BBC - Radio 3 - Elgar/Enigma Variations 13 * * * (Romanza) 14 Finale: E. D. U. The first performance of Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations took place at St James’s Hall London on 19 June 1899, conducted by Hans Richter. It was Elgar’s most ambitious orchestral work to date and a further performance in Düsseldorf in 1901 went on to establish him as a composer of international importance: Richard Strauss declared that ‘here for the first time is an English composer who has something to say’. Like most overnight successes, it was the result of years of hard work. Elgar was 42 years old when he completed the Variations and, despite bitter disappointments and frustrations, had steadily built up a reputation, first provincially, then at a national level. In particular, a series of cantatas of increasing size had revealed Elgar’s brilliant orchestration and growing mastery of large forms. Now that mastery was demonstrated on a symphonic scale through the time-honoured form of Theme and Variations, inviting comparisons with the greatest classical masters.

But it was Elgar’s uniquely personal approach to the form that gave the ‘Enigma’ Variations its initial novelty and lasting appeal. Elgar himself recalled how the work came to be conceived on the evening of 21 October 1898: After a long day’s fiddle teaching in Malvern, I came home very tired. Dinner being over, my dear wife said to me, ‘Edward, you look like a good cigar,’ and having lighted it, I sat down at the piano. In a little while, soothed and feeling rested, I began to play, and suddenly my wife interrupted by saying, ‘Edward, that’s a good tune.’ I awoke from the dream: ‘Eh! tune, what tune!’ and she said, ‘Play it again, I like that tune.’ I played and strummed, and played, and then she exclaimed, ‘That’s the tune.’ And that tune is the theme of the Variations. Many years later Elgar’s daughter Carice recounted the same incident in a BBC broadcast: My father was at the piano, smoking his pipe, and when I went to bed I heard him playing what I thought were pretty tunes.

My mother told me he was inventing music about his friends, and he turned to her and said, ‘Who’s that like?’ My mother replied, ‘I can’t quite say, but it’s exactly the way WMB goes out of the room.’ The grand scheme was established at the outset: 13 variations, 13 musical sketches of ‘my friends pictured within’, as the dedication eventually ran, and a final 14th variation representing the composer himself. What of the ‘Enigma’ of the title? Before the first performance, Elgar said: The ‘Enigma’ I will not explain – its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played . . . So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some late dramas – eg Maeterlinck’s L’Intruse and Les sept Princesses – the chief character is never on stage.

More ink has probably been spilt over these sentences than on any other Elgarian topic, each of the dozens of proposed solutions adding yet another layer of mystery to an already ambiguous pronouncement. What is clear is that the name ‘Enigma’ applies only to the theme itself and not to the whole work. Writing in 1911 Elgar revealed that this work, commenced in a spirit of humour & continued in deep seriousness, contains sketches of the composer’s friends. It may be understood that these personages comment or reflect on the original theme & each one attempts a solution of the Enigma, for so the theme is called. The sketches are not ‘portraits’, but each variation contains a distinct idea founded on some particular personality or perhaps on some incident known only to two people. So there appear to be not one, but two enigmas here: the title itself (why call it ‘Enigma’ in the first place?) and the reference to the ‘larger theme’ that ‘goes, but is not played’. Many commentators have attempted, with varying degrees of ingenuity and success, to show that the Theme is a counterpoint to another tune, usually of popular origin and ranging from ‘Rule!

Britannia’ and ‘God Save the Queen’ to ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’. They are probably wasting their time, because Elgar clearly stated that ‘through and over the whole set’ a larger theme goes. In other words, the ‘larger theme’ runs across the Variations, not the Theme. It seems likely therefore that the larger theme is not musical, but conceptual: a bond that links the 14 individuals. Perhaps the bond is simply friendship – or love. Given Elgar’s enjoyment of crosswords, perhaps his ‘dark saying’ is a cryptic reference to St Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, with its famous words ‘we see through a glass darkly’ (or, perhaps, ‘through a mirror, in a riddle’), its next verse proclaiming (in the King James Version) ‘faith, hope, charity; these three; but the greatest of these is charity’.

That Elgar preferred a more modern interpretation of the 17th-century English, where the word ‘charity’ is replaced by ‘love’ is implied by a remark made in 1908 concerning his own First Symphony: ‘there is no programme beyond a wide experience of human life with a great charity (love) & a massive hope in the future.’ If this is the correct interpretation, the bond of love that links the Variations makes a telling contrast with its Theme and the one un-enigmatic statement Elgar is known to have made about it, when, in a letter of 1912, he claimed that the Theme ‘expressed when written (in 1898) my sense of the loneliness of the artist … and to me, it still embodies that sense’. 1 Theme (‘Enigma’) The theme is in G minor with a central contrasting passage in the major, before the opening returns. Elgar himself pointed out that the rhythm of the Theme’s first bar – two short notes followed by two long ones – is immediately reversed and that ‘references to this grouping are almost continuous.’ 1 C. A. E. (Caroline Alice Elgar): a loving and dignified tribute to the composer’s wife.

2 H. D. S.-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell): an amateur pianist, who often played piano trios with Elgar and Basil Nevison. His characteristic warm-up routines are gently parodied in a manner Elgar described as ‘chromatic beyond H. D. S.-P.’s liking.’ 3 R. B. T. (Richard Baxter Townshend): a writer and amateur actor, whose theatrical presentations of an old man amused Elgar, ‘the low voice flying off occasionally into ‘soprano’ timbre.’ 4 W. M. B. (William Meath Baker): a country squire with an abrupt manner and a tendency to bang doors behind him when leaving a room. 5 R. P. A. (Richard P. Arnold): a music-lover and pianist (son of the poet Matthew Arnold) whose playing had, according to Elgar, a way of ‘evading difficulties but suggesting in a mysterious way the real feeling. His serious conversation was continually broken up by whimsical and witty remarks.’ 6 Ysobel (Isabel Fitton): an amateur viola player from Malvern.

This variation contains one of Elgar’s private jokes, the leading viola melody involving a tricky little exercise in crossing from the fourth to the second string without accidentally catching the third. 7 Troyte (Arthur Troyte Griffith): a Malvern architect and close friend of the Elgars. This energetic, rhythmically disrupted variation recounts Elgar’s desperate, and ultimately abortive, attempt to teach him to play the piano. 8 W. N. (Winifred Norbury): this variation is more a portrait of a graceful 18th-century house than the lady who inhabited it. Her characteristic laugh is, however, suggested in the central section. 9 Nimrod (August Jaeger): in the Book of Genesis Nimrod is ‘the mighty hunter’; the name Jaeger means ‘hunter’ in German. Jaeger was Elgar’s closest musical friend, the man who edited his music and whose judgement he trusted more than anyone else’s. Their shared love of Beethoven is enshrined in this profound Adagio, the most celebrated of all the Variations.

