Did Elves Use Magic?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Yes, but as you can see, we are talking "password" here. It is not that Gandalf would be trying to remember whether professor Flitwick said it should be "alohomora" or "avada kedavra", it is trying to remember a password and experimenting with its intonation. Even the "Annon edhellen..." etc., even though it means (sorry for low knowledge of Elvish) something along the lines "Elven gate, open for me, Dwarven door, hear my words", it is not (given the logic of the text) an equivalent of Alohomora, but just another attempt of a password - apparently such a password existed somewhere at some time.

So not actual magic here. Even though I agree Gandalf IS of course meant to be a "wizard" and so close to the idea of wizards we usually have, but still, as it is said in the Silmarillion, UT or generally in places about the Istari, even the "wizard powers" of the Istari were not so much of a "magic" as we know it, but again some powers understood by the common folk as magical.