wakeling - wagner's der ring des nibelungen (1903)

8/3/2019 Wakeling - Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen (1903)

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NIGHTS AT THE OPERA


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NIGHTS AT THE

OPERAWAGNER'SDER RING DESNIBELUNGENBy JVakeling Dry

ALEXANDER MORING LTD. THEDE LA MORE PRESS 32 GEORGESTREET HANOVER SQUARE W.


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CONTENTS


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The Prologue. Das Rheingold.I. Growth and Fulfilment.

IT was in the eventful year 1848 thatWagner finished the instrumenta-tion of Lohengrin, The politicaltroubles between Germany and Saxonywere affecting things in general ; andWagner, it will be remembered, wasdrawn into the vortex. But to hisactive mind, such things were mere sideissues ; and he was searching for a newsubject on which to work out his schemefor the Lyric Drama. That somethingvast in idea and scope was alonelikely to be chosen, appears from thethemes which he took up, examinedand discarded. From the contempla-

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Wagner s Der Ringtion of "Jesus of Nazareth "whichtheme was subsequently developed, in agreat measure, in Parsifalhe turned to" Barbarossa '' : and finally decided thatonly a mythical subject would be suit-able for the special musical treatmenthe had in mind. After writing anessay on the history of the world inthe Saga, and an article on theNibelung myth, he composed a versionof a drama founded on the death ofSiegfried. But the plan of dealing withSiegfried in a single opera was soonfound to be impracticable ; and from aletter to Liszt in 1851, we learn thatWagner had then already decided toexpand the work into a trilogy with aprologue.The story of Siegfried,- the earliest ofTeutonic heroesthus developed by

Wagner into his largest, if not his10


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Des Nibelungengreatest, lyric drama, and considered byhim to be the great achievement of hislifewas completed, so far as the poemwas concerned, by the end of 1852.The music of The Ring, owing to

many interruptions, occupied Wagnerfor more than twenty-five years ; andits performance at Bayreuth in 1876came as the crowning glory of his life.By 1854, the music to the prologue(Das Rheingold) and the first part(Die Walktlre) had been completed

;

then the despair of ever appealing tothe opera-goer with such a colossal andrevolutionary work made Wagner takeup with Tristan und Isolde. Beforethe completion of the latter, however,he had returned to his great work ;and the music of the second part(Siegfried) occupied him up to 1869.

In the meantime, the strong nationalII


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Wagner s Der Ringfeeling which had made the larger workso dear to Wagner had prompted anexcursion into another region of thelyric art, that of real comic opera. DieMelstersinger was completed, and pro-duced at Munich in 1868. But thefriendly help of King Ludwig of Bavariawhich came to him at about this time,did not obtain for Wagner any long spellof peace or prosperity. It was in theloneliness of a second exile in Switzer-land, that he set himself to the task ofcompleting The Ring, wondering, nodoubt, when he would ever be able toproduce it. The first ideasince carriedout by the building of the PrinzRegenten Theatre was to makeMunich the place where the FestivalPlayhouse should be erected ; but Bay-reuth was subsequently settled upon ;and in 1 872 Wagner went thither to live.

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Des NibelungenA performance of Das Rheingold,

against the wish of Wagner, was givenat Munich in September 1869; butthe real creators of The Ring werethose who took part at the first author-ized performance at Bayreuth on AugustI3th5 1876.The conductor was Dr. Hans Richter,

the stage manager Karl Brandt ofDarmstadt, who had been Wagner's chiefassistant in the general planning of thebuilding, and who had chosen Bruck-wald of Leipsic as the architect. JosephHoffman, a professor at Vienna, designedthe scenery and the two BrUckners ofCoburg executed it. Anton Seidl,Franz Fischer and Felix Mottl wereamong those who coached the per-formers and assisted as conductors be-hind the scenes. On the followingnight Die Walkttre was giventhis latter

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Wagner s Der Ringhad been seen actually for the firsttime at Munich in August 1 870 ; but, asbefore noted, its production at the timewas against Wagner's wishes.The Ring in its entirety was after-

wards produced at Munich in 1878, atVienna and Leipsic in 1879, ^^ Ham-burg in 1880, and at Berlin in 1881.London saw it in the May of 1882,Anton Seidl conducting.

It was given at the MetropolitanOpera House in New York on March4th and 5th, the cycle being completedby performances on March 8th andnth.At the initial performance at Bay-

reuth, Liszt, Saint-Saens and Griegwere among the audience, which alsocomprised the Emperor of Germany, theEmperor of Brazil, and the King ofBavaria. There was a deficit of over


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Des Nibelungen;^7,ooo on tbv: first representation andWagner had to forego the exclusiverights which he had intended for Bay-reuth. A performance at Munich beingarranged for, on payment of the sumrequired to make up the balance,Neumann organized a touring com-pany composed of the chief of theBayreuth singers, and with Seidl as con-ductor, and much to Wagner's dislike,

separate performances of the partswere given. But there canbe no question that these

performances helpedto popularize

the work.

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II. The Source of the StoryIn the Nibelungenlied, the national

epic of Germanya work holding aplace in literature akin to that of theOdyssey, the Iliad, and the JEneidWagner found the story of Siegfried, thedragon-slayer, invulnerable like Achilles,save in a single spot. Apart fromits being a noble presentment of theGerman conception ofloyalty and valour,the tale is concerned with this hero'smurder, after he has taken the hoard oftreasure from the Nibelungs, and hasmarried Kriemhild, a princess of Bur-gundy. Here we get an importantcharacteristic of these old stories, viz.that, in process of time, the personagesin them become identified with actual

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Wagner s Der Ringhistorical people. The tale goes onto tell of the vengeance taken by Sieg-fried's wife for his murderj and of theaid she receives from Attila and Dietrich.

In setting forth the ethical side ofhis dramathe destruction of the godsthrough their own wrong-doing, andindirectly by their succumbing to thelove of gold, Wagner found the mytho-logical element in that collection of thetales of the Northmen, which were putinto shape by Icelandic writers aboutthe eleventh century, and called theEddas. Of these collections there weretwo, the Prose Edda^ which was a hand-book ofmodel phrases and synonyms forthe poets of the period, and an ElaerEdda. But there was yet a third cycleof stories utilized by Wagner, the Saga ofThedrek, or Dietrich (of Berne), whohimself appears as a character in the less

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Des Nihelungenrudimentary and more mediaevalizedNibelungenliedy and who was, in fact, anactual historical personage, Theodoricaof Verona, a Goth who had taken uphis abode in Italy.

Deeply interesting and most instruc-tive as the study of the sources of thisdrama is, we cannot at the moment domore than bring a few of its more im-portant general aspects to the reader'snotice, leaving certain details, such asvariations in incident or intention, andthe recognition oforiginal ideas, until weare considering the actual scenes as theyoccur with the music.

First then we must understand thatthe stories in their rudimentary shapebelong to the Aryan race, the commonstock of the western people ; andalthough the manner of telling thesestories is Scandinavian, their first home

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Wagner s Der Ringwas that of the German peopletheRhineland. The story of a noble racewhich dies out in process of time,and the accomplishment of some greatact or purpose by one of its scionsnecessitating intermarriage of a kindrepellent to modern ideasis of thegreatest antiquity and constantly recursin the old tales. Again, it is importantto understand that the gods of northernmythology were not supposed to beimmortal, and that the same individualsoften appear in varying shapes and oftenunder varying namesa characteristicwhich adds to the difficulty of acquiringeven a general acquaintance with them.Finally, in writing his drama, Wagnerreverts to the old Greek form, immor-talized by iEschylus, in representingFate as a domineering element, to whicheven gods must bow, making use of the

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Des Nibelungenmodern acceptation of the idea, namelythat sin brings Inevitable punishment,which may be swift or slow according tocircumstances, but which Is always sure.This will help to make clear the reasonwhy Wagner found the Siegfried story.

