Wagner Talk #3: The music of Die Walküre
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NOTE: I recommend you download this using the "Save" button above and play it locally on your computer in Powerpoint or the Powerpoint Viewer. The music excerpts and speaker notes are essential and you won't get those if you view the deck online in the browser. The download format you need to play the music is .pptx, not .pdf. If you can't get the .pptx from Slideshare, try this Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mg1kjk4hubvdm4p/AACGcSyRU7z1pKDWd_7bAe66a If that still doesn't work, drop me a note: petekellock@gmail.com. This is the 3rd deck in my series on Wagner and his Ring Cycle. This one focuses mainly on the music of Die Walküre, especially the Leitmotifs. (v040)
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Wagner Talk #3: The music of Die Walküre
- 2. • Quick Intro: Wagner’s musical techniques • Leitmotifs • Mostly conventional analysis & labelling/naming • Mostly presented in Die Walküre (DW) sequence I’ll try to connect the motifs with the plot • Far from exhaustive! • Including skipping some that don’t feature strongly in DW - eg Nature & ”Nature in Motion”, Rhinemaidens… • Leitmotif quiz
- 3. “Wagner’s music is better than it sounds”
- 4. Brünnhilde from Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 1
- 5. From Die Walküre: Siegmund & Sieglinde Washington National Opera 2007 Metropolitan Opera 2011 Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 1
- 6. • How do you make it COHERENT but not too REPETITIVE? • How do you make it FOLLOW, ENHANCE and ADD LAYERS to the drama? (…ie like film music?) Parts of the answer: • New approaches to harmony and tonality (key centre) • Radical orchestration • The combination of harmony (set of pitches) and orchestration. You can’t play Wagner on the piano! But the main answer is… Leitmotifs!
- 7. Transposition (diatonic): one note lowerMain motif Strong Variant Inversion of Variant New motif Main motif, different instrumentation Transposition / minor variation
- 8. • Transposition (exact or diatonic) • Inversion • Alteration of some of the pitches • Alteration of rhythm • Augmentation / Diminution (ie slow down / speed up) • Re-harmonization • Changes in instrumentation • Retrograde (mostly in Baroque and 20th Century) …and combinations of all the above
- 9. Associated with various kinds of dramatic element: • Characters: eg Siegfried • Objects: eg Ring, Sword, Spear • Forces/Powers: eg Fate, the Evil Power of the Ring and its Curse, Law • Emotions/Psychological States: eg Love, Frustration • Events: eg Thunderstorm, Annunciation of Death …and are sometimes associated with more than one type for a single LM: eg Spear = Law = Wotan’s Authority Note Not all the musical excerpts I’ll play are considered to be Leitmotifs or even constructed from them. Some are just fun - powerful or interesting passages or among my favorite bits.
- 10. Note • Wagner didn’t call them Leitmotifs. He described them as “melodic moments of feeling” which “will be made by the orchestra* into a kind of emotional guide throughout the labyrinthine structure of the drama". • Not a totally new concept (what ever is?) – eg Berlioz’s idée fixe (“motto-theme) – but Wagner took it much further. * To “get” Wagner, listen to the orchestra above all! Deryck Cooke
- 12. Arthur Rackham John Weinstock CREDITS for what follows… Source of many of the score excerpts: John Weinstock, University of Texas http://www.utexas.edu/courses/wagner/home.html …and I think most of the audio he uses in these is taken from Deryck Cooke’s Introduction to The Ring These and other music excerpts mostly: Vienna Philharmonic under George Solti Many (but not all) of the images by: Arthur Rackham, 1867-1939 Deryck Cooke Solti & Vienna Philharmonic, 1958-65 “The Best Recording Ever Made”?
