ simmereth mighty pleasantly in my (brain) pan & will no doubt boil over one day.”[10] Elgar's use of the word mighty on that day of days is an illuminating slip of the pen. Why? Because the covert Principal Theme to his Enigma Variations is Ein feste Burg – A Mighty Fortress. To learn more about the secrets of the Enigma Variations, read my eBook Elgar’s Enigmas Exposed. Like my heavenly Father’s gift of salvation, the price is free. Please support my original research by becoming a sponsor on Patreon.

Soli Yah Gloria

---

Footnotes

[1]  Kennedy, Michael. The Life of Elgar (Musical Lives). Illustrated edition ed. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2004, p. 60

[2] Ibid, p. 63

[3] Ibid, p. 60

[4] McVeagh, D. (2007), Elgar the Music Maker. Rochester, New York: Boydell Press, p 58.

[5] Gordon, H. W. (2009). Events In The Life Of Charles George Gordon: From Its Beginning To Its End (1886). New York: Kessinger Publishing, Llc., p. 7

[6] Ibid, p. 1

[7] Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel According to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, p. 471

[8] Michael Kennedy, The Life of Elgar (Cambridge, 2004), p. 75

[9] The Musical Times, October 1, 1900, p.654
[10] Rushton, Julian. Elgar: Enigma Variations (Cambridge Music Handbooks). New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999, p.13

Variation XIV (E. D. U.) with "Ein feste Burg"

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”

Edward Elgar citing “Elegiac Verse”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The concluding movement of the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar is Variation XIV (E. D. U.) with the subtitle “Finale.” The initials come from the first three letters of “Eduard,” the German spelling of Elgar’s forename. His wife Alice coined the affectionate nickname “Edoo” based on this distinctly German rendering. The initials allude to the Germanic origin of Ein feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress), the covert principal Theme. Contained within these initials for Elgar’s musical self-portrait is a reference to an acronym found extensively in the private correspondence of General Charles Gordon, one of Elgar’s heros. The initials “D. U.” form the Latin equivalent “D. V.”, an apotropaic meaning “Deo Volente” (God willing). This was a conventional expression of piety or caution that appears in Elgar’s published correspondence. For example, in an April 1907 letter addressed to Alfred Littleton of Novello, Elgar wrote, “I am nearing home & am right glad to feel I shall (D. V.) soon be there.”

Elgar initially planned to compose a symphony in honor of General Gordon before abruptly redirecting his efforts to Enigma Variations. Gordon casts a long shadow over that symphonic masterpiece. Recognizing Gordon’s disdain for earthly honors and recognition, Elgar undoubtedly realized the best way to honor Gordon would be to pay musical homage to Jesus, Gordon’s God and Savior. To be consistent with the General’s fervent belief in and practice of hidden charity (the kind Jesus described in Matthew 6:1–3), Elgar honors the hidden God (Deus absconditus and le Dieu caché as described in Isaiah 45:15) within the Enigma Variations with a hidden theme, a hidden message, and a tribute to a hidden friend to all. When viewed from this perspective, the Enigma Variations is a multifaceted Christogram wrapped in cryptograms concealed within an enigma.

In his 1899 program note for the premiere of the Enigma Variations, Elgar stated that the absent principal theme “goes” through and over the entire set without ever being played. The following short score documents how Ein feste Burg plays “through and over” Variation XIV as a counterpoint. An audiovisual demonstration features Luther’s chorale on trumpet and Variation XIV on piano.

Measures in which Ein feste Burg could not be detected contrapuntally are classified as dormant. The chorale does not play in 48 bars: 569–574, 600–605, 618–623, 673–674, 703–710, 738–755, and 774–775. The sum of dormant bars corresponds to Psalm 48, a chapter that shares similar language to Psalm 46 that describes God as a fortress. Between 1910 and 1912, Elgar composed a setting of Psalm 48 as the anthem Great is the Lord, Op. 67. The chorale is dormant in 48 out of a total of 237 measures, representing just over 20% of the movement. The measure count excludes the pickup bar preceding the first full bar of the movement. As detailed in the following table, these dormant measures fall into seven groupings with discrete even sums of 2, 6, 8, and 18.

Following the premiere in June 1899, Elgar added 101 bars to Variation XIV, beginning at measure 680 and extending the movement to bar 780, for a total of 237 measures. Of the 48 measures in which Ein feste Burg is dormant, more than half (28) occur within this appended ending, compared to 20 in the original 1899 version. This concentration suggests Elgar grew less inclined to sustain the counterpoint as the Finale drew to its close, a treatment consistent with Variations II, III, IX, X, XI, and XII, where Elgar likewise interrupts or abandons the counterpoint before each movement’s ending.