In itself. Insufficient for his purpose,and why he had to revert to,

and draw upon, the oldNorse legends In

order to com-plete hisdrama/

^ For further study of this fascinating subject, thefollowing books should be read :Ludlow's PopularEpics of the Middle Ages ; Jessie M. Weston's Legendsof the Wagner Drama ; the short but most valuableand scholarly primer by Dr. Jiriczek, Deutsche Held-ensage (in German), published by Goschen ofStuttgart ; and, of course, the beautiful version ofthe Volsunga Saga by Wm. Morris and Magnusson.

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III. CHARACrERS IN THE ORDEROF THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE.

^~WOGLINFE~(j^/r^^) \ Thei WELLGVNDElmezzo) \ RhineI FLOSSHILDE (contrako)] Maidens.ALBERICH {baritone), chief of theNibelungs.FRICKA {mezzo), Wotan's wife, God-

dess of Marriage, and sister to Frela,Donner and Froh.WOTAN (bass), supreme among thegods, father of the Valkyries and alsoof Siegmund and Siegllnde.FREYA {soprano), Goddess ofPlenty.FASOLT and FAFNER {basses).

Giants.FROH {tenor), God of Joy.DONNER {baritone), God ofThunder.LOGE {tenor), God of Fire, and alsoof Falsehood.

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Wagner's Der RingMIME {tenor), one of the Nibelungs,ERDA (contralto). Goddess of the

Earth and of Wisdom.SIEGMUND and SIEGLINDE{tenor and soprano), twin children ofWotan, passing under the name ofWalse.HUNDING {bass), a mortal, towhom Sieglinde is first wedded.BRUNNHILDE {soprano), eldest ofValkyries, daughter of Wotan.HELMW^GE {soprano)GERHILDEWALTRAUTE {mezzo)ORTLINDE SIEGRUNEROSSWEISE GRIMGERDE {contralto)SCHWERTLEITE SIEGFRIED {tenoi), son of Sieglinde

and Siegmund.24

TheValkyries,sisters toBrunhilde.


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Des NibeluftgenI The Voice of the Bird {soprano).^ The Three Norns {soprano^ mezzo and

contralto)^ Daughters of the Earth, andSpinners of the Thread of Destiny.GUNTHER {bass\ son of Gibichand Grimhilde.HAGEN (hasi)^ his half-brother, son

of Grimhilde by Alberich.GUTRUNE (joprano\ his sister.

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IV. Story and Music side by side.Das Rheingold.

THE opening scene is meant toshow us the depths of the riverand its caverns, the abode of the waternixies. Important as is the poem of theprologue for a proper understanding ofall that follows, it is wonderful to notehow th music itself claims our firstattention. In his simple yet daringprelude, made up as it is of a singlechord, Wagner interprets musically theold mythological idea that life, withall its capabilities, sprang from water.Cool, quivering with motion, and felt,though invisible, to be translucently deep,the picture of the river depths is broughtvividly before our eyes before the

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Wagner s Der Ringcurtain rises. And it requires noanalysis to understand how this strik-ing effect is achieved by Wagner'smaster hand. The fundamental note,the fifth, the octave, the gradual fillingup of the chord, the pulsationas newrhythms are added with the passingnotesall proceed with straightforwardsimplicity and yet with marvellous ful-ness and subtlety.Used in a slight but eminently

suggestive way in Siegfried, it assumesgreat importance in the final part (DieGdtterd^mmerung) when reference ismade to the restoration of the treasure ;and throughout the other parts there aremany apparent motives derived from it,three of the most characteristic beingthe Sword (in Siegfried), the Ride of theValkyries^ and Brunnhildes sleep.Guarding the golden treasure the

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Des Nibelungenthree Rhine-maidens are swimming toand fro in the limpid depths of the river.The origin of this treasure, which in theold legends plays so important a partin the subsequent development of thedrama, is shrouded in mystery. In theVolsunga-saga it is the property of thedwarf Andvari, and Loge is the firstwho obtains possession of it. In theNibelungenlied Siegfried wins it fromhis brothers Schilbung and Nibelung.In the Thidrek-saga its final restorationto the earth is indicated and not (as inthe others), to the Rhine.

The Rhine Maidens.^~^z^^^^^^^^

No version tells us how the treasurefirst came into existence. The suave

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Wagner s Der Ringmelody is smirched, as it were, on theentrance of Alberich, ugliest of theNibelungs, a race of elfs or gnomesdwelling in the dark region of Nibel-heim, the lowest of the nine worlds innorthern mythology and the abode ofdeparted spirits. The maidens mockhim with deceitful promises, to punishhim for his lustful purpose ; but theygo too far. One of them chatters ofthe prize they guard. The Gold motiveis given out by the trumpets as thetreasure gleams forth ; and in a beauti-passage for the three voices, the maidensgreet it with a joyful cry.

The Gold.

Alberich's rage at the failure of hisfell designs changes to cunning and

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Des Nibelungento covetousness when he learns that thegold, if forged into a ring will bestowunlimited power upon its lucky possessorand give him sway over the whole uni-verse.The Magic Power of the Ring.

Nor is he deterred from his new resolveto possess the treasure by the know-ledge that love must first be renouncedbefore he can become greater than thegods themselves. This idea is anoriginal one of Wagner's. Before themaidens have any idea of his purposeAlberich has reached the summit of therock, and snatching the gold he dis-appears with a hideous laugh of victory.Then the orchestra gives out the Ringmotive.

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Wagner s Der RingThe Ring.

jVs Woglinde and her companionsrealise their loss and their utter foolish-ness, darkness pervades the scene andthey make a futile attempt to catch thegnome. But gradually the light re-appears, and we see a stretch of rockycountry with a castle in the distance.

It is Walhalla, the palace of the gods,and Wagner, with his own special andconsummate art, evolves a characteristicmotive from the preceding one.Walhalla.

(HOEKS) * ^32


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Des NibelungenThis phrase will be subsequently

recognized as associated with Siegfried.Wotan and his wife Fricka are gazing atthe structure which the giants Fafnerand Fasolt have just completed forthem. But the price to be paid ishighno less than the delivering tothe giants of Freya, the goddess ofyouth and beauty, and the cultivatorof the golden apples which giveto the gods eternal youth. HereWagner has worked in from anothermyth this incident of the ransom,taking it from the story of Loke'scapture by the giant Thiasse.The reckoning has to be made, and

IFricka, whose intention it was, by the

' erection of this superb dwelling, to keepher wayward husband under close control, is inclined to forget in her anxiety

I that she, too, was a party to the bargain.33


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Wagner s Der RingFreya now appears appealing to the

gods for rescue ; and she is closelyfollowed by the giants in pursuit. Theponderous motive here introduced iswonderfully expressive of immense force.

The Giants.

Wotan, who at first refuses to fulfilhis bond, is warned by the giants ofthe dire consequences which will resul||if good faith is not kept with them.Wotan, however, temporizes pending thereturn of Loge, the cunning and malici-ous fire-spirit. Enemy of the gods ashe was, Wotan nevertheless confides in

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Des Nibelungenhim in the hope that his artfuhiess willsuggest some way out of the difficultyby finding a substitute to offer the giantsin place of Freya. Loge now arrives onthe scene, but he has found nothingthat he can suggest as an alternative.He tells, however, ofthe theft of the goldby Alberich and how possession of thetreasure has been obtained by the re-nunciation of love. At this recital thegiants' curiosity is aroused, but Wotanhas decided that he himself must possessthis ring lest Alberich should attain tosupreme power. The giants, however, aremasters of the situation and they offerto take this stolen Rhine-gold as aransom for Freya, holding her, mean-while, as a hostage.

In the music the quivering phraseappor,tioned to Loge will be noticed,and one closely related to it, the flames

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IWagner s Der Ring

announced by Wotan. These will appearas guarding the sleep of Brtinnhilde inthe next part of The Ring. In delight-ful contrast is the melody of the golderapples. No sooner has Freya beertaken away than the gods begin tdfeel the passage of time. Wotan therresolves to gain the Ring, not withthe object of restoring it to theRhine, but with that of regaining FreyaWagner here again brings originalityinto his scheme. He connects theentry of Sin, which leads to the down-^fall of the gods, with this treasure ofthe Rhine-gold, and thus makes a strongdramatic point.

