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Talk:Serenade for Strings (Elgar)

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Musical Cryptography

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The ostinato figure that opens the first movement in bars 1 and 2 has the notes "E-D#-E-E-E-E." The first two note letters spell "ED," a short form of "Edward." The repeated Es that follow furnish two sets of Edward Elgar's initials (EE). The note letters "EDEEEE" are a phonetic rendition of "Eddie," a diminutive version of "Edward." These coded allusions to Elgar's first name and initials are widespread throughout the work and succinctly encapsulate his penchant for musical cryptography. Robert W. Padgett (talk) 01:53, 16 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]