Elgar: Enigma VariationsElgar's Variations for Orchestra, commonly known as the 'Enigma' Variations, marked an epoch both in his career, and in the renaissance of English music at the turn of the century. First performed in 1899 under Hans Richter, the work became his passport to national fame and international success. From the first it intrigued listeners to know why it was called 'enigma', and who were the 'friends pictured within', to whom the work is dedicated. Appearing in the centenary year of the work's composition, this book elucidates what is known, and what has been said about the work and the enigma, and directs future listeners to what matters most: the inspired qualities of the music. |
Contents
Composition | 6 |
Variations the theme | 18 |
Friends pictured within | 33 |
A form of selfportraiture | 54 |
The enigmas | 64 |
Postscript | 79 |
Appendix | 89 |
Notes | 94 |
| 110 | |
| 112 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Alice Alice Elgar appears Atkins Auld lang syne ballet bass Beethoven Brahms Brahms's Brian Trowell cadence Caractacus cello chapter chord ciphers clarinet climax coda Complete Edition composer composer's composition Concerto counterpoint Creative cresc dark saying Dora Penny Dorabella Edward Elgar Elgar O.M. Elgar Studies Elgar's Enigma Elgar's Variations Eric Sams Ernest Newman falling sevenths fermata finale flute four bars Friends pictured G major G minor Hasfield Houten incipit intermezzo Ivor Atkins Jaeger JULIAN RUSHTON Kennedy Lady Mary Lygon larger theme Malvern marked melody Memories MFPW Moore motive Mozart Music and Letters Nimrod notes Novello's orchestral original theme ostinato Parry Pathétique sonata performance perhaps phrase piano played portamento Portrait published quavers reprise rhythm rhythmic Richard Powell Rollett score sequence sketches solo solution sonata strings suggests Symphony tempo texture thematic timpani tion tonal tonic Tovey Trowell Troyte tune viola violins Westrup woodwind Ysobel