JM:  But I don't!    (I only mentioned it because Nabokov wrote that  "deception in chess, as in art, is...part of the combination. I think a good combination should always contain a certain element of deception.") One shouldn't confuse Nabokov's manoeuvers of "deception" in art, with "fiction", "reality" or "illusion."

Responding to A.Bouazza, you wrote that in "A Hero's Life, Strauss nominates himself as the hero. As A Bouazza notes, one movement  filled with cackling woodwinds represents his critics, of whom he had plenty...the movement ... The Hero's Works of Peace  quotes something like 30 of Strauss’s  own compositions. If someone out there has added up the Nabokov references in LATH, it would be interesting to know who is the self-referential winner."

You had already inquired  about self-referential authors, mentioning that "when Shostakovich and others encrypt notes corresponding to their initials (or a girlfriend’s initials) within the score, maybe Nabokov’s anagrams come to mind."  In my opinion, it is easy to draw parallels between similar stylistic devices, rethoric tools, anagrams, satire, wit, etc., in literature, painting, music. These expressive resources are what we expect to find in Art, they are not idiosyncratic devices which we'd associate to one musician, one writer, one painter only.  Bach encripted his name in his music. Legend ( at least, Hofstaedter) holds that, after moribund Bach added the last letter (note) to his name, he died. 

Christimas season is here and I'd like to share with you a special magnificent link, one which  Dave Haan sent to me in relation to Bach's musical parodies and contrafacta, ie: "self"- references. 

One has only to read about, and listen to, Bach's variations on "Von Himmel Hoch," wonder and enjoy.

Here is the link ( MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY 2011...).

http://janus.ucc.nau.edu/tas3/bachindex.html