10 Dorabella (Dora Penny): Elgar’s nickname for her was taken from Mozart’s Così fan tutte and his flirtatious relationship with this attractive young woman is reflected in this whimsical variation, whose gently halting rhythm alludes to her slight stutter. 11 G. R. S. (George Robertson Sinclair): organist of Hereford Cathedral. Sinclair had a bulldog called Dan, of whom Elgar was immensely fond, often writing a musical ‘Mood of Dan’ in the visitors’ book at Sinclair’s home. The opening bars recall Dan falling into the river Wye, swimming upstream and scrambling to the bank with a triumphant bark. 12 B. G. N. (Basil G. Nevinson): a fine amateur cellist whom Elgar described as ‘a serious and devoted friend’. 13 * * * (Romanza) The identity of the friend concealed beehind the three asterisks remains the subject of speculation. Some think she was Lady Mary Lygon, a society lady who was on a voyage to Australia around the time the Variations were composed. Others identify her as Helen Jessie Weaver, Elgar’s first love, to whom he was engaged as a young man.

She later emigrated to New Zealand, where she died. In either case the elegiac quotation from Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, above the quiet throb of a ship’s engines, is apposite and poetic. 14 Finale: E. D. U. (‘Edoo’ was Alice’s pet name for her husband): a dashing self-portrait – accompanied in the middle section by a reference to C. A. E. herself, drawing the musical threads together in a symphonic finale of masterly conception and dynamic energy. Programme note © John Pickard, 2005 Elgar - His Music : Enigma Variations ELGAR - HIS MUSIC VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME (Enigma), op 36 . A theme (Introduction) and fourteen variations for full orchestra. Approximate Length : Dedicated to : "To my friends pictured within" The story is told of how Elgar, returning home from giving violin lessons, sat down at the piano and, to unwind, began improvising. Alice commented favourably on the tune that emerged and Elgar responded by suggesting how certain of their friends might play it.

Out of that spontaneous exchange grew the idea of the Enigma Variations, the work that finally secured Elgar's reputation as a composer of national, even international, standing. It remains one of the most popular works in the classical repertoire. In all , fourteen people and a dog are featured in the variations: Thirteenth Variation - ***: probably Lady Mary Lygon, a local noblewoman who sailed for Australia at about the time Elgar wrote the variation, which quotes from Mendelssohn's Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage. The use of asterisks rather than initials has however invited speculation that they conceal the identity of Helen Weaver, Elgar's fiancée for eighteen months in 1883/84 before she emigrated to New Zealand; Fourteenth Variation - E.D.U.: Elgar himself, Edoo being Alice's pet name for him. There are two enigmas underlying the variations. The first and more readily solved is the identity of each of the 'friends pictured within'.

Only the thirteenth variation has given rise to speculation that Elgar's use of asterisks rather than initials or a pet name may hide the true identity of the subject, possibly an old flame of Elgar's who had recently emigrated from Britain. But Elgar himself hinted at, and encouraged speculation over, a second, musical enigma, a popular tune which does not itself appear in the variations but of which the theme is the counterpoint. It is of course possible that this was one of Elgar's 'japes' and that the tune does not exist. If so, it has become a spectacularly successful jape, taken to great lengths and sparking a feverish debate that continues unabated. Auld Lang Syne is the most frequently touted candidate but excerpts from a range of works by composers Elgar admired, notably Mozart, have been found to show strong musical similarities with the theme while a 1975 correspondent to the Elgar Society Journal put together a convincing argument in favour of Rule Britannia as the solution. The speculation is intriguing but the mystery can never be satisfactorily solved, for Elgar revealed the identity of the tune to no-one and took the answer to the grave with him.

Musically, the variations need no introduction. Apart from the first Pomp and Circumstance March which, through Land of Hope and Glory, has attained fame as much outside the concert hall as within it, the variations remain the most widely performed of all Elgar's works while the ninth variation - Nimrod - is arguably the most moving and best loved excerpt in the whole of the classical repertoire. Those wishing to learn more about the composition of the Variations and the "friends pictured within" may wish to consult Elgar Society member Patrick Turner's recent authoritative book on the subject. Return to : Enigma Variations | work by Elgar | Britannica.com work by Elgar Alternative Title: “Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”), Op. 36” Related Topics Nimrod ” variation from Edward Elgar’s Enigma … Enigma Variations, byname of Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”), Op. 36 , series of 14 short musical portraits by Edward Elgar that premiered in London on June 19, 1899. The subjects of these portraits were several of the composer’s friends and family.

The work’s origins were described by Elgar in a letter to his friend August Jaeger at the music publishing firm Novello & Company. “I have sketched a set of Variations (orkestry) on an original theme,” the composer wrote. The Variations have amused me because I’ve labelled ’em with the nicknames of my particular friends—you [Jaeger] are Nimrod. That is to say I’ve written the variations each one to represent the mood of the ‘party’…it’s a quaint idee & the result is amusing to those behind the scenes & won’t affect the hearer who ‘nose nuffin.’ Sir Edward Elgar. EB Inc. Indeed, unfamiliarity with the originals sketched by Elgar does not detract from the hearer’s enjoyment of Elgar’s music, though deeper knowledge of the composer’s intentions adds a measure of humour that the casual listener might miss. The lovely first variation, for example, is an appreciation of the composer’s wife, Alice. The penultimate variation, devoted to a female friend whom Elgar believed was at the time on route to Australia , quotes Felix Mendelssohn ’s overture Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage. Variation No.

11, though named for the organist George Sinclair, is really a portrait of Sinclair’s boisterous bulldog , Dan. The best known of the variations is the serene Variation No. 9, identified by the composer as “ Nimrod. ” The name is a play on words, as the biblical Nimrod was a great hunter, and the German word meaning “hunter” is Jaeger. This lyrical movement portrays a warm conversation between the composer and his friend Jaeger, who by Elgar’s account, offered valuable artistic guidance throughout a long partnership. The final variation portrays the composer himself, though it includes music from the first variation as well as the theme from “ Nimrod ” to indicate the significance of his two strongest influences. Similar Topics The structure of the Enigma Variations is as follows: C.A.E. (Elgar’s wife, Caroline Alice Elgar) H.D.S.-P. (Hew David Steuart-Powell, a pianist and fellow chamber musician) R.B.T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) R.P.A. (Richard Penrose Arnold, son of English poet Matthew Arnold ) Ysobel (Isabel Fitton, an amateur viola player) Troyte (A.

Troyte Griffith, an architect and would-be pianist) W.N. (Winifred Norbury, a matron of the arts with a distinctive laugh) Nimrod (A.J. Jaeger [see above]) Dorabella (Dora Penny, daughter of the rector of Wolverhampton) G.R.S. (George Robertson Sinclair, organist at Hereford Cathedral, and his dog) B.G.N. (Basil G. Nevinson, amateur cellist and fellow chamber musician) *** (a female friend thought to be traveling) E.D.U. (Elgar’s wife’s nickname for him) Because the original score indicates the persons portrayed only by initials, one might surmise that their identities are the enigma of the title. Yet Elgar freely named each person and indicated what he had hoped to portray about them. According to Elgar, the true mystery was the piece’s theme. He noted that “through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’ but is not played.” This theme has been variously guessed to be “ Rule Britannia, Enigma Variations - 必应 Sign in Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his Variations, Op.

