by Dora M. Penny Powell (Mrs. Richard Powell)
Edward Elgar was either genius or crazy--and I'm leaning toward genius. The orchestra composer interwove a complex puzzle into his music that has since been left unsolved after his death.
This book recounts Elgar's life with emphasis on his second most famous musical piece, "Enigma Variations" (his first was "Pomp and Circumstance"). Enigma takes a basic theme and spins it into 14 variations, each cryptically based on a friend of Elgar.
The identity of the friends have all been discovered. (The author of the book inspired Variation 10, entitled "Dorabella Intermezzo.") But greater still is the overarching enigma. Elgar himself wrote in 1899 (recorded in the book):
"The Enigma I will not explain -- it's 'dark saying' must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent 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... the chief character is never on stage."
Enigma is the perfect word for it (and for him!).
Elgar's Enigma was never solved. Neither was his famous Dorabella Cipher, a cryptic letter to the author shown in the book appendix. Some of the world's top cryptologists have tried to solve it, but no one has... yet.
A fascinating book on a fascinating man, particularly for the puzzle-lover.
GRADE:
_ B _ _ _
The writing wasn't great, but I curved up for sheer interestingness of topic.