In the interlude which accompaniesthe change in the scene, the Loge motiveis principally used, and the variousquotations from previous material grad-ually merge into the Forge^ which is

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Des Nibelungenreinforced by the sound of the anvils ofthe workers in the subterranean region ofNibelheim to which we now descend.The Forge.

By virtue of the Ring's power, Al-berich has subdued all the dark gnomes,and rules them with a rod of iron.One of them. Mime, has made for hima magic cap, the Tarnhelm, which hasthe power of making the wearer of itinvisible. The cunning dwarf wants tokeep this talisman for himself, butAlberich punishes him for his presump-tion. Wailings of impotence are heard,in the midst of which Wotan and Logeappear and see a long procession of theNibelungs carrying back the treasurethey have delved, and at the same time

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Wagner s Der Ringobserve an example of Alberich's des-potic power. Boasting of his own mightand plans for revenge, Alberich exultsover his visitors, and Wotan, in disgustand rage, raises his spear to slay thegnome. Loge's diplomacy, however,comes to the rescue, and he flattersAlberich, at the same time hintingthat they cannot quite believe in hiswonderful powers. In the music expres-sing Alberich's exultation, a clever useIs made of the first bar of the Walhallamotive, combined with that of Loge, ItIndicates that the gnome already believesthat his power, obtained by cunning andestablished by fire, is universally supremeJLoge cunningly invites Alberich tc

show off his powers. This the gnomedoes, changing himself first into a dragorand then into a repulsive toad. In thisshape his capture is easy, and the gods

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Des Nihehingensnatch him up and carry him to thesurface of the earth.

Alberich, captured like a rat in a trap,has first to yield his hoard of gold, nextthe magic cap, and finally the Ringitself. But Wotan has to tear this latterfrom Alberich's finger, and then thegnome, with horrible imprecations, callsdown a curse. The Ring shall bringnot power but destruction, not joy butmisery ; and the gnomes will devotetheir ceaseless energies to the destructionof the power of the gods.

Fafner and Fasolt now bring in Freyaand claim in exchange the promisedtreasure. Fasolt places her betweentheir two spears, which are set uprightlike pillars, and directs that the treasureshall be heaped up around her until herform is hidden. But for this the goldby itself will not suffice ; first the magic

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Wagner s Der Ringcap is added, and then the Ring itself, inorder to cover up the remaining aper-ture. Wotan, however, holds on tothis last treasure, just as Alberich hadstruggled to do. The giants are aboutto carry Freya away when Erda, thespirit of the earth and the mother ofthe Norns (the Fates of northern myth-ology) appears, and counsels Wotan togive up the accursed Ring. The char-acteristic phrase of the Norns is a minorThe Norns.

a"^ ^^- iform of the opening Rhine motive.Inverted, it will be recognized whenthe Fall of the Gods is foretold by Erda.The Fall of the Gods.


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Des NibelungenThis short but most important intro-duction of the prophecy of the end ofthe gods is taken from the Elder Edda.Knowing Erda*s power of seeing intofuturity, the gods, after consultation,agree to give up the Ring ; and its power,changed to evil, soon manifests itself.From wrangling, the giants come toblows, and Fasolt is slain.

In the Volsunga-saga, it is Fafner'sfather who is slain, and the brother,Regin, becomes the person representedby Mime in Siegfried. Fafner goes ofFtohide in the forest, and by the aid of theTarnhelm changes himself into a dragon,the better to guard his treasure, of whichhe is too stupid to make any use.While the gods have been watching

Fafner in the act of collecting his treas-ure, the sky has become overcast withclouds, and Donner disperses them by

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Wagner s Der Ringa storm. In contrast to the fierce tonecolour of the brass which accompaniesthe incantation, comes the radiant melodyof the rainbow, as its coloured arch isthrown across the sky for the entry ofthe gods into Walhalla. Wotan has beendeep in thought as to how he can pre-serve the supremacy of the gods nowthat the Ring has been lost to them.He will raise up a race of heroes oneof whom, helped by his divine origin,but of his own free will, shall atonefor the theft of the treasure by re-storing it to its place in the Rhine. Hepicks up a sword left by Fafner and theSword motive is heard.The Sword.

^^^^^^The picking up of the sword is anappeal to the eye merely, and though

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Des Nibelungenlegitimate, is added as an afterthought.Wagner's intention was to make themusic carry its special import.To the repetition and fuller treatment

of the Rainbow phrase, the gods passinto their palace along the path of light,whilst from the distance comes the moan-ing cry of the Rhine-maidens. Theprologue sets forth the impending doomand the inevitable end, and enables usto understand the curse which pursuesevery one who, however innocently,comes into possession of the treasure assymbolized by the Ring.Die Walkure.

In the first part of the Trilogy wesee the working out of Wotan's schemefor expiation through the human ele-ment which he has called into existence.First, there are the Valkyries, warrior-maidens, the embodiment of strength

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Wagner s Der Ringchief of whom is Brtlnnhilde, Wotan'sdaughter by Erdawhobring to Walhallathe heroes chosen by Wotan after theyhave perished in battle. Secondly, there arethe twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde, pre-destined for each other, but whose veryexistence, called into being at the will ofWotan for a set purpose, removes themfrom the plane of their fellow-mortals.Their union, necessary for the workingout of the purpose of the drama, mustbe regarded as a close affinity of kindredsouls ; and the main idea of the tragedyof the parents of Siegfried which weare now to consider is that of the su-premacy, first, of the moral law, andsecondly (in the punishment of Brtlnn-hilde), of the duty of obedience to thedivine command. Wagner changes thename of Signy, as found in the Vol-sunga-saga, to Sieglinde, which is the

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Des Nibelungenname given to Siegfried's mother in theNibelungenlied.The prologue is a wonderful piece of

descriptive writing. In the vast forest,within which we arc to see the hut ofHunding, a wild storm is raging. Asthe scene is revealed to our view thestorm abates. In the centre of the hutrises a huge tree which rears its headhigh above the roof. It is a counter-part of the mighty Ash-tree which over-shadows the roof of Walhalla.The door opens and a fugitive,

roughly clad in skins and buffeted bythe storm, enters to seek shelter fromthe elements. After glancing around infear he sinks, overcome with weariness,before the hearth. The descendingnotes heard in the prelude among thebases gradually resolve into the motiveof the "Tired Siegfried. To quote only

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Wagner s Der Ringone of many similar evolutions whichWagner brings about with such mastery,the hearer may be reminded of thegrowth of the Volhalla motive from itspredecessor "The Ring in the prologue.

Sieglinde now enters and is surprisedat the advent of a stranger. Sheawakens him and after ministering tohis comfort by giving him a draughtof mead, and by making a rapid exam-ination of his wounds, learns, byquestioning him, that he has beenchased by his enemies and that hisweapons have proved useless. Afteraccepting the drink at her hands, thefugitive wishes to go on his way, sincehe only brings trouble on those whoThe Walsung Race.

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Des Nibelungenwould keep him. Sieglinde answerswith sadness that he cannot possiblybring into her life more misfortunethan is already there, and presses himto await the return of Hunding, herhusband.As the two arc still gazing at each

other, Hunding appears, and glancingat the intruder, looks, with questioningeyes, upon his wife. A harsh yetvigorous theme is here given out bythe horns, in sharp contrast to the suavemelody v/hich is heard when the twoVolsungs are both being drawn to eachother. As he bids Sieglinde prepare themeal, to which he invites Siegmund,Hunding is struck by the likeness thelatter bears to his wife. When they areseated, Siegmund tells them the story ofhis birth and sufferings, how he and histwin sister are the children of Walse

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Wagner s Der Ring(the wolf) ^ and how their home was oneday burned to the ground by enemies,their mother being killed and thedaughter carried ofF. He goes on to tellhow he and his father lived in the woods,constantly hunted and pursued, and howat length he became separated from hisfather and never saw him again. Thenamong his adventures he recalls one inwhich he was called upon to protect amaiden who was being forced into an un-willing marriage, but being overpowered,after a valiant resistance, he saw themaiden die and managed to escape,weaponless. ^As Sieglinde is deeply touched by thenarrative, a development of the motiveof the Volsung race, emphasizing theirheroic attributes, swells into prominence.