36, popularly known as the Enigma Variations, between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar dedicated the work 'to my friends pictured within', each variation being a musical sketch of one of his circle of close acquaintances (see musical cryptogram). Those portrayed include Elgar's wife Alice, his friend and publisher Augustus J. Jaeger and Elgar himself. In a programme note for a performance in 1911 Elgar wrote: This work, com ... (展开) mmenced in a spirit of humour & continued in deep seriousness, contains sketches of the composer’s friends. It may be understood that these personages comment or reflect on the original theme & each one attempts a solution of the Enigma , for so the theme is called. The sketches are not ‘portraits’ but each variation contains a distinct idea founded on some particular personality or perhaps on some incident known only to two people. This is the basis of the composition, but the work may be listened to as a ‘piece of music’ apart from any extraneous consideration.

In naming his theme ‘ Enigma ’ Elgar posed a challenge which has generated much speculation but has never been conclusively answered. The Enigma is widely believed to involve a hidden melody. After its 1899 London premiere the Variations achieved immediate popularity and established Elgar's international reputation. The work has been recorded over 60 times. Elgar - Nimrod From The Enigma Variations 本结果选自276项相关网络资源 The word ‘Enigma’, serving as a title for the theme of the Variations, was added to the score at a late stage, after the manuscript had been delivered to the publisher. Despite a series of hints provided by Elgar, the precise nature of the implied puzzle remains unknown. Confirmation that Enigma is t... 埃尔加：尼禄（选自《迷之变奏曲》） 好心人给个下载啊！！！！！！ 答 Enigma Variations History Elgar described how on the evening of 21 October 1898, after a tiring day's teaching, he sat down at the piano.

A melody he played caught the attention of his wife, and he began to improvise variations on it in styles which reflected the character of some of his friends. These improvisations, expanded and orchestrated, became the Enigma Variations. Elgar considered including variations portraying Arthur Sullivan and Hubert Parry, but was unable to assimilate their musical styles without pastiche, and dropped the idea. The piece was finished on 18 February 1899 and published by Novello & Co. It was first performed at St James's Hall in London on 19 June 1899, conducted by Hans Richter. Critics were at first irritated by the layer of mystification, but most praised the substance, structure, and orchestration of the work. Elgar later revised the final variation, adding 96 new bars and an organ part. The new version, the one usually played today, was first heard at the Worcester Three Choirs Festival on 13 September 1899, with Elgar conducting.

The European continental premiere was performed in Düsseldorf, Germany on 7 February 1901, under Julius Buths (who would also conduct the European premiere of The Dream of Gerontius in December 1901). The work quickly achieved many international performances, from Saint Petersburg, where it delighted Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1904, to New York, where Gustav Mahler conducted it in 1910. Enigma Variations Structure The theme is followed by 14 variations. The variations spring from the theme's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements, and the extended fourteenth variation forms a grand finale. Elgar dedicated the piece to 'my friends pictured within' and in the score each variation is prefaced the initials, name or nickname of the friend depicted. As was common with painted portraits of the time, Elgar's musical portraits depict their subjects at two levels. Each movement conveys a general impression of its subject's personality. In addition, many of them contain a musical reference to a specific characteristic or event, such as a laugh, a habit of speech or a memorable conversation. The sections of the work are as follows.

The unusual melodic contours of the G minor opening theme convey a sense of searching introspection: Sorry, your browser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player. You can download the clip or download a player to play the clip in your browser. A switch to the major key introduces a flowing motif which briefly lightens the mood before the first theme returns, now accompanied by a sustained bass line and emotionally charged counterpoints. In a programme note for a 1912 performance of his setting of Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s ode The Music Makers Elgar wrote of this theme (which he quoted in the later work), 'it expressed when written (in 1898) my sense of the loneliness of the artist as described in the first six lines of the Ode, and to me, it still embodies that sense'. Elgar’s personal identification with the theme is evidenced by his use of its opening phrase (which matches the rhythm and inflection of his name) as a signature in letters to friends. The theme leads into Variation I without a pause. Variation I (L'istesso tempo) 'C.A.E.' Caroline Alice Elgar, Elgar's wife.

The variation repeats a four-note melodic fragment which Elgar reportedly whistled when arriving home to his wife. After Alice's death, Elgar wrote, 'The variation is really a prolongation of the theme with what I wished to be romantic and delicate additions; those who knew C.A.E. will understand this reference to one whose life was a romantic and delicate inspiration'. (In these notes Elgar’s words are quoted from his posthumous publication My Friends Pictured Within which draws on the notes he provided for the Aeolian Company's 1929 pianola rolls edition of the Variations.) Sorry, your browser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player. You can download the clip or download a player to play the clip in your browser. Arrangements of the Variations include: The composer's arrangement of the complete work for piano solo The composer's arrangement of the complete work for piano duet (two pianos) Duet (piano, four hands) – by John E.

West F.R.A.M., F.R.C.O (1863–1929), organist, composer and musical adviser to Novello's Brass band – by composer Eric Ball There are many arrangements of individual variations, particularly Variation IX 'Nimrod' Variation X 'Dorabella' was published separately in its orchestral version Transcription for Wind Band by Earl Slocum (USA) Transcription for Symphonic Wind Band by John Morrison (UK) Transcription for the Wanamaker Organ by Peter Richard Conte 2013 – Transcription for Symphonic Wind Ensemble by Donald C. Patterson for the United States Marine Band Enigma Variations The Enigma The word ‘Enigma’, serving as a title for the theme of the Variations, was added to the score at a late stage, after the manuscript had been delivered to the publisher. Despite a series of hints provided by Elgar, the precise nature of the implied puzzle remains unknown. Confirmation that Enigma is the name of the theme is provided by Elgar’s 1911 programme note ('...

Enigma, for so the theme is called') and in a letter to Jaeger dated 30 June 1899 he associates this name specifically with what he calls the ‘principal motive’ – the G minor theme heard in the work’s opening bars, which (perhaps significantly) is terminated by a double bar. Whatever the nature of the attendant puzzle, it is likely to be closely connected with this ‘Enigma theme’. Elgar’s first public pronouncement on the Enigma appeared in Charles A. Barry’s programme note for the first performance of the Variations: The Enigma I will not explain – its 'dark saying' must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the connexion between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme 'goes', but is not played . . . . So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some late dramas – eg Maeterlinck’s L’Intruse and Les sept Princesses – the chief character is never on the stage. Far from clarifying matters, this utterance seems to envelop the Enigma in further mysteries.

The phrase ‘dark saying’ can be read straightforwardly as an archaic synonym for enigma but might equally plausibly be interpreted as a cryptic clue, while the word ‘further’ seems to suggest that the ‘larger theme’ is distinct from the Enigma, forming a separate component of the puzzle. Elgar provided another clue in an interview he gave in October 1900 to the editor of the Musical Times, F. G. Edwards, who reported: Mr Elgar tells us that the heading Enigma is justified by the fact that it is possible to add another phrase, which is quite familiar, above the original theme that he has written. What that theme is no one knows except the composer. Thereby hangs the Enigma. Five years later, Robert Buckley stated in his biography of Elgar (written with the composer’s close cooperation): The theme is a counterpoint on some well-known melody which is never heard. Attempted solutions to the Enigma commonly propose a well-known melody which is claimed to be either a counterpoint to Elgar’s theme or in some other way linked to it.