- 13. Deep in the forest - a ferocious storm A man - Siegmund – desperately seeking shelter Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 1@0’00” Stuart Skelton, Covent Garden 2018
- 14. Donner: “Heda! Heda! Hedo! Come to me, mists! Vapours, to me! Donner, your master, summons you to his host.” Thunder and Lightning! In Das Rheingold we met Donner (Thor), the god of thunder, as he called up a storm: Die Walküre storm version: Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 1 Das Rheingold Sc 4
- 15. Siegmund and Sieglinde Die Walküre Act 1 Sc1.2@1’20" …and their developing love Let’s analyze these; first the love motif… Die Walküre Act 1 Sc1.2@3’48"
- 16. Freia / Romantic Love Introduced in Das Rheingold Kirov Opera, 2007 Deryck Cooke - Special Illustration Freia Goddess of Love “Freia B” motif Das Rheingold Sc 2 Freia motif isolated: …and as transformed in the “Descent to Nibelheim”:
- 17. The Spear = “Treaty” (law) …introduced in Das Rheingold Wotan (to Donner): “Hold, hothead! Violence avails naught!” Metropolitan Opera, 2010 Andre Kosslick Das Rheingold Sc 2 Die Walküre Act 1 Sc1.2@1’20" Now Siegmund & Sieglinde again Listen to the bass part…
- 18. Ain Anger, Covent Garden 2018 Hunding Die Walküre Act 1 Sc2.1@0’0” Paul Knüpfer, Bayreuth ~early 1900s Siegmund and Sieglinde are getting along swimmingly. And then… Definitive Hunding motif on Wagner tubas: Listen for: • Sieglinde’s motif • Love motif • Hunding (new motif) • Sieglinde’s anxiety (not regarded as Leitmotif) Transition to the arrival of Hunding:
- 19. “Hunding’s Rights” – from Ring motif The Ring motif appears in numerous variants: Die Walküre Act 1 Sc2@1 1’0”. And Sc 2.2@6’16” Das Rheingold Sc 1 …derived from motif of The Ring (introduced in Das Rheingold) Hunding: “Sacred is my hearth. Sacred to you be my home.” Das Rheingold Sc 4 Alberich curses the ring SF Opera 2011 …and (much later) “Murder Conspiracy” from Götterdämmerung eg “Alberich’s Curse” on the ring from Das Rheingold As Deryck Cooke puts it… Götterdämmerung Act 2 Sc 1
- 20. King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle Valhalla – the great castle in the sky Introduced in Das Rheingold Sc 2. In Die Walküre (and elsewhere) this represents Wotan, not just Valhalla eg appears in DW, Act Sc2 when Siegmund mentions his father (Wotan) Valhalla (1st Segment) Das Rheingold Sc 1 Das Rheingold Sc 2 Reminder: The Ring
- 21. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Written ActualRanges: 1 tone lower Perfect 5th lower As written Valhalla motif Das Rheingold Sc 2
- 22. What? An actual song?! Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 3.4@0’ 19” “Winter storms have waned at May’s awakening Spring is aglow with gentle light” Metropolitan Opera 2011
- 23. The Sword “Nothung” Metropolitan Opera, 2011 Caricature: C. v. Grimm Siegmund calling to his father: ”Wälse! - where is your sword?!” Siegmund as he builds up to pulling the sword from the tree: “Nothung! Nothung!” Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 2.3@4’11 Das Rheingold Sc 4.14@3’32” 1st appearance in Die Walküre: Sieglinde uses her gaze to indicate to Siegmund where Nothung is in the tree. Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 3.1@1’ 25” Other moments associated with the Sword motif in Die Walküre Main clue is the dropping octave Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 3.7@0’ 58”
- 24. First & definitive appearance Woglinde: “Only he who forswears love's power, only he who forfeits love's delight” …can forge the Ring Siegmund about to pull sword from tree Siegmund: “Holiest love's deepest distress, yearning love's scorching desire …burn bright in my breast, urge me to deeds and to death.” V. close to definitive version above: complete, almost unaltered & untransposed Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 3.7@0’29” Das Rheingold Sc 1
- 25. Metropolitan Opera 2011 Makert, 1883 Grange Park Opera, 2017 Franz Stassen Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 3.7@2’57”
- 26. Major scene change: a wild and rocky mountain landscape Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 1.1@0’00” …and then something totally new starts to emerge: Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 1.1@1’20” At first the music picks up exactly where we left off. Based on the Love motif:
- 27. The Valkyrie(s)! Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 1.1@2’00” Ruth Thompson
- 28. Fricka’s case (Conservative) • Marriage is a holy vow • Incest is a sin • You must uphold the law Wotan’s case (Liberal) • They’re truly in love and happiness should come first • Don’t condemn something just because it’s unconventional A typical Conservative v Liberal argument! It could be straight out of this book… Seattle Opera 2009 Seattle Opera 1983 Leitmotif: “Wotan’s Frustration” (twisted Spear) Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 1.6@0’46” Das Rheingold Sc 2 Reminder: Spear
- 29. Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 2.2@0’00” San Francisco Opera 2018 Egils Silins 2017 Wotan: “O Righteous Disgrace! O shameful sorrow! … Grief neverending! The saddest I am of all living things” Brünnhilde comforting Wotan Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 2.2@2’11” Das Rheingold Sc 2 Reminder: Spear Das Rheingold Sc 4 Reminder: Curse
- 30. Metropolitan Opera 2011 Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 3@4’45” Bassoon Die Walküre Act 1 Sc1.2@3’48"
- 31. 3-note Fate motif Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’20”) Bayreuth, 1992Gaston Bussiere J. Wagrez c 1900