^ Obviously the fabulous Were-wolf stories are herehinted at by Wagner.

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Des Nibelungen

Hundingj at the beginning of therecital, has recognized in Siegmund anenemy whom he has been called uponto fight by his own people. He decidesto give him shelter for the night and toengage him in combat on the morrow.^By the repetition of the Love motive,

as Handing retires to the inner room, thegrowing affection of Sieglinde for thevisitor is made apparent : and as sheglances at the tree we hear a part of theSword motive.

Siegmund, musing by the fire, thinksof the sword his father promised hewould find in his direst need andperil. By the fire, in his dream, the hiltof a sword is seen in the tree, but as yet

* Even the rough Hunding has sufficient acquaint-ance with chivalry to acknowledge the "guest-rigrht.'*

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Wag\Iters Der RitngSiegmund does not catch sight of it.He is absorbed in thoughts of Sieg-linde.

After securing Hunding's sure sleepby means of a drugged drink, Sieglindecomes back, ostensibly to warn Siegfriedof danger, and to bid him fly in thedarkness of the night. She then tellshim the circumstances of her enforcedunion with Hunding, and how astranger entered the hall while themen sat over their cupsa weird figureclad in a cloak and with one of his eyescovered by a slouch hat. The Walhallamotive here gives us the cluethatthis was Wotan.^

Sieglinde further relates that thisstrange person plunged the sword he

1 The explanation of the one eye of the strangeris undoubtedly to be found in the connection betweenWotan and Odin, the Sun God.

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Des Nibelungenwas carrying into the ash, stating at thesame time that only he who was worthyto wield the weapon would be able towithdraw it. In her heart Sieglindehopes that Siegmund may be the one toperform this act.

Siegmund, now worked up into afrenzy of love, passionately clasps her tohis breast and declares his love. As hedoes so the door of the hut flies open,and the moon floods the interior withlight. To the entrancing beauty of theSpring song the orchestra throbs in ful-ness and delicacy.

In their transport they graduallybecome aware of the likeness they bearto one another. They learn that Wotan,under the name of Walse, was theirfather ; and Sieglinde, now that she is

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Wagner s Der Ringsure he can gain the tree-embeddedsword, names him Siegmund. As hewithdraws it, we hear the warning noteof renunciation ; but Siegmund joyfullydubs the weapon Nothung, as he raisesit on high and clasps Sieglinde. Asthe love motive swells out in theorchestra, Sieglinde reveals the factthat she is sister as well as bride ; andwhen the Sword motive has been trum-peted forth, the impending tragedy isforetold by the phrase of the NibelungSywhich is heard as the curtain descends.^

The Second Act.In the prelude to the second act,

the music carries on the action bydepicting the flight of the pair fromHunding's dwelling. Towards the endwe hear the cry of the Valkyries,

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Des Nibehmgensounding the note of that which is tofollow.

The Valkyries.

i^^^^^^^^^In the midst of wild and rocky

scenery, Wotan and his daughter BrQnn-hilde appear. The god orders her to gainthe victory for Siegmund in his combatwith Hunding, and as she mounts therock to call her warrior-sisters, shewarns her father of the approach ofFricka, who comes in indignation todemand punishment for the violaters ofthe sanctity of marriage.

In vain Wotan tries to explain awaythe offence by showing the motivewhich led to the creation of a race ofheroes, one of whom, by his own freewill, shall rid them of the curse. A


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Wagner s Der Rmgdeep phrase is heard muttering on thebass of the wood-wind, indicative ofWotan*s anger. He sees that he must

3:=f=:^^^^^give way to Fricka, and so he pledgeshis word to give the victory toHunding.

Brannhilde, equipped for the fight,and leading her war-steed, Grane,enters ; but stays her progress on see-ing Wotan in such a gloomy andabstracted mood. To her he reveals,his thoughts and broodings. Into hersympathetic ear he pours the taleof his distress, of his desire forsupreme power and the story of theGold and the Ring ; and how thecurse from which he has worked toescape has rested on him and his race.

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Des NibelmigenIn this long and magnificent scene,although the music is dominated by themotive of Wotan's anger, the wonder-ful and complete use of precedingmotives will be recognized ; andthere is besides that master stroke toadmire in the change of the Walhallamotive, announcing the coming fall ofthe Gods, which comes in towards theclose.

Brtlnnhilde realizes that Wotan isfighting against himself in that hewishes to destroy his beloved Siegmund,to whom she feels her heart go outin sympathy. Wotan has for the firsttime to express anger before Brttnnhildecan be brought to fulfil his command.In enlisting Brtlnnhilde on the side ofthe parents of Siegfried, Wagner givesus a proof of his genius as a dramatistpure and simple. No hint of such a

SS


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JVagfiers Der Ringconnection save with Siegfried himselfis to be found in the old stories.

Sieglinde now enters to the hurriedand impetuous motive oiFlight a develop-^^^P^ip^p fmcnt of the phrase used in connection

with Freya in the prologue when shewas pursued by the giants. Siegmundis not far behind her, spurred on bythe sound of the horn and thehounds, which are heard in the distance.In her distress Sieglinde becomes un-conscious and sinks to the ground.BrUnnhilde comes out of her hiding-place and reveals to Siegmund that hemust prepare for death, and follow herto the abode prepared for the valiantones. Very touching is his renuncia-tion of the joys she offers him. If

56


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Des NibelungenSieglindej his beloved, cannot accom-pany him to Walhalla, then let com-mon death and oblivion claim him.And rather than allow Sieglinde to fallinto the hands of the conquerors, hewill kill her as she lies. Then BrQnn-hilde's sympathy gets the better of herjudgment. She tells him of the lifewithin Sieglinde which must be pre-served, and assures him of her protec-'tion. Notice with what genius Wagnerturns the Death motive into the major,and puts it into the form of the Flightmotive, thus transferring it to Hunding.Gently removing Sieglinde to a shelterednook, Siegmund, in joyful confidence,hastens off to meet the foe. The stormclouds which have' been darkening thescene now burst and the lightning-flashesreveal the combatants, with BrUnnhildeprotecting Siegmund. Just as the latter

57


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Wagner s Der Ringis aiming the death-blow at Handing,Wotan becomes visible, and interposes hisspear; Siegmund*s weapon flies to pieces,and the victory is Hunding's. Asdarkness again intervenes, Brttnnhildeseizes the inanimate Sieglinde andcarries her off, and a momentaryflash shows us Hunding removing hissword from the body of his foe. ButHunding's triumph is short lived. Interrible wrath Wotan slays him witha look ; and in furious rage at Brttnn-hilde's disobedience starts in pursuit ofher.

The Third Act.The prelude to the Third Act is

the now familiar Ride of the Valkyries,which it might well be wished were lesswell-known. Its effect, startling enough

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Des Nihelu?igenby its vivid movement, would be greaterif it were never heard save in its properplace in the work.Four of the warrior maidens areseen, as the curtain rises, uttering theirexultant war-cry ; and one by one theothers fly through the clouds, eachbearing a hero on the saddle. Briinn-hilde is the last, and she bears a livingwoman, Sieglinde. The storm is in-creasing in violence and one feels instinc-tively that Wotan is behind it, and thatthe storm of his anger is soon to be etloose. The suspense becomes intensi-fied as we hear the refusal of thewarrior-maidens to aid Brunnhilde andher protigee, Sieglinde, after reproach-ing her protector for the loss of herher husband, is at last comforted by thethought of the free hero she is soon togive birth to, and she is persuaded to take

59


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Wag7ters Der Ringrefuge in the forest where Fafner dwells.BrQnnhilde gives her the fragments ofthe Sword broken in the contest, anddirects that the name of Siegfried shallbe given to the child.