Musical solutions of this sort are supported by Dora Penny and Carice Elgar’s testimony that the solution was generally understood to involve a tune, and by the evidence from an anecdote describing how Elgar encoded the solution in a numbered sequence of piano keys. A rival school of thought holds that the ‘larger theme’ which ‘goes’ ‘through and over the whole set’ is an abstract idea rather than a musical theme. The interpretation placed on the ‘larger theme’ forms the basis of the grouping of solutions in the summary that follows. Julian Rushton has suggested that any solution should satisfy five criteria: a 'dark saying' must be involved; the theme 'is not played'; the theme should be 'well known' (as Elgar stated multiple times); it should explain Elgar's remark that Dora Penny should have been, 'of all people' the one to solve the Enigma; and fifthly, some musical observations in the notes Elgar provided to accompany the pianola roll edition may be part of the solution.

Furthermore, the solution (if it exists) ‘must be multivalent, must deal with musical as well as cryptographic issues, must produce workable counterpoint within Elgar’s stylistic range, and must at the same time seem obvious (and not just to its begetter)’. Elgar accepted none of the solutions proposed in his lifetime, and took the secret with him to the grave. The prospect of gaining new insights into Elgar’s character and composition methods, and perhaps revealing new music, continues to motivate the search for a definitive solution. But Norman Del Mar expressed the view that 'there would be considerable loss if the solution were to be found, much of the work's attraction lying in the impenetrability of the riddle itself', and that interest in the work would not be as strong had the Enigma been solved during Elgar's lifetime. Counterpoints Solutions in this category suggest a well-known tune which (in the proponent's view) forms a counterpoint to the theme of the Variations. After Elgar’s death in 1934 Richard Powell (husband of Dorabella) published a solution proposing Auld Lang Syne as the countermelody.

This theory has been elaborated by Roger Fiske, Eric Sams and Derek Hudson. Elgar himself, however, is on record as stating ‘Auld Lang Syne won't do’. Reviewing published Enigma solutions in 1939, Ernest Newman failed to identify any that met what he considered to be the required musical standard. A competition organized by the American magazine The Saturday Review in 1953 yielded one proposed counterpoint – the aria Una bella serenata from Mozart’s Così fan tutte (transposed to the minor key). In 1993 Brian Trowell, surmising that Elgar conceived the theme in E minor, proposed a simple counterpoint consisting of repeated semibreve E’s doubled at the octave – a device occasionally used by Elgar as a signature.

In 1999 Julian Rushton reviewed solutions based on counterpoints with melodies including Home, Sweet Home, Loch Lomond, a theme from Brahms’s fourth symphony, the Meditation from Elgar’s oratorio The Light of Life and God Save the Queen – the last being Troyte Griffith’s suggestion from 1924, which Elgar had dismissed with the words “Of course not, but it is so well-known that it is extraordinary no-one has found it”. A few more solutions of this type have been published in recent years. In the following three examples the counterpoints involve complete renditions of both the Enigma theme and the proposed ‘larger theme’, and the associated texts have obvious ‘dark’ connotations. In his book on the Variations Patrick Turner advanced a solution based on a counterpoint with a minor key version the nursery rhyme Twinkle, twinkle, little star. Clive McClelland has proposed a counterpoint with S. Baring-Gould’s tune for the hymn Now the Day Is Over (also transposed to the minor).

Tallis’s canon, the tune for the hymn Glory to Thee, my God, this night, features as a cantus firmus in a solution which interprets the Enigma as a puzzle canon. This reading is suggested by the words ‘for fuga’ which appear among Elgar’s annotations to his sketch of the theme. Hans Westgeest has argued that the real theme of the work consists of only nine notes: G - E flat - A flat - F - B flat - F - F - A flat - G (which are identical to the first nine notes of Nimrod). The rhythm of this theme (in 4/4 time, with a crotchet rest on the first beat of each bar) is based on the rhythm of Edward Elgar's own name ("Edward Elgar": short-short-long-long, then reversed long-long-short-short and a final note). Elgar meaningfully composed this "Elgar theme" as a countermelody to the beginning of the hidden "principal Theme" of the piece, the theme of the slow movement of Beethoven's Pathétique sonata (transposed to E flat).

When the two themes are combined each note of the first part of the Beethoven theme is followed by the same note in the Elgar theme. So Elgar “follows” Beethoven, as Jaeger told him to do (see above, Var. IX). The minor melody of the beginning, the variations and the Finale are all based on this "Elgar theme". Other musical themes If Robert Buckley’s statement about the theme being ‘a counterpoint to some well-known melody’ is disregarded or discounted the field opens up to admit other kinds of connection with well-known themes. Entries in this category submitted to the Saturday Review competition included the suggestions When I am laid in earth from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, the Agnus Dei from Bach's Mass in B minor, the song None shall part us from Iolanthe and the theme from the slow movement of Beethoven's Pathétique sonata. Elgar himself affirmed that this Beethoven theme is alluded to in variation IX. In 1985 Marshall Portnoy suggested that the key to the Enigma is Bach's The Art of Fugue.

Contrapunctus XIV of that work contains the B A C H motif (in English notation, B♭ A C B♮) which, in Portnoy’s view, can also be found in the Variations. Theodore van Houten proposed Rule, Britannia! as the hidden melody on the strength of a resemblance between one of its phrases and the opening of the Enigma theme. The word which is sung to this phrase – a thrice-repeated ‘never’– appears twice in Elgar’s programme note, and the figure of Britannia on the penny coin provides a link with Dora Penny. The hypothesis has been further elaborated by van Houten and others, and its credibility has received a boost from a report that it was endorsed by Elgar himself.

Other tunes which have been suggested on the basis of a postulated melodic or harmonic connection to Elgar's theme include Chopin's Nocturne in G minor, John Dunstable's Ave Maris Stella, the Benedictus from Stanford's Requiem, Pop Goes the Weasel, Brahms's "Four Serious Songs", William Boyce's Heart of Oak (transposed to the minor), the Dies Irae plainchant and Gounod's March to Calvary. Enigma Variations Subsequent history Elgar himself quoted many of his own works, including 'Nimrod' (Variation IX), in his choral piece of 1912, The Music Makers. On 24 May 1912 Elgar conducted a performance of the Variations at a Memorial Concert in aid of the family survivors of musicians who had been lost in the Titanic disaster. Frederick Ashton's ballet Enigma Variations (My Friends Pictured Within) is choreographed to Elgar's score with the exception of the finale, which uses Elgar's original shorter ending (see above), transcribed from the manuscript by John Lanchbery.

The ballet, which depicts the friends and Elgar as he awaits Richter's decision about conducting the premiere, received its first performance on 25 October 1968 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The acclaimed 1974 television play Penda's Fen includes a scene where the young protagonist has a vision of an aged Elgar who whispers to him the "solution" to the Enigma, occasioning astonishment on the face of the recipient. A solution to the Enigma also features in Peter Sutton’s 2007 play Elgar and Alice. Elgar suggested that in case the Variations were to be a ballet the Enigma would have to be represented by 'a veiled dancer'. Elgar's remark suggested that the Enigma in fact pictured 'a friend', just like the variations. His use of the word 'veiled' possibly indicates that it was a female character. The Enigma Variations inspired a drama in the form of a dialogue – original title Variations Énigmatiques (1996) – by the French dramatist Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.