The chorale’s phrase structure unfolds “through and over” Variation XIV in the following pattern: ABABAAAAAB ABCDEFB AB AAAAAB ABCDEF BABAB ABABBA B. Spaces between phrase letters denote sections where Ein feste Burg is dormant. This sequence consists of 43 phrase statements in which the hymn's complete canonical structure (ABABCDEFB) appears intact twice, framed throughout by extensive reprises of beginning (A) and ending (B) phrases. That emphasis on the beginning and ending phrases accords with Elgar’s own literary testament. After appending 101 measures to the Finale between 30 June and 20 July 1899, he inscribed at the conclusion of his new ending a passage from the poem “Elegiac Verse” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending.” The emphasis on beginnings and endings is observed in the elaborated phrase structure, in which Phrase A (the beginning) and Phrase B (the ending) are often revisited. These repetitions of the opening and closing phrases further serve to conceal the counterpoint by departing from the canonical phrase order.

Elgar’s unique version of Ein feste Burg is a mosaic of phrases sourced from three contrasting versions of the hymn: Luther’s original 1529 setting, the final chorale from Bach’s Cantata BWV 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott , and Mendelssohn's setting in the finale of his Reformation Symphony. Rather than favoring a single source throughout, Elgar’s mapping moves fluidly among all three, reflecting the same expansive, exploratory character that defines the finale as a whole. True to that expansiveness, the pattern of sourcing doubles back on itself repeatedly across the hymn’s 43 phrases, rather than proceeding in a simple, one-directional handoff from one version of the hymn to the next.

Bach’s version carries the melody through Phrases 1–12 (ABABAAAAAB AB), establishing it as the dominant voice from the outset. Phrase 13 (C) draws on both Bach and Mendelssohn together, and Phrase 14 (D) presents a striking convergence in which all three sources sound as one. Phrases 15 and 16 (EF) feature Mendelssohn alone, before Bach returns for an extended span in Phrases 17–27 (B AB AAAAAB AB) that carries the melody through the movement’s central restatements. Phrase 28 (C) revisits renderings by Bach and Mendelssohn. Phrase 29 (D) is a second restatement of versions by Luther, Bach, and Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn alone carries Phrase 30 (E). Bach then closes out the movement's long central span (Phrases 31–41: F BABAB ABABB), before Mendelssohn returns to carry the movement to its close at Phrases 42 and 43 (A B). In all, Bach’s version supplies 34 of the 43 phrases, a pattern consistent with Elgar’s own words in his 1904 authorized biography: “No man has a greater reverence for Bach than I.” Consult the following exhibit to easily compare phrases from all three versions of the chorale.

The following short score reduction tracks the contrapuntal course of Ein feste Burg “through and over” Variation XIV by cataloguing melodic and harmonic note conjunctions. A melodic conjunction is defined as any matching note between the hymn melody and the melody line of the movement. 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 to sound together. Note conjunctions are indubitably consonant with Elgar’s approach to harmony and counterpoint. In the annotated short score, 323 melodic conjunctions are represented by diamond-shaped note heads, and 461 harmonic conjunctions by triangle-shaped note heads.

An assortment of standard contrapuntal devices are evident in this mapping, including augmentation, diminution, parallel motion, oblique motion, similar motion, contrary motion, and stretto. The rhythmic contours of Ein feste Burg are essentially dictated by the score of Variation XIV, so any attempt to castigate the mapping as an abuse of free rhythm would be misguided. As with any successful counterpoint, the degree of incidence between two contrapuntal voices should remain sufficiently low to assure the independence of each voice. In his 1899 program note, Elgar cautioned that “…the apparent connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture…” This technique is crucial when the composer is deliberately concealing a famous source melody.

The mapping’s statistics bear this out. Although 178 of the movement’s 189 active measures (94%) contain at least one conjunction, each point of contact is typically a single matching note rather than an extended doubling of the two lines, precisely the kind of “slightest texture” Elgar mentioned. Harmonic conjunctions (461) outnumber melodic ones (323), meaning the hidden hymn more often blends into the surrounding harmony than the surface melody. This same pattern holds at the level of individual measures. Harmonic conjunctions occur in 159 measures, compared to 109 measures containing melodic conjunctions (including the pickup bar) — a further safeguard of independence that allows the counterpoint to remain demonstrable without becoming conspicuous.

The following table identifies 323 melodic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and Variation XIV dispersed across 109 bars (including the pickup bar), covering 46% of the movement’s 237 measures and 57% of the 189 active measures during which the hymn is mapped. The 323 melodic conjunctions encompass eleven note types with frequencies ranging between 1 and 88. The tonic G leads with 88 matches (27%), followed by D with 62 (19%) and E with 44 (14%); A follows with 39 (12%), B with 28 (9%), and F♯ with 23 (7%), trailed by D♯/E♭ with 11 (3%), B♭ and C tied at 10 apiece (3% each), F with 7 (2%), and C♯ with a single match (0.3%).

The next table identifies 461 harmonic conjunctions between Ein feste Burg and Variation XIV dispersed across 159 bars, covering 67% of the movement's 237 measures and 84% of the 189 active measures during which the hymn is mapped. The 461 harmonic conjunctions encompass ten note types with frequencies ranging between 2 and 166. The tonic G leads by a wide margin with 166 matches (36%), followed by D with 72 (16%) and E with 68 (15%); A follows with 44 (10%), C and F♯ tied at 30 apiece (7% each), B with 24 (5%), D♯/E♭ with 20 (4%), C♯ with 5 (1%), and G♯ with a single pair of matches (0.4%). The three most frequent notes (G, D, and E) account for nearly two-thirds (66%) of all harmonic conjunctions, reflecting the tonic and dominant of G major together with the submediant E — a distribution consistent with the tonic-centered harmonic language of the movement's home key.