Nearly the whole of the music of thisopening scene is a development of theRide motive, until a splendid themeannounces the Siegfried that is to beborn as the guardian of the Sword, aglimpse of which has been seen in the

# t=t= ijr- ;^ ^second act. Then Sieglinde sings theRedemption by Love^ of which consider-able use is made in the last part of the

trilogy, of which it forms the climax.The wonderfully impressive scene

6q


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Des Nibelungeftwhich follows demands undivided at-tention. It will be seen that the musicgrows mainly out of Wotan's anger.The sorrow ot Wotan, the submissionof poor BrQnnhilde, need little explana-tion. The imposition of a new life,of a human existence, on the warrior-maiden ; her pathetic appeal to herfather to protect her from any save aman of supreme strength and valour ;the taking away of her divinity by akiss form a scene, the dramatic intensityof which is painful, and makes amention of musical material and treat-ment seem altogether unnecessary. Themysterious harmony of the charmed4eep, and the striking theme which is

1^w^T-


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Der Riitg Des Nibelungenassociated with Brannhilde are made toculminate with consummate skill inthe Flame theme, as Loge causes thering of fire to spring up at Wotan'srequest and the latter accedes to thelast wish of his courageous child.After Wotan's supremely touchingfarewell, all the motives seem to dis-solve into the peaceful sleep of Brtlnn-hilde. As a last touch of genius, whenWotan takes a final look at his beloveddaughter whom he has thus been com-pelled to punishthe punishment, ofcourse, being symbolical of deathWagner quotes the dread Fate motive.Thus again, at the end of each

part of this mighty drama,we are left face to face,

as it were, with theinevitable.

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Siegfried.The First Act.

TRULY delightful in its spontaneousfreshness, the second part of theTrilogy comes as a welcome relief fromthe intensity of the preceding section.Its predominating note is reminiscentof Nature in her loveliness, its purportthe teaching she imparts to an open mind ;and in listening to the free descrip-tive music we may well reserve forsecondary consideration the fascinatingtask of examining its structure formotives. The story of Siegfried, thetypical Teutonic hero, leading up tothe awakening of BrUnnhilde as itscentral point, is a brief respitea day of


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Wagner s Der Ringjoy, and we need not think of thegloom of the morrow. It is of interestto note in passing that Wagner, whohas hitherto mainly followed the Volsun-ga-saga, now turns to the less-knownThidrek-saga, of which mention hasalready been made.The prelude is made up of familiar

material, the Amassing of the Treasure^ theRhigj the Swordy and the NibelungsTriumph^ with the Forge gradually assert-ing itself. The intention is to bring usinto the workshop of the dwarf (who isguarding the hero whom Sieglinde hasborne), and to indicate the secret hopesof ultimately gaining the Treasure forhimself that are filling Mime's mind.For it is on the hopeless task ofattempt-ing to re-unite the fragments of Sieg-mund's sword that Mime (who takesthe place of Regin in the old story)


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Des Nibehmgenis engaged. With muttered impreca-tions evoked by his own impotencesince with such a weapon the boy couldeasily attain the coveted RingMimecontinues his task, well knowing thatevery blade he fashions will be brokenby Siegfried.

Leading a bear which he has captured,Siegfried comes bounding in. After

Siegfried's Call.

li^^Si^^:^^^^frightening the dwarf, he sets the animalfree and demands the Sword that hastaken so long in the making. Hisanimation and buoyant spirits are shownby the next motive, ^e joy of life.With a blow, he snaps the blade whichMime gives him, and will not listen tothe dwarfs explanations. Then Mime


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Wagner s Der RingThe Joy of Life.

U^'X^jtells a whining tale of careful upbring-ing, of his sitting at home himself whilstthe boy was roaming the forest. Sieg-fried, in disgust, cuts the story short byasking who his parents were. To asoft melody given by the 'cellos (whichexpresses his own love of nature), Sieg-fried tells how even the animals in theforest have their parents, and that hehimself has seen the love the latterbear to their offspring. In confusion.Mime tells the boy that he himselfis both father and mother to him.But Siegfried has not learnt Nature'slesson in vain. He tells the dwarf thateven young animals bear some likeness


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Des Nihelungento their parents ; and that since he hasseen his own features mirrored inthe water, he knows full well thatMime is lying. But it requires someforce on Siegfried's part before the dwarfcan be made to disclose the knowledgethe boy seeks ; and then to a repetitionof the Volsung motives, Mime tells ofSieglinde's sufferings, how he foundher in the forest, gave her the shelter ofhis hut, and how in giving birth to achild she died, first directing that thebabe should be named Siegfried. Ofthe father Mime could give no particu-lars. All that he knew was that he wasslain in a fight, and that the fragmentsof his Sword has been carefully preserved.

In proof of his veracity, Mime nowproduces the pieces and shows them toSiegfried. The boy is overjoyed to findthat Mime is not his father, and that the


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Wagner s Der Ringdingy forge is not his home. To ajoyous theme of freedom, he goes outagain into the forest, first ordering Mimeto complete his task of reuniting thefragments of the Sword before hisreturn.

Wandering Siegfried.

Wotan, disguised as the Wanderer(Odin, a familiar figure in northernmythology), now arrives on the scene tofind Mime in despair at his inability toaccomplish the task. In spite of thedwarfs churlish reception, the god seatshimself by the forge and makes a wager,with his head as forfeit, that he will


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Des Nibelungenanswer any three questions the dwarfmay put to him. In this ^contest byriddles ' Wagner is making use of anepisode frequently to be found inmediaeval poetry (as in the poem of theWartburg Krieg), and the music ofthe scene is of marvellous beauty,each reply being annotated by themotives which are associated with thesubject touched upon. Mime, think-ing to get rid of his prying visitor,takes up the challenge, and puts the firstquestion " By whom are the depths ofthe earth peopled } '' To this theanswer comes " By the Nibelungs, andAlberich was once their master." Theanswer to second questionas to therace inhabiting the surface of the earth

is "The giants,'' the informationbeing added that the dragon Fafnernow guards the treasure that was once


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JVagners Der Ringtheirs. The answer to Mime's lastquestionas to the dwellers in theheavensis expressed, musically, bythe Walhalla motive and is emphasisedby a thunderclap.

It is now Mime's turn to be ques-tioned. To the first two questionshe readily answersthat the Volsungrace is the most favoured by Wotan, andthat Nothung is the Sword by which thedragon can be vanquished ; but the thirdplaces the dwarf in the Wanderer's power,since he cannot tell who shall forge theSword. With the intimation that theMime's head will be claimed as forfeit byone who, never having experienced fear,will forge the Sword and with it destroyFafner, the god takes his departure.Here a bright flame flickers over the

scene (in which, by the music, we recog-nise the mocking of Loge). Mime sinks


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Des Nibelungenappalled ; and the words of theWanderer, in whom he has recognisedWotan, come into his mind as Siegfriedenters and demands the Sword. Inorder that the boy shall not be able tocomplete the task, Mime resolves toteach him fear. Weirdly expressive isthe way in which the themes of the Firemotive and the Slumber of BrlXnnhilde 'xxtintroduced and interwoven as Mime tellsthe boy of Fafner.