Enigma Variations Recordings Main article: Enigma Variations discography There have been more than sixty recordings of the Variations since Elgar's first recording, made by the acoustic process in 1924. Elgar himself conducted the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra for its first electrical recording in 1926 on the HMV label. That recording has been remastered for compact disc; the EMI CD couples it with Elgar's Violin Concerto conducted by the composer with Yehudi Menuhin as the soloist. Sixty years later, Menuhin took the baton to conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Variations for Philips, as a coupling to the Cello Concerto with Julian Lloyd Webber. Other conductors who have recorded the work include Arturo Toscanini, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, Leonard Bernstein, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Pierre Monteux, William Steinberg and André Previn, as well as leading English conductors from Sir Henry Wood and Sir Adrian Boult to Sir Simon Rattle. ^ For example see Powell p. 39. ^ As she wrote later in her book; Mrs. R.

Powell (1947), pp. 110–111. ^ "Greek tragedy: Orchestra plays emotional farewell as state broadcaster closes". ITV News. Retrieved 2015-12-26. ^ Quotation from the booklet by Elgar, My Friends Pictured Within by Novello and Company Limited, London(1946) ^ Elgar’s original text names Lady Mary Lygon. She sailed for Australia after the completion of the Variations but before the work’s first performance. ^ Kennedy p.96 ^ Moore, Jerrold Northrop (Nov 1999). "The Return of the Dove to the Ark – ‘Enigma’ Variations a Century on". Elgar Society Journal 11 (3). ^ Burley, pp.125-127 ^ Atkins, pp.477-480 ^ Kennedy, pp.96-97, 330 ^ Blamires, Ernest (Jul 2005). "‘Loveliest, Brightest, Best’: a reappraisal of ‘Enigma’s’ Variation XIII (Part I)". Elgar Society Journal 14 (2).

^ Blamires, Ernest (Nov 2005). "‘Loveliest, Brightest, Best’: a reappraisal of ‘Enigma’s’ Variation XIII (Part II)". Elgar Society Journal 14 (3). ^ Elgar, My friends pictured within 1946, Var. XIV ^ Young, Letters to Nimrod p. 54 ^ Turner, p.46 ^ Edwards, F.G. (1900). ‘Edward Elgar’: The Musical Times 41 (1900). Reprinted in: Redwood 1982, pp. 35–49. ^ In the introduction to his book, Buckley claims that he stayed as close as possible to the truth and to the actual words of the composer.(Buckley 1905, p. ix). ^ Buckley 1905, pp. 54–55 ^ a b Powell pp. 119,120 ^ Turner p. 50, Atkins p. 428 ^ Rushton, p.77 ^ Del Mar, Norman (1998). Conducting Elgar. Clarendon Press.

ISBN0-19-816557-9. ^ Powell, Richard C., "Elgar's Enigma," Music and Letters, XV (July 1934) , p. 203, quoted in Portnoy ^ Fiske, Roger, "The Enigma: A Solution," The Musical Times, CX (November 1969), 1124 quoted in Portnoy ^ Sams, Eric, "Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma)," The Musical Times, CXI (March 1970), quoted in Portnoy ^ Hudson, Derek (1984). "Elgar’s Enigma: the Trail of the Evidence". The Musical Times 125: 636–9. doi:10.2307/962081. ^ Westrup, J. A., "Elgar's Enigma", Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, 86th Sess. (1959–1960), pp.

79–97, Taylor & Francis, Ltd for the Royal Musical Association, accessed 2 December 2010 (subscription required) ^ a b Newman, Ernest (16,23,30 Apr, 7 May 1939). Sunday Times ^ a b "What is the Enigma?". Saturday Review. May 30, 1953. ^ Trowell, B. Edward Elgar: Music and Literature in Monk (1993), p.307 ^ Rushton pp.71-73 ^ Rollet, J M (Nov 1997). "New Light on Elgar’s Enigma". Elgar Society Journal 10 (3). ^ Newman, Ernest (16,23,30 Apr & 7 May 1939). Sunday Times ^ Turner pp.111-116 (reviewed in The Elgar Society Journal, March 1999) ^ McClelland, Clive (2007). "Shadows of the evening: new light on Elgar’s ‘dark saying’".

The Musical Times 148 (1901): 43–48. doi:10.2307/25434495. ^ Gough, Martin (Apr 2013). "Variations on a Canonical Theme – Elgar and the Enigmatic Tradition". Elgar Society Journal 18 (1). ^ See Westgeest 2007. The book has been reviewed in the Elgar Society Journal 15, nr. 5 (July 2008), p. 37-39 and nr. 6 (Nov. 2008), p. 64. ^ "Hans Westgeest – Biografie". Hanswestgeest.nl. Retrieved 7 September 2012. ^ Powell p.111 ^ Portnoy, Marshall A. "The Answer to Elgar's 'Enigma'", The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 71, No. 2 (1985), pp.

205–210, Oxford University Press, accessed 25 October 2010 (subscription required) ^ van Houten, Theodore (30 Dec 1975). "...". De Volkskrant. ^ van Houten, Theodore (16 Jan 1976). "The Theme Never Appears". Cultureel Supplement JRC Handelsblad. ^ van Houten, Theodore (Jan 1976). "The Enigma – A Solution from Holland". Elgar Society Newsletter. ^ van Houten, Theodore (May 1976). "You of all people". The Music Review 37 (2): 131–142. ^ van Houten, Theodore (2008). "The enigma I will not explain". Mens & Melodie 63 (4): 14–17. ^ Pickett, Stephen (Nov 2004). "Elgar’s ‘Enigma’: a decryption?". Elgar Society Journal 13 (6). ^ Walters, Frank; Christine Walters (Mar 2010). "Some Memories of Elgar: and a note on the Variations".

Elgar Society Journal 16 (4). ^ Eric Blom's suggestion. See Reed 1939, p.52: "For a few bars it fits in counterpoint with Chopin's G minor Nocturne, Op. 37, No. 1. - E. B." ^ Laversuch, Robert (1976). "...". Elgar Society Newsletter: 22. ^ Leppard, Raymond (20 Aug 1977).The Times. ^ "Pop Goes the Enigma", letter in Music and Musicians, XXVI (1977), pp. 4–5. ^ Skouenberg, Ulrik (1984). "...". Music Review 43: 161–168. ^ Ross, Charles (Sep 1994). "A Key to the Enigma". Elgar Society Journal 8 (6). ^ Kingdon, Ben (May 1979). "The 'Enigma' – A Hidden 'Dark Saying'". Elgar Society Journal 1 (2). ^ Edgecombe, Rodney (Nov 1997). "A Source for Elgar's Enigma".