There is a combined total of 784 note conjunctions (323 melodic + 461 harmonic), covering 178 of the movement’s 237 measures for a 75% coverage rate, rising to 94% of the 189 active measures during which the hymn is mapped. Melodic conjunctions appear in 109 bars (including the pickup bar) and harmonic conjunctions in 159, with the two categories coinciding in 89; where melodic conjunctions fall silent, harmonic conjunctions maintain the contrapuntal connection across the remaining 70 active bars. This demonstrates that Ein feste Burg engages the full harmonic texture of Variation XIV rather than merely overlapping with its surface melody.

This comprehensive, note-by-note penetration covering the opening pickup note to the final cadence, interrupted only by the 48 measures of dormancy detailed earlier, embodies the defining hallmark of a compelling contrapuntal mapping. Elgar’s description of the hidden theme proceeding “through and over” the set is borne out with striking quantitative precision. Far from merely visiting Variation XIV in passing, Ein feste Burg permeates it at nearly every structural level: melodically with the movement’s thematic material, harmonically with its other voices, and formally with the 43-phrase arc (ABABAAAAAB ABCDEFB AB AAAAAB ABCDEF BABAB ABABBA B). Such a pervasive and structurally coherent alignment — encompassing 784 sequential note conjunctions across eleven melodic and ten harmonic note types — provides compelling, quantifiable evidence that Ein feste Burg forms a clear and convincing counterpoint to Elgar’s musical self-portrait, Variation XIV.

The test Elgar set is straightforward but demanding. The hidden melody must play “through and over” the set of Enigma 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 satisfies that test from the Enigma Theme to the Finale, replicating sequential note content phrase by phrase while preserving the hymn’s canonical phrase architecture. In consideration of that extraordinary feat, Ein feste Burg stands in a class all its own.

Conclusion

Variation XIV closes the Enigma Variations and this fifteen-part study of Ein feste Burg as the covert principal Theme. As Elgar’s musical self-portrait, the Finale is where the stakes are highest. If the hidden hymn could not be shown to move “through and over” this movement with the same rigor demonstrated in the preceding fourteen movements, then the entire thesis would collapse. The quantitative, structural, and biographical evidence assembled here converges to make Variation XIV the most thoroughly saturated mapping in the series.

The numbers alone tell a compelling story. Across 784 total conjunctions (323 melodic, 461 harmonic), Ein feste Burg achieves a 94% coverage rate of 189 active measures, with harmonic conjunctions in particular threading through inner voices even where the melodic line falls silent. This is not superficial overlap. It is note-by-note penetration of the movement's musical fabric, exactly the kind of “slightest texture” connection Elgar advised listeners to expect. The coverage is pervasive enough to sustain a genuine counterpoint, yet subtle enough to have evaded detection for over a century.

The 48 measures in which the chorale falls dormant are themselves meaningful rather than incidental. Their total corresponds to Psalm 48 whose fortress imagery echoes Psalm 46, the chapter that inspired Luther to compose Ein feste Burg. Just over a decade after completing the Enigma Variations, Elgar set Psalm 48 to music as the anthem Great is the Lord. That more than half of these dormant measures (28 of 48) fall within the 101-bar ending Elgar appended after the 1899 premiere indicates that Elgar was less inclined to sustain the counterpoint as the Finale drew to its close — a pattern consistent with his treatment of endings elsewhere in the set.

That same appended ending carries its own literary signature. The chorale’s 43-phrase structure is framed by persistent reprises of its opening (A) and closing (B) phrases, divided by two presentations of the hymn’s complete canonical structure (ABABCDEFB). This emphasis on beginnings and endings resonates with the Longfellow inscription Elgar wrote at the close of the extended Finale, “Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending.” The hymn’s phrase architecture and Elgar’s literary epigraph both capture the importance of beginnings and endings.

Elgar’s unique version of Ein feste Burg is a mosaic of identifiable phrases drawn from three versions: Luther’s original, Bach’s rendering in BWV 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, and Mendelssohn’s adaptation in his Reformation Symphony. Bach’s version predominates, supplying 34 of the 43 phrases, a weighting that accords with Elgar’s own reverence for that contrapuntal master of the German School. The hymn’s canonical structure (ABABCDEFB) is presented twice within its 43 phrases, with the beginning (A) and ending (B) phrases appropriately receiving marked emphasis at the movement’s opening and close.

No other proposed solution to the Enigma Variations has ever been mapped contrapuntally through a complete movement, let alone across all fifteen. Ein feste Burg has met that test from the Enigma Theme to this Finale, and does so with overwhelming force in the very movement where Elgar depicts himself. The preponderance of the evidence assembled in the foregoing figures and tables demonstrates that Variation XIV is a clear and convincing counterpoint to Ein feste Burg. 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.

Soli Yah Gloria