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Code and Cypher Video(VHS/DVD). This has to be one of the most fascinating programs ever made about the subject of music. Schumann, Brahms, Elgar, and who knows how many other composers used the tonal equivalents of letters as the framework of their themes—sometimes horizontally, sometimes vertically to create a chord. Presenter Eric Sams offers a string quartet on the notes BEEF and CABBAGE to clarify the point, before showing how Schumann wove Clara’s name into his work and then solving Edward Elgar’s cryptographic enigma. Of course, the notes alone do not the music make; but there is no doubt that here is another source of musical themes, and another whole spectrum of insight into how some composers worked. (51 minutes)
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