Elgar Society Journal 10 (3). ^ Parrott pp.46-49 ^ Alice Elgar's diary, 12 February 1899: "E. to St. Joseph's" ^ Green, Edmund (Nov 2004). "Elgar’s ‘Enigma’: a Shakespearian solution". Elgar Society Journal 13 (6). ^ Moodie, Andrew (Nov 2004). "Elgar’s ‘Enigma’: the solution?". Elgar Society Journal 13 (6). ^ Santa, Charles Richard; Matthew Santa (Spring 2010). "Solving Elgar's Enigma". Current Musicology (89). ^ Moore, Jerrold Northrop (Feb 1959). "...". Music Review: 38–44. ^ Kennedy p.85 ^ Ling, John (Jul 2008). "The Prehistory of Elgar’s Enigma". Elgar Society Journal 15 (5). ^ Jerrold Northrop Moore Edward Elgar: A Creative Life p. 634 ^ Lanchbery J.

Enigma Variations, in Royal Opera House programme, 1984. Enigma Variations Bibliography Atkins, Wulstan (1984). The Elgar-Atkins Friendship. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. Adams, Byron. (2000). The 'Dark Saying' of the Enigma: Homoeroticism and the Elgarian Paradox. in 19th-Century Music, vol. 23, no. 3 (Spring, 2000), pp.218–235. Buckley, R. J. (1905). Sir Edward Elgar. London / New York. Edwards, F.G. (1900). ‘Edward Elgar’, in: The Musical Times 41 (1900). Reprinted in: Redwood 1982, pp.35–49. Elgar, Edward. My friends pictured within. The subjects of the Enigma Variations as portrayed in contemporary photographs and Elgar's manuscript. London, . Kennedy, Michael (1987). Portrait of Elgar (Third ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

ISBN0-19-284017-7. McVeagh, Diana (2007). Elgar the Music Maker. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. ISBN978-1-84383-295-9. Monk, Raymond (Ed) (1993). Edward Elgar – Music and Literature. Aldershot: Scolar Press. Moore, Jerrold Northrop (1984). Edward Elgar: A Creative Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-315447-1. Nice, David (1996). Edward Elgar: an essential guide to his life and works. London: Pavilion. ISBN 1-85793-977-8. Parrott, Ian (1971). Master Musicians - Elgar. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. Powell, Mrs. Richard (1947). Edward Elgar: Memories of a Variation. London. 2nd ed. Redwood, Christopher (Ed) . An Elgar Companion. Ashbourne. Reed, W. H.

(1939). Elgar. London: J. M. Dent and Sons. Rushton, Julian (1999). Elgar: 'Enigma' Variations. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-63637-7. Turner, Patrick (2007). Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations - a centenary celebration (Second ed.). London: Thames Publishing. Westgeest, Hans (2007). Elgar's Enigma Variations. The Solution. Leidschendam-Voorburg: Corbulo Press. ISBN 978-90-79291-01-4 (hardcover), ISBN 978-90-79291-03-8 (paperback). Young, Percy M. (Ed.) (1965). Letters to Nimrod. London: Dobson Books Ltd. Enigma Variations External links Enigma Variations CDs Piano adaptation of Enigma Variations in MIDI file (104KB) The theme and its 14 variations are located at ca.

[00:00, 00:55, 02:05, 02:55, 04:20, 04:50, 06:25, 07:30, 08:28, 09:50, 12:22, 14:55, 15:53, 17:38, 19:13] in this 24-min track. Enigma Variations: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Julia Trevelyan Oman Archive University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of Bristol John Pickard, "Variations on an Original Theme (‘Enigma’) (1898–9)" from BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Enigma Variations The Enigma I Will Not Explain on BBC Radio 4 Leonard Slatkin introduced Elgar's Enigma Variations from BBC Proms 1995 (includes original ending) Elgar Society Journal Archive Nimrod - YouTube Nimrod Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content.

Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Apr 9, 2007 A Piano arrangement of the famous "Nimrod", Variation No.IX from "Enigma Variations" composed by Edward Elgar. Category Elgar - Composers - Classic FM Classic FM Schedule Edward Elgar (1857–1934) Sir Edward William Elgar (1857–1934) was an English composer, among whose best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. Life and Music Elgar's father owned a music shop and was a church organist who taught his son piano, organ, and violin; apart from this instruction, Elgar was basically self-taught as a musician. At the age of 16, the composer became a freelance musician and for the remainder of his life never took a permanent job.

He conducted locally, performed, taught, and composed, scraping by until his marriage to Caroline Alice Roberts, a published novelist of some wealth, in 1889. In 1899, Elgar composed one of his best-known works, the "Enigma" Variations, Op. 36, which catapulted him to fame. The work is a cryptic tribute to Alice and to the many friends who stood behind the composer in the shaky early days of his career. Elgar's most fruitful period was the first decade of the twentieth century, during which he wrote some of his noblest, most expressive music, including the first four of his Pomp and Circumstance Marches; the first of these, subtitled "Land of Hope and Glory", became an unofficial second national anthem for the British Empire. Elgar suffered a blow when Jaeger (the "Nimrod" of the "Enigma" Variations) died in 1909. The composer's productivity dropped, and the horrors of World War I deepened his melancholic outlook. In 1919 Elgar wrote the masterly Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.

85, whose deep feeling of sadness and impending loss surely relates to the final illness of his faithful Alice, who died in 1920. In the early 1930s, Elgar set to work on a third symphony, left unfinished at his death in 1934. Enigma Variations | Hollywood Bowl Enigma Variations Composed: 1898-1899 Length: c. 25 minutes Orchestration: 2 flutes (2nd = piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle), organ, and strings First Los Angeles Philharmonic performance: July 18, 1925, Henry Wood conducting A century after becoming Elgar’s breakout success, the “Enigma” Variations still pose riddles, though the most significant ones are “Is there really a riddle?” and “Does it matter?” The answers are, respectively, yes and no.

The story begins with Elgar doodling on the piano. When his wife Alice asked what he was playing, he answered “Nothing – but something might be made of it.” It became a theme with two parts: the first in a melancholy G minor, full of falling thirds, and the second in G major, with rising motifs. He wrote variations by imagining how some of his musician friends might have written the theme, and then added variations characterizing or caricaturing non-musician acquaintances. He wrote to his friend and supporter August Jaeger of the Novello publishing house, “I like to imagine the ‘party’ writing the var: him (or her) self & have written what I think they wd. have written – if they were asses enough to compose.” The score has only initials or nicknames of the persons portrayed, but their identities were eventually disclosed: I. C.A.E. (Caroline) Alice Elgar married the composer despite differences of class (her father was a major general, his a church organist and music dealer) and religion when he was 32 and she 40.

Some of her relatives literally disowned her for marrying a Catholic son of “vulgar tradesmen.” A failed poet and novelist, she came into her own as the supportive wife of a struggling genius. II. H.D.S-P. Hew David Steuart-Powell played piano in trios with Elgar, who parodies Steuart-Powell’s warmup routine with a motif “chromatic beyond H.D.S-P’s liking.” III. R.B.T. Richard Baxter Townshend was a classical scholar who had tried cattle ranching and gold prospecting in America. He acted in amateur theatricals, and his portrayal of a comical elderly man, talking in falsetto, is evoked by leaps in the woodwinds. IV. W.M.B. William M. Baxter, a Liberal, argued politics with Elgar, a Tory. Elgar said the chattering woodwinds are “suggestions of the teasing attitudes of the guests” who heard them. The big finish struck Alice Elgar as “exactly the way W.M.B. goes out of the room.” V. R.P.A. Richard Penrose Arnold, son of “Dover Beach” poet Matthew Arnold.