Siegfried, in his anxiety to meet themonster, and to experience this newsensation of fear, decides to forge theSword himself. The ending of thescene carries the listener av/ay by thesheer strength of its life and descriptiveforce. Beginning with the joyful phraseheard on Siegfried's first entry, we hearin quick succession quotations from allthe previous material as Siegfried works


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Wagner s Der Ringthe bellows and goes through all the pro-cesses of forging the blade. The richfulness of sound culminates in the songof the Forge, punctuated by imitativeeiFects of hammering and filing, and evenof the hissing ofthe water as the blade isplunged into the trough for tempering.And all the while there is the cunningby-play to watch as the dwarf pretendsto prepare food, with the intention ofintroducing poison into the mess, sothat he may gain the gold for himselfv/hen the boy shall have slain thedragon. Mime*s malice and Siegfried*sardour are contrasted with superb effect

;

and after the Sword has been forged andtested with the result of the cleavageof the anvil, the act closes with anexultant shout of joy as Siegfriedtriumphs in the possession of the swordNothung,


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Des NibelungenThe Second Act.

In front of the entrance to the holewhere the dragon Fafner sleeps over hisuseless hoard, we see, through the deepgloom which shrouds the scene, the Nibe-lung, Alberich. As the wind sweeps acloud away and allows a moonbeam topierce the darkness, another figure, that ofWotan, becomes visible ; and the gnome,in anger, accuses the god of desiring tohelp Siegfried in the coming combat.But Wotan has no intention of againattempting to aid the hero of his crea-tion. He even warns Alberich ofMime's plan for gaining the Ring, andproposes to waken the dragon so as totell him of his danger, and to offer himprotection in exchange for the covetedTreasure. Growling from out of thedepths of his den, Fafner declines the


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Wagner s Der Rmgproffered exchange; and Wotan de-parts.Armed with the sword, Siegfried

arrives, accompanied by Mime. Thedwarf, as he points out the dragon'scave, conjures up a horrible picture ofthe noisome beast, in the music ofwhichpassage some of the leaping chromaticsof Loge and the roar of Fafner arebrought in. Siegfried's lack of fear isindicated, amongst other phrases, by themotive of the Volsung race.When Mime withdraws to conceal

himself, Siegfried is left alone withNature in the forest ; and soon the earis entranced by the exquisitely idyllicmusic, which continues until the atten-tion is called to the note of one bird inparticular. One of these phrases ispractically the same as Brunnhildessleeps which itself is obviously derived


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Des Nihelungenfrom the Rhine-maidens. Siegfried triesto imitate the bird's note by means

The Voice of the Bird.

of a pipe which he fashions out ofa reed, but discards this in favour ofhis horn, which he sounds (as he hasoften done before in calling to his dumbcompanions), adding to his familiar callthe Guardian of the Sword.

In reply, Fafner crawls out to meetthe intrepid boy, and begins to spurtforth his deadly venom. Awaiting hisopportunity, Siegfried plunges the swordinto Fafner's heart ; and the dyingmonster, struck by the boy's courage,reveals his identity and the hidden dangerthat lurks in Mime's mind. As Siegfried


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IVagners Der Ringdraws forth the sword, his hand becomesscorched by the fierce heat of the dra-gon's blood, which, as he puts his handto his mouth, he tastes. In an instantthe voice of the bird becomes intelligibleto him, and he stands amazed. Helearns by this means of the preciousTreasure, of the Ring and the magic Capwhich are concealed in the cave, anddisappears in search of them.

Alberich and Mime now meet, andquarrel bitterly as to the ownership ofthe Treasure now that the dragon hasbeen slain. In rage they withdraw, asSiegfried returns with both Cap andRing in his possession. The vehementbickering of the dwarfs gives way oncemore to the placid bcavity of the forestidyll as the bird reveals to SiegfriedMime's treacherous designs. Hencewhen the dwarf comes back with fawn-


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Des Nibeliingening caresses and offers him refreshment,Siegfried realises the depth of his guiltyschemes and kills him. As he sitsawhile at the foot of the tree to rest, thebird proceeds to tell him of a lovelymaiden who sleeps upon a rock, awaitinga hero who shall brave the girdle of firethat surrounds her. With ajoyous shoutand with renewed vigour Siegfried bidsthe bird lead him to Brttnnhilde.

Since the combat with the dragon, themusic is a masterly weaving together ofmaterial now perfectly familiar, whichis continued until, later on, the bird*swarbling becomes increasingly promi-nent. Fafner's death, to the accompani-ment of a stroke on the drum, and thedeath of Mime to that of a harsh succes-sion of thirds, into which the hatefulglee of Alberich is introduced, are specialeffects that will hardly escape notice.


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JVagners Der RingThe Third Act.

In the prelude, the predominance ofthe Ride^ merging gradually into Destinyand the Wanderer^ prepares us foranother scene with Wotan.

It will be remembered that in the caseof this act Wagner took up the writingof the music after a long interval. It issurprising to find no break in the con-tinuity of the music ; but the fact becomesless curious when we remember the planon which Wagner was working. Theopening scene with Wotan, so far as thestory is concerned, is in the nature of arecapitulationa statement of the posi-tion of affairs at the moment.As the curtain rises, we see the god

in a wild and lonely place at the base ofthe rocks on whose summit BrQnnhildereposes. He has come to break in upon


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Des NibelungenErda's long sleep. Musically, this sceneis of sublime grandeur ; and by itWotan learns that she has nothing moreto impart to him since he is ready tobow his head to the inevitable decrees offate, and no longer fears the approach-ing end.The World's Heritage.

sm^mmHe is content to yield up his powerto Siegfried (in whose hands the Ringwill lose the greater part of its evilpower) and BrQnnhilde (who, havinginherited her father's wisdom, will guideand direct the hero, in the work of theworld, by love). Erda sinks back againinto her charmed sleep, and darkness fallsover the scene.

Siegfried, led by the bird, now enters ;


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Wagner s Der Ringbut his further progress to BrOnnhildeis barred by Wotan. Wonderful is therunning commentary of the music as thehero tells of his journey. We hear theBird who has guided him, and Fafner bywhose death the magic gifts have comeinto his possession ; the Forge remindsus of his up-bringing by the dwarf, andthe Volsung Race recalls his origin.At Wotan's questionings Siegfried

becomes impatient. Stung by theyouth's taunts, Wotan, who is waveringwith regard to his resignation, endeavoursto inspire him with fear by threateningthe power of the flames. As Wotan raiseshis spear, Siegfried rushes at him andshatters it with his sword. The flamesswell up as the vanquished god disap-pears ; and with a joyful cry, Siegfriedplunges through the wall of fire andsounds a greeting on his horn.


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Des NibelufigenAs the scene changes, the character-

istic motives, gradually merging intoBrunnhtlde s Sleepy form an impressiveinterlude by which Siegfried's journey tothe summit of the rocks is indicated.As the open space and the fir-tree,which we saw in the last act of DieWalktire, become visible, the Freyamotive, announced in wonderful fashionby the violins, takes the lead ; andSiegfried finds the object of his quest.Love's Fascination (used once in DasRheingold) is soon followed by thespecial themes with which we left theintrepid daughter of Wotan, andJVotans Farewell is repeated. Singularlybeautiful are the interweavings of othermotives, principally those of Freya andFate.

