Elgar Enigma Variations op36, Sheet Music Program Notes and recordings

Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 ("Enigma")

Friendship, Character, and a Secret Tune

“I’ve got something that will amuse you,” Edward Elgar told his friend Augustus Jaeger in 1898. That "something" was a set of orchestral variations based on a private joke, a musical depiction of his circle of friends. The work’s origin was famously humble. One evening, after returning home tired from giving lessons, Elgar sat at his piano and began to improvise. He played a haunting, meandering melody in G minor. “What is that?” his wife, Alice, asked from the next room. “Nothing,” he replied, “but something might be made of it.” He then began to toy with the theme, imagining how a certain friend would play it, then another, and another. Alice recognized the portraits and encouraged him to preserve them. This intimate game became the Enigma Variations, a work that operates on two levels: as a brilliant gallery of musical character sketches and as a tantalizing puzzle that continues to fascinate musicians and audiences more than a century later.

The Double Riddle

Elgar presented his audience with a twofold enigma. The first, and more straightforward puzzle, is identifying the “friends pictured within” each of the fourteen variations, which are headed only by initials or a nickname. This mystery was solved relatively quickly, with Elgar himself confirming most of the identities. The second, deeper enigma, however, remains a source of intense speculation. In his original program note, Elgar wrote: "the principal Theme never appears. . . so the principal Theme is ‘dark,’ and must be guessed.” He insisted that this unheard melody is a well-known tune that fits perfectly "through and over" his original theme and its variations. Theories abound—candidates for the hidden tune have ranged from "Auld Lang Syne" and "Rule, Britannia!" to themes from works by Mozart and Bach—but Elgar took the secret to his grave, ensuring his masterpiece would forever be shrouded in an aura of captivating mystery.

The Theme (Enigma)

The work begins with the theme itself, marked Andante, piano e molto espressivo. It is presented in a dark G minor by the strings and woodwinds. The theme has two distinct parts: a melancholy, rhythmically halting opening phrase, and a more flowing, sequential response in the relative major key of G major. This melodic and tonal duality—a constant shift between shadow and light, melancholy and warmth—is the fundamental building block for all that follows. The theme’s irregular rhythm and pensive mood are often interpreted as a self-portrait of the composer himself: a man prone to bouts of depression but also possessing great warmth and passion.

Var. I (C.A.E.)

The first variation is a portrait of Elgar’s beloved wife, Caroline Alice Elgar. It is a loving extension of the theme, smoothing out its hesitant rhythms and clothing it in warmer harmonies. A recurring four-note phrase, whistled by Elgar when he returned home, is woven into the woodwinds, adding a touch of intimate tenderness. This variation is not a caricature but an adoration, a tribute to the woman whose faith in his genius was unwavering.

Var. IX (Nimrod)

Arguably the most famous and emotionally powerful passage Elgar ever composed, the ninth variation is a portrait of his closest friend and supporter, Augustus J. Jaeger. The title is a clever pun: Jaeger means "hunter" in German, and Nimrod is described in the Book of Genesis as "the mighty hunter before the Lord." The variation depicts a conversation where Jaeger encouraged a despondent Elgar by referencing the slow movements of Beethoven, arguing that a composer must write from the depths of his soul. The music begins as a whisper in the strings, a profoundly solemn and noble melody that builds with painstaking patience. Over a steady, heartbeat-like pulse in the lower strings, the theme swells gradually to an overwhelming climax of breathtaking power and beauty before receding once more into reverent silence. It has since become an anthem of remembrance, frequently performed at funerals and memorial services.

A Gallery of Characters

Many of the variations are sharp, witty, and wonderfully specific caricatures. Var. II (H.D.S-P.) depicts a pianist friend with skittering, chromatic figures that mimic keyboard warm-up exercises. Var. IV (W.M.B.) portrays a country squire with bustling, energetic music that captures his habit of briskly entering a room and slamming the door. Var. VII (Troyte) paints a picture of an inept piano student with loud, clumsy timpani blows. Var. VIII (W.N.) offers a gentle, charming sketch of Winifred Norbury, whose gracious laugh is perfectly captured in a delicate woodwind figure. These brief portraits showcase Elgar’s keen sense of humor and his remarkable ability to translate human personality into purely musical terms.

Programmatic Pictures: A Dog and a Sea Voyage

Two variations stand out for their vivid storytelling. Var. XI (G.R.S.) is a picture not of the organist George Robertson Sinclair, but of his bulldog, Dan. The music depicts Dan falling into the River Wye (a tumbling string run), paddling furiously to the bank (energetic woodwind and string passages), and emerging with a triumphant bark (a loud brass chord). It is a moment of pure, unadulterated fun. In contrast, Var. XIII (***), titled only with asterisks, is a deeply atmospheric Romanza. The gentle rocking of the strings and a soft clarinet solo over a quiet timpani roll (imitating the thrum of a ship’s engine) evoke a sea voyage. The variation quotes Felix Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture and is believed to portray Lady Mary Lygon, who was on a sea voyage to Australia at the time of the work's composition.

Finale: Var. XIV (E.D.U.)

The final variation is a bold and brilliant self-portrait. The initials E.D.U. stand for Eduard, Elgar’s own name. He takes his melancholic theme and transforms it into a confident, heroic march. The music is grand, powerfully orchestrated, and exudes an air of triumph. In a stroke of genius, Elgar masterfully weaves in references to two of the most important figures in his life: the tender theme of his wife, Alice (Var. I), and the noble melody of his friend Jaeger (Var. IX, "Nimrod"). By integrating their themes into his own, he acknowledges their indispensable role in his success. The work drives to a magnificent and resounding conclusion, a powerful statement of artistic arrival and personal fulfillment, leaving all traces of the initial theme's doubt and melancholy far behind.