Elgar said, “His serious conversation was continually broken up by whimsical and witty remarks.” Dora Penny, the subject of Variation X, wrote that the prancing woodwinds imitated Arnold’s laugh. It leads without pause to: VI. Ysobel Isabel Fitton was an amateur violist, which explains the prominent parts for solo viola and viola section. VII. Troyte. Elgar wrote, “The uncouth rhythm of the drums and lower strings was really suggested by [Arthur Troyte Griffith’s] maladroit essays to play the piano. Later the strong rhythm suggests the attempts of the instructor [Elgar] to make something like order out of chaos, and the final despairing ‘slam’ records that the effort proved to be in vain.” VIII. W.N. Elgar said this variation describes Winifred Norbury’s stately 18th-century house. Others thought it depicted Winifred herself (an energetic woman who occasionally scandalized friends by letting her ankles show), and that the oboe’s trills depict her characteristic laugh. IX.

Nimrod The variation is a tribute to August Jaeger (“Jäger” is “hunter” in German, and Nimrod, the “mighty hunter” of Genesis 10, is synonymous with “hunter” to the biblically versed). It recalls discussions they had about Beethoven’s slow movements. Elgar noted the melody’s resemblance to the “Pathetique” Sonata’s adagio. X. (Dorabella) Intermezzo Dora Penny, stepdaughter of a friend of Alice Elgar, spent much time with the Elgars. In 1935 she wrote a memoir about them subtitled “Memories of a Variation.” She stammered, as does the music. XI. G.R.S. George Robertson Sinclair was the organist at Hereford Cathedral. The variation depicts not his playing, but his bulldog splashing into a stream to retrieve a stick and climbing out in triumph. XII. B.G.N. Basil G. Nevinson played cello in the same trio in which Hew David Steuart-Powell played piano. XIII. (***) Romanza The asterisks probably refer to Lady Mary Lygon, who was traveling to Australia when Elgar wrote this variation.

As timpani represent the hum of a ship’s engines, the clarinet plays a bit of Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage” overture. XIV. (E.D.U.) Finale It represents Elgar (Alice called him “Edoo”), in a triumphant mood, “written at a time when friends were dubious and generally discouraging.” It recalls earlier variations, particularly “C.A.E.” and “Nimrod,” who were never dubious or discouraging. Elgar left a thornier riddle, writing, “The enigma I will not explain – its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent connection between the variations and the theme is often of the slightest texture; further through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’ but is not played. .... So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some late dramas ...

the chief character is never on stage.” These remarks – doubly enigmatic, since the melody, and its connection to the variations, is obvious – created a continuing guessing game about what the theme “really” is and whether some longer melody can be superimposed on it (though Elgar never said the “larger theme” was a melody as opposed to an idea). All but one of the solutions “identifying” the theme with other melodies it resembles (a theme from Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, for example) have had to ignore Elgar’s statement that the theme never appears, which is the main clue and the very reason for the guessing game. In a 1976 Musical Review article, Theodore van Houten “solved” the problem: the theme itself is never – the “[Britons] never never never[shall be slaves]” part of “Rule, Britannia,” which matches the opening notes of the “Enigma” theme – and the “larger theme” is Britain.

The impressive evidence for this solution includes Elgar’s telling Dora Penny, “You of all people should have guessed it.” Penny never guessed it, but a picture of Britannia ruling the waves adorns the back of the Victorian English penny. We’ll never know, of course, and don’t need to. Knowing that a trotting motif in the basses and bassoons in variation XI represents Sinclair’s bulldog helps us enjoy the music, but knowing for sure that Elgar was quoting “Rule, Britannia” is just a footnote that doesn’t affect the listening experience. Edward Elgar - Nimrod - YouTube Edward Elgar - Nimrod Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Mar 22, 2009 Majestic classical music set to cosmic video. Elgar wrote this piece for his friend Augustus Jaeger, who encouraged him to continue when about to give up composing after a fit of depression...

If u like this, u may also like Karl Jenkins - Benedictus: As my individual replies get buried below other comments, I would just like to say a big THANKYOU for all your kind words re this video, tho all credit must belong to the composer. Credit also to conductor Sir Adrian Boult (1889 -- 1983) who championed Elgars often neglected music and produced the classic version heard here. NO copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. This video is for entertainment purposes only. If you want this taken down please just ask me. Regret can no longer reply to comments as I REFUSE TO JOIN GOOGLE+ !! Category Program Notes: Enigma Variations - New Mexico Philharmonic Program Notes: Enigma Variations Program Notes, ©2012 Lori Newman Program Notes Sir Edward Elgar Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”) op.

36 (1899) (Born 1857, Broadheath, near Worcester, England; died 1934, Worcester, England) More than a decade after the Enigma Variations were composed, Elgar reflectively stated in 1911 that the variations started “in a spirit of humour, and continued in deep seriousness.” The story goes that after a long, grueling day of teaching, Elgar returned home and sat at his piano and began improvising a melody. His wife Alice was struck by the tune and as the evening continued he began improvising variations to go with the melody. In his exhaustion and playfulness with Alice he began including characteristics of several of his friends and colleagues in the variations. He sent what he had written to his publisher August Jaeger, himself an inspiration for one of the variations, with the following note: “I have sketched a set of Variations … on an original theme: the Variations have amused me because I’ve labeled ‘em with the nicknames of my particular friends—you are Nimrod. That is to say I’ve written the variations each one to represent the mood of the ‘party’—I’ve liked to imagine the ‘party’ writing the var.

him (or her) self … if they were asses enough to compose.” To whom each variation refers, and why, is clearly outlined in Elgar’s words; the “enigma” however, is a mystery for the ages. Elgar succeeded at the very definition of the word, made most clear by this note that accompanied the work to its first annotator: “The Variations should stand simply as a piece of music. I will not explain—its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent connection between the variations and the theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another larger theme “goes,” but it is not played … So the principal theme never appears, even as in some late dramas … the chief character is never on the stage.” Enigmatic indeed. There is some debate as to the origin of the theme and whether or not the “enigma” is in relation to the theme, and if the theme is borrowed from a previous work. Since Elgar entitles his work, Variations on an Original Theme and his story states that the melody developed out of an evening of fatigued improv, that would seem to be the answer.

But some have argued that the puzzle of the “enigma” lies within the theme itself. Some conjectured origins of the theme include “Auld Lang Syne,” “God Save the Queen,” “Rule, Brittania!,” a portion of Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, and even “Pop Goes the Weasel.” In 1953 the Saturday Evening Review held a contest to identify the enigmatic theme. The results were interesting and varied, but again, nothing compelling enough for scholars to confirm. There is a camp that believes the “enigma” lies in a second theme which must be pieced together from the original theme and its variations; this has yet to be convincingly proven. Still others speculate as to whether the “enigma” has to do with a grander and larger scoped idea throughout the work. Some suggest friendship as the “unplayed” theme; others suggest it is the composer’s feelings of loneliness and isolation; and there is a contingent that believes the work’s mystery could unlock a heretofore undiscovered literary reference. Elgar’s Enigma Variations premiered on June 19, 1899 at St. James’s Hall in London with the esteemed Hans Richter conducting.