After the first amazement at hisdiscovery, Siegfried loosens the sleeper's


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Wagner s Der Ringhelmet and is yet more astonished at thelong tresses which fall therefrom. Sever-ing the thongs from the breastplate withhis sword, he discovers the form of awoman, which awakens a memory ofhis mother. Other emotipns soon crowdinto his heart, and he questions himselfas to whether it be fear he now experi-ences. At Siegfried's kiss, Brtlnnhildeopens her eyes.Then begins a love-duet such as

Wagner alone could write, and the enjoy-ment of its power and beauty, itsemotional force and irresistible flow, isnot lessened when we recognise how.much nearer the opera form Wagner isnow tending. To Siegfried's impetuousdelight there is contrasted Brtinnhilde'sregret, as the thought ofher lost divinityand power comes back to her. But evenas she regards the token of these losses


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Des Nibelungen(the discarded armour), a new love, thatof a living woman, springs up in herheart and she cannot withstand its sway.In ecstasy, she gives herself to the herowho has won her.From Brtlnnhilde's first awakening,

as she hails the world again after herlong sleep, to the enthusiastic lovemotive which, after its first use, Is re-

introduced for the climax of this magnifi-cent ending, the frequent use of preced-ing themes, such as Wotan s Anger^ theCurse ofthe Ring and the Ride will be easilyfollowed. Ihe Guardian of the Swordis heard when Siegfried's rapture Is atIts height ; and the three main themes,


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JVagners Der Ringwith the Sleep motive, will be recognisedas the material out of which, on thebasis of an old German lullaby, Wagnerformed the symphonic poem known asthe Siegfried Idyll.

i ^ ^ I 1--^;=j:ss;Thus in a strenuous outburst of

triumphant melody this exhilarating


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Des Nibehmgensection of the great drama comes to anend ; but it is of interest to call attentionbriefly to the similarity between thiscentral incident of BrUnnhilde's awak-ening to the old myth of the Earth^sawakening under the power of the Sun,which has come down to us in itsmost familiar form in the homely taleof the "Sleeping Beauty." In theThidrek-saga, of which mention hasbeen made as the source to whichWagner mainly turned for this portionof the w^ork, BrUnnhilde dwells in acastle, and Siegfried bursts open thedoors to gain her. In other folk-tales,she is represented as dwelling upon amountain of glass, up the sides of whichnone but Sigurd (Siegfried's counterpart)can climb or ride. And this version ofthe story leads to the generally acceptedconclusion that the incident is typical of


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Der Ring Des Nibelungena hero's visit to the Underworld,theplace of departed spirits. Thus fromthe fascination of the study of the

music we are led by Wagner'simmortal work to dip at

least into the equallyabsorbing studyof Folk-lore.


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GotterdAmmerung.Many are the points of interest in

this concluding section, which should bemore than briefly touched upon in thissetting forth of the story and Music ofthe Ring. In writing the Death ofSiegfried, the germ from which thecompleted cycle of dramas sprang,Wagner reversed the usual order ofprocedure and began at the end. Inthis " Dusk of the gods '' we have theoriginal story as planned by him, and infitting it on to the preceding sections itwas necessary to have a recapitulation.Thus the first scene with the Norns isanother prologue.As indicated in the last part of

Siegfried, when Wagner took up hisinterrupted labours, the music ofGotterdammerung is even more com-pletely cast in the operatic mould ; but


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Wagner s Der Ringthe treatment of the constructionalthemes, and the free melodic writing Isso grand and picturesque that its forceis still very far from being restrained byany conventional limits. The over-whelming disaster which overtakes thegods, and the overthrow of their power,to which we have been led in expectation,comes with such intensity that thespectacular effect of the ending, withits mighty conflagration and its surgingflood, is discounted.

After Brtinnhilde's awakening Itcannot be denied that the last stagesin Siegfrled*s career lose power andsome of their impressiveness by beingcrowded together within the limits of apractical presentation. The hero, infact, suff"ers the same disadvantage asSeigmund, his father, did by thenecessary shortening of the story. In


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Des Nibelungencomparison with the Volsunga-saga andthe Nibelunglied, Wagner's dramafalls below the supreme dignity of theaccount and the circumstances ofSiegfried's death. Again, in judginghis treatment of the character ofBrUnnhilde in this final sectionand itwill be seen and felt that she loses, in agreat measure, her claim on our sym-pathy, it must be remembered that therelations between her and Siegfried havebecome obscured in the various tales bywhich the legend has been handed down.Wagner seems at least to give the cor-rect version of the story in regardingBrttnnhilde as not only betrothed toSiegfried, but actually wedded to him.The First Act.

In the opening scene we are intro-duced to the three Nornsthe Fates of


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JVagners Der RingNorthern mythologywhose names areUrd, Verdandi and Skuld (signifyingthe past, present and future), and whoappear to have been in existence beforethe gods. As they spin the cord ofdestiny, they tell the story of Wotan'svisit to the spring which waters the rootof the World-ash, and how, in paymentfor a draught at the fountain of wisdomhe gave up one of his eyes. Thesecond sister takes up the narrative,and tells of the spear, which Wotanformed out of one of the branches otthe tree, being shattered by the younghero. The youngest of the three, inher turn, speaks of the making of acolossal pyre around the abode of thegods ; and that when this shall take firethe end of the power by which theyrule the world will come. As the cordsnaps in consequence of Alberich's


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Des Nibelungenmalediction, the sisters lose their powerof seeing into the future, and sink intothe earth to join the eternal sleep ofErda. As the day breaks, Siegfriedand BrUnnhilde appears, and with vowsof faithfulness exchange gifts of thering and the horse Grane. Brtinnhilde,having taught Siegfried all her sacredlore, bids him go out into the world andseek fresh adventures. After embracingher he sets out on his journey, and thejoyful sound of his horn is heard as hegoes down the valley.The greatly developed music of this

prologue may be regarded as divided intwo parts at the conclusion of the scenewith the Norns. As before, when wehave had a re-statement of the positionof affairs, the motives are brought beforeus in explanatory fashion.The action is carried on by the inter-


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Wagner s Der Ringlude that is heard on the fall of thecurtain. The flame-music tells of Sieg-fried's descent ; and the Rhine maidens^and the Gold indicates that he has reachedthe river. Then the note of what is tocome is announced by the brass, in theGibichung motive.As the curtain rises on a castle

interior, we are introduced to the newcharacters, Gunther and Gutrune, thelast of the Gibichung race, and their evilcounsellor, Hagen, partly a Nibelung.In the case of the two former personages,the introduction of historical details intothe legend has caused obscurity. Thefather of the royal house of Gibich(connected, apparently, with Giuki, oneof the names of Odin, in the Volsunga-saga), the mother and some youngerbrothers have disappeared from thestory ; and in the Thidrek-saga, these


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Des Ntbelungenkings of the Burgundian Rhine district,are also Nibelungs. In the originalstory Kriemhild (the Gutrune ofWagner's drama) is a more importantcharacter than Brtinnhilde. Indeed, itwould have been a decided gain ifWagner had made her a more formid-able rival in Siegfried's love ; but,interesting as these comparisons are, wemust deal with the ending as Wagnerplanned it.

The Gibichungs.

By the pompous Gibichung motivethe character of K^e race, greedy anddomineering, is clearly indicated. It is,in fact, similar to the attributes of theNibelungs. The cunning Hagen now


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Wagner s Der Ringtells Gunther that there still remainssomething which he has not yet secured.The pride and strength of the race is indanger of being lost, seeing that thetwo remaining representatives haveneither of them a mate. So these twoare told of Siegfried and Brtlnnhilde ashusband for one and wife for the other ;and Hagen reminds Gunther that hecan prepare a magic potion, by takingof which Siegfried will forget aboutBrttnnhilde and fall in love withGutrune. Weird and mysterious, themotive of ForgetfulnesSy]o\ntd on to thatof the Tainhelm is given out by the horns.FORGETFULNESS.


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Des NihelungenBy Seigfried's call we know the hero

Is crossing the river and approaching thecastle. Gunther and Hagen, with fairwords, greet him as he enters and offerhim their friendship. Hagen nowreminds Siegfried of the treasure, andthe hero produces the magic cap as theonly portion of it which he took awaywith him ; but he tells them of the ringwhich now graces the finger of the[fairest of women.I

Gutrune re-enters and offers him a[draught from a drinking horn. WithiBrtinnhilde's name on his hps, Siegfriedtakes it and the potion does its work.Gradually the melody ot Brtinnhilde'sfirst greeting glides into Wotans bequest ;and upon it, like a delicate embroidery,is placed Briinnhilde's awakening. Thenithe motive of Forgetfulness gives place tothat of Gutiune. Siegfried gazes on


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JVao;ners Der Rinp-fUTRUNE.

^^^^^r rher in rapture as she slowly retires.