After its premiere Elgar was almost immediately hailed as the greatest English composer to date and his music gained worldwide recognition. The year after Enigma’s premiere, Elgar was awarded an honorary doctorate by Cambridge University, and was subsequently knighted in 1904. Elgar’s Variations were his first major success and his first (and some would argue only) truly successful full-scale orchestral work. Perhaps on a suggestion of Richter or August Jaeger (see Variation IX), Elgar reworked the last variation by adding 100 measures and an organ part. This revised version premiered at the Worcester Three Choirs Festival in September of 1899 with the composer conducting. Elgar dedicated his Enigma Variations “to my friends pictured within,” and begins with the theme, followed by fourteen variations. The theme is broken into two parts; the first, a reflective theme in g minor which features the interval of the seventh, a particular favorite of Elgar’s; and the second, in G Major providing a more hopeful and uplifting sensibility. Variation I (L’istesso tempo) “C.A.E.” Caroline Alice Elgar, the composer’s wife.

Elgar wrote, “The variation is really a prolongation of the theme with what I wished to be romantic and delicate additions; those who knew C.A.E. will understand this reference to one whose life was a romantic and delicate inspiration.” Variation II (Allegro) “H.D.S.-P.” Hew D. Steuart-Powell. Steuart- Powell played piano in Elgar’s trio. Elgar mimics the pianist’s trademark way in which he warmed-up on the piano. Variation III (Allegretto) “R.B.T.” Richard Baxter Townshend, the popular author of A Tenderfoot in Colorado. Elgar imitates his tendency to raise the pitch of his voice when excited. Variation IV (Allegro di molto) “W.M.B.” William Meath Baker. Baker was a country squire with a gruff disposition and a propensity for making hasty exits, often slamming the door when doing so. Elgar says that he would “forcibly read out the arrangements for the day” to his guests. Variation V (Moderato) “R.P.A.” Richard P. Arnold, son of the poet Matthew Arnold.

He was a young philosopher who according to Elgar, “His serious conversation was continually broken up by whimsical and witty remarks.” Variation VI (Andantino) “Ysobel” Isabel Fitton, a friend of Elgar who tried to learn the viola under the composer’s tutelage. It seems likely she was not a very good student and ended her lessons stating, “I value our friendship much too much.” The viola is the featured instrument of this variation and contains many string crossings, an homage to Isabel’s struggle with this parti-cular aspect of playing a stringed instrument. Variation VII (Presto) “Troyte” Arthur Troyte Griffith, another of Elgar’s less than successful students. According to Elgar, the variation depicts Troyte’s “maladroit essays to play the pianoforte; later the strong rhythm suggests the attempts of the instructor (E.E.) to make something like order out of chaos, and the final despairing ’slam’ records that the effort proved to be in vain.” Variation VIII (Allegretto) “W.N.” Winifred Norbury. This variation is less about Miss Norbury and more about her charming house that Elgar enjoyed so much.

It was the site of many musical performances and musician gatherings. Variation IX (Moderato) “Nimrod” August Jaeger, Elgar’s publisher and close friend. “Jaeger” is German for “hunter,” and Nimrod is one of the Old Testament’s fiercest hunters. According to Dora Penny (see Variation X), Elgar confided in her that this variation is not about Jaeger as much as a conversation with him. One day Elgar was very frustrated and considered giving up composing. Jaeger stepped in and compared Elgar’s struggles to those of Beethoven. He asked the composer how he thought Beethoven must have felt, having to compose while going deaf. Jaeger then told Elgar that as Beethoven’s hearing got worse, his music became more beautiful, and encouraged Elgar to take that lesson to heart. Jaeger then sang the slow movement to Beethoven’s “Pathetique” Sonata for his depressed friend. Elgar told Dora Penny that the opening of “Nimrod” suggests the “Pathetique.” He said, “Can’t you hear it at the beginning?

Only a hint, not a quotation.” “Nimrod” is the most famous of the variations and is often programmed without the rest of the work. It is most notably used in England for events such as funerals and memorial services, and is always played on Remembrance Sunday, a ceremony acknowledging the sacrifices of British servicemen and women in both World Wars and subsequent conflicts. In the United States, it has often been used for 9/11 tributes. Variation X (Intermezzo) “Dorabella” Dora Penny. Ms. Penny was a young and vivacious friend of the Elgars who had a slight stutter that Elgar depicts in this variation. Dora was William Meath Baker’s (Variation IV) sister’s stepdaughter and Richard Baxter Townshend’s (Variation III) sister-in-law. Variation XI (Allegro di molto) “G.R.S.” Dr. G.R. Sinclair. Dr. Sinclair was the organist at Hereford Cathedral who owned a dog for which the variation is based.

Elgar writes, “The first few bars were suggested by his great bulldog Dan (a well-known character) falling down a steep bank into the River Wye; his paddling up stream to find a landing place; and rejoicing bark on landing.” Variation XII (Andante) “B.G.N.” Basil G. Nevinson, the cellist in Elgar’s trio. This variation features the cello section in honor of Nevinson, Elgar’s “serious and devoted friend.” Variation XIII (Romanza: Moderato) “***” Lady Mary Lygon. Elgar could not secure permission to use the initials “L.M.L” for this variation so instead he used three asterisks in their place. His good friend Lady Lygon was in the midst of a sea voyage to Australia when the variations were being prepared for publication so she was unavailable to give her permission. To evoke the mood of her journey, Elgar quotes Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage in the clarinet solo. Another theory is that this variation is actually about Helen Weaver, a woman to whom Elgar was engaged for more than a year. She left him, also by boat, in 1885.

This theory does not explain the use of three, rather than two, asterisks to represent the dedicatee’s initials, however. Although, it is plausible that Elgar wrote about Helen Weaver but was able to disguise this effortlessly by the voyage of his friend Lady Mary Lygon. Variation XIV (Finale: Allegro) “E.D.U.” This stands for Edu or Edoo, Alice Elgar’s nickname for her husband. This variation is a portrait of Elgar himself. He brings together the themes from Variations I and IX (Alice Elgar and August Jaeger) to represent his two greatest supporters. He writes, “Written at a time when friends were dubious and generally discouraging as to the composer’s musical future, this variation is merely intended to show what E.D.U. intended to do. References are made to two great influences upon the life of the composer: C.A.E. and Nimrod. The whole work is summed up in the triumphant broad presentation of the theme in the major.” Sir Edward Elgar did such a masterful job of hiding the “enigma” part of his variations that it is still to this day unknown.

Theories abound, but no one has been able to definitively or concretely state with complete certainty what the “enigma” is to which Elgar referred. In the early years after its composition, Elgar seemed to enjoy the endless speculation on the “enigma;” he began to grow weary of this however, and in his later years would merely refer to the work as “my Variations.” ● Program Notes, Lori Newman The Music of U2: Saturday, January 21, 2017, 8 p.m., Popejoy Hall Close

Question: Who composed The Enigma Variations?
Answer: Elgar