He asks Gunther if he has a wife, andlearns without the least surprise, that itis BrOnnhilde whom the latter desires towin. Siegfried cheerfully assents toovercome the danger of fire and bringBrtlnnhilde in exchange for Gutrune.In delight, Gunther proposes an inter-change of faithful vows. With sinisterimport the Curse is quoted, as both areunconsciously falling in with Hagen'swicked designs to obtain possession ofthe ring. Gutrune watches the two setforth on the joprney ; and retiring


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Des Nihelungenagain, Hagen is left gloating over thesituation. In the music, Alberkh"revenge indicates the final triumph of^evil.

In the next scene we have anotherinterruption to the story in a scenebetween BrUnnhilde and Waltraute, oneof her Valkyrie sisters. Brtlnnhilde^sfirst thoughts are that Wotan haspardoned her ; and she reflects on thejoy that has come to her out of herpain. But Waltraute has only sadtidings to bring. As in the scene withthe NornSj we hear of the pyre whichWotan has built around the palace, andof the gloomy resignation with whichhe awaits the end. Once he hasannounced that if the accursed Ringwere restored to the Rhine, the godsand the world would be saved ; and itis for this reason that Waltraute has


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Wagner s Der Ringcome to her sister. But she has todepart in despair, for Brdnnhilde utterlyrefuses to give up the pledge whichSiegfried, her hero and her loved one,has given her. Rather let Walhallaperish.

BrUnnhilde starts up in joyful anticipa-tion as she hears Siegfried's horn.But she is terrified to see him appearin the shape of another, Gunther.Brttnnhilde thinks that Wotan hasdevised this calamity as another punish-ment. With brutal force Siegfriedsnatches off the ring, places it on hisfinger, and declaring her henceforth thebride of Gunther. This scene, intenselypainful, is emphasised in a masterlyfashion by the association of the Gunthertheme with the voice of Siegfried.Underneath the music there is theNibelung motive, and quotations of the


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Des NibelungenSiegfried themes come in with a patheticforce. There is a strenuous motiveindicative of loyalty to his new friendas Siegfried unsheaths his sword, butthe Power of the Helm will be recognisedas the leading musical idea in this tellingscene.

The Second Act.The second act, after a prelude in

which the Nibelungs triumph and theRing are predominant, opens with ascene between Hagen and his fatherAlberich. We are by the banks of theRhine, and the Gibichung's castle, justvisible through the darkness, is in thebackground. Hagen is in a species oftrance, and Alberich's evil promptingsweave themselves into his dream. Hepromises to gain the ring.

As day breaks, S^'egfried arrives and


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Wagner s Der Ringjoyfully announces to Gutrune that hehas obtained Brdnnhilde for her brother.Hagen calls together the vassals andbids them prepare for the arrival of themaster and his bride, and orderssacrifices to be offered on the altarstones, which are set up by the riverbank. A boat brings Gunther andBriinnhilde, and the unhappy womangazes in amazement at Siegfried, intowhose remembrance not a thought ofrecognition comes. Then as she catchessight of the ring, her fury finds Ytnt inaccusation : and Hagen, quick to beginhis plan of vengeance, prompts her totake action against her treacherousbetrayer. She repulses the sympatheticadvances of Gunther, and declares thatSiegfried is the one to whom she is in-dissolubly bound.

But Siegfried is merely concerned


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Des Nibelungenwith proving his loyalty to his friend,and swears on his sword that he has notviolated Gunther's bride. In agony ather abandonment, BrQnnhilde turnsto Hagen, and gives away the secretthat Siegfried's back is not in-vulnerable. But Gunther is appalledat the thought of murdering the manwhom he is pledged in friendship. Heeven thinks of his sister's grief, and themention of this other woman's namegoads BrQnnhilde into frenzy. Guntheris brought to acquiesce in the murder.The hunt which is fixed for the morrowshall furnish the pretext. It shall begiven out that a boar has killed Sieg-fried. The bridal procession withSiegfried and Gutrune now enters, andGunther, taking BrQnnhilde's unwillinghand, joins the train. The theme ofGuhunes Welcome is modified into the


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Wagner s Der Ringmarriage call, but Hagen's evil purposeis heard as the curtain falls.

The Third Act.Siegfried, in the chase, has strayed

from his companions. We are by thebanks of the river again, as the pre-dominance of the Rhine Maidens in theprologue has led us to expect.The three maidens try to induce

Siegfried to give up the ring, but theirwarnings are unheeded. As the othersassemble, the motive of the Curse isheard weaving itself into the sound of thehuntsmen's horns. Siegfried laughinglytells them of the croakings of theRhine Maidens, at which, Gunther'sattention is arrested. To Hagen'squestion as to his knowledge of thelanguage of the birds, Siegfried relates the


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Des Nibelungenstory of his youth. During its recital,Hagen has prepared an antidote to thepotion under the spell of which Sieg-fried is bound, and now offers it to thehero. Then, to a running accompani-ment of the themes in the music, asmemory returns to him, Siegfried relatesthe finding of Briinnhilde. His atten-tion is distracted for an instant by theflight of two ravens, and then Hagen,seizing his opportunity, plunges hisspear into Siegfried's back. With aneffort, Siegfried raises his shield to crushhis assassin, but he falls upon it as hisstrength ebbs. Dying, he recalls thesupreme moment when his kissawakened Brtinnhilde.The special motives are here employed

by Wagner in their fullest development,and a striking effect is obtained by theuse of Siegfried's callj, which is never


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Wagner s Der Ringfinished, but breaks off like the lastbreath of a dying man. To the motiveof Brunnhildes lovcy and with her nameon his lips, he dies. Magnificentlyeloquent is the remaining portion of themusic known as Siegfried*s funeralmarch. It is more properly an oration.The life and sorrows of this scion of theVolsung race are vividly pictured. Asthe vassals bear Siegfried away, mistsand darkness fill the scene ; and thescene changes to the interior of theGibichung's palace, with the river in thebackground.As the corpse is brought in, Gutrune,

v/ho has had a presentiment of thetragedy, questions Gunther ; and shethen learns of Hagen's foul deed.But Hagen, far from being appalled atthe accusation, comes forward to claimthe ring as his reward. Gunther, in


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Des Nibelungendefending it as the heritage of Gutrune,is slain by Hagen, who then approachesthe corpse to take it by force. But thedead man's hand raises itself in warn-ing, and in horror Hagen steps back.The end of the scene is filled with

the dignity of Brilnnhilde's sorrow. Sherepulses the weeping Gutrune, andreminds her that she is the one to whomSiegfried gave his heart. She ordersthe vassals to prepare a pyre to burnthe body, and sends for her horse,Grane. To the assembled people shebequeaths her knowledge which she hasgained at the price of such terriblesuffering. Nc' gold, nor power, butLove, all powerful, and in comparisonwith which the Gods are as nothing, isthe ruler of the Universe. Removingthe bridle from the horse, she springson his back, and together they leap into


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Wagner s Der Ringthe flames. As the pyre burns downin dense smoke, the Rhine is seen tobe overflowing its banks ; and on thesurging flood are borne the Rhine-maidens. With a last effbrt Hagenthrows himself into the waters in thehope of yet securing the Ring, whichBrttnnhilde placed on her finger beforeshe leapt into the flames. But one ofthe Rhme-maidens has secured it, andthe other two drag Hagen down intothe watery grave. Then the scene isfilled with the lurid light of the burningWalhalla as, in a seething furnace, theGods are annihilated.

But this splendidly emotional endingin which the majesty of Brtlnnhilde'sgrief is supreme, is as nothing to themusical narration. Operatic as thisfinal section of The Ring may be, itis music such as no other brain but


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Des NibelungenWagner's could have conceived. Fromthe JValhalla motive, given to the tubas,the Rhine-maidens leads on to theRedemption by Love^ an air which wassung, it will be remembered, by Sieg-linde in the first part of the Triology.And if we are inclined to question thestrength or appropriateness of thisparticular melody, its treatment iscertainly triumphant, and in allWagner's glorious colour and fulnessin his orchestration there is nothing

to excel this prodigious musicalending to a huge drama

such as he alone couldhave brought to a

successful end.


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