- 32. Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’56”) Erda motif Das Rheingold Sc 4 Brünnhilde (after the intro): “Only those doomed to die gaze on me. He who beholds me must leave life’s light” Seattle Opera
- 33. ? Fate Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’56”) Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’20”)
- 34. The Valkyrie(s) Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’20”) Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 4 (on Solti Sc3@11’56”) Fate F# minor version: With Fate motif and passing notes: Outline shape: (F# minor 2nd Inversion arpeggio)
- 35. • Brünnhilde’s compassion for Siegmund & Sieglinde ---> goes against Wotan’s order • The battle: Siegmund <-> Hunding | Brünnhilde <-> Wotan. Siegmund dies • Brünnhilde flees with Sieglinde. • In a fit of temper, Wotan kills Hunding and swears he’ll punish Brünnhilde Victrola Book of the Opera Die Walküre Act 2 Sc 5.1@3’25” Hunding’s Horn
- 36. Setting: the top of a rocky mountain …and the Valkyries are on full throttle! Set design, Bayreuth 1896 Peter Crawford (?) Die Walküre Act 3 Sc 1.1@0’23” Valkyrie(s) motif Initially on bass trumpet and horns Die Walküre Act 3 Sc 1.1@4’02” ..and finally on full heavy brass
- 37. Die Walküre Act 1 Sc 1@0’00” Die Walküre Act 3 Sc 1.1@0’00” Die Walküre Act 3 Sc 1.1@0’15”
- 39. Metropolitan Opera, 2019 New motifs: Siegfried “Redemption” Brünnhilde: “The world’s noblest hero You carry in your womb … His name, Siegfried” Sieglinde: “Sublimest wonder…” <--- Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried Metropolitan Opera, 1989/90 Hildegard Behrens & Jessye Norman ---> Siegfried
- 40. Bayreuth 1991/2 (Kupfer) Ferdinand Leeke Wotan’s furious arrival (rising Spear motif?) Die Walküre Act 3 Sc2.2@6’13” Wotan banishing Brünnhilde Die Walküre Act 3 Sc1.6@0’40” Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.1@0’54” Brünnhilde’s Reproach (New Leitmotif derived from Spear) “Was it so shameful, what I did that you punish my misdeed so shamefully?” Horn & Clar. Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.2@0’54” …which evolves again to become Brünnhilde’s Compassionate Love (for Siegmund) Das Rheingold Sc 2 Ferdinand Leeke
- 41. Wotan: “One man alone shall woo the bride One freer than I, the god!” Metropolitan Opera, 1990 Arthur Rackham, 1910 Ferdinand Leeke Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.6@1’57”Leb’ wohl
- 42. Magic Fire / Loge Hermann Hendrich Loge, God of Fire Metropolitan Opera, 2013 Loge (Das Rheingold) Closing passages of Die Walküre Das Rheingold Sc 2 Loge – rising chromatic Magic Fire Loge – descending chromatic Magic Sleep Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.7@3’58” Sleeping Brünnhilde Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.7@4’51” End of the Opera: Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.8@2’07” Walküre version: Wotan calls Loge Die Walküre Act 3 Sc3.8@0’55”
- 43. Act 1 Act 2 Act 3
- 45. Or drop me a note: petekellock@gmail.com For more, check out my slideshare page: https://www.slideshare.net/petekellock Includes a slide deck on Recordings and Resources: videos – music – website - interactive multimedia – books - articles - etc
Hinweis der Redaktion
- This is billed as a talk, but it will really be more of a listen. Hopefully I’ll say enough to to weave things together: plot-music-meaning.
- There’s a strange truth in this: the way Wagner created vast musical structures is fascinating and amazing even if you don’t love all the musical building blocks. And when you *do* love some or all the building blocks, understanding the structures makes the experience even more powerful. Btw, other famous quips about Wagner, both by or attributed to Rossini: “Wagner has lovely moments but dreadful quarter-hours” (roughly) “One can't judge Wagner's opera Lohengrin after a first hearing, and I certainly don't intend to hear it a second time.”
- So here’s what a lot of people think Wagner sounds like. It’s from Die Walküre. Not my favorite type of Wagner!
- BUT THEN… Wagner was also capable of writing music like this!! Also from Die Walküre: the wonderful music that represents the love between Siegmund and Sieglinde.
- Harmony: pivoting around the Dim 7th , the 4-note chord that’s made up of 4 identical intervals. …and it’s nearest neighbors which shift a single note by a semitone. Pivoting around the Dim7th let’s you swing between key centres quickly and dramatically. - Beethoven did quite a lot, relaying mainly on Dominant 7ths – the chords you get by dropping one of the notes of the Dim7th by a semitone. Wager took this much further and particular using the chord you get when you *raise* any of the Dim7th note by a semitone. This chord is called the Half-diminished 7th, but is so associated with Wagner it’s often called the Tristan Chord Wagner’s tonality seems to be guided by dramatic effect, not of an “architectural structure” or traditional ideas of which keys are closely related. Orchestration: new instruments, larger numbers (eg 6 harps), “effects” (eg the whoop of Donner’s lightning & thunder; or the dragon v Siegfried’s horn call) Combination: harmony and timbre are far more interconnected than traditional music education suggests. - Ever bought those books of rock transcriptions and tried playing them on the piano?! Surely *that* isn’t the harmony! Esp when chords are on overdriven rock guitar - My talks on stretched tuning: timbres which make an octave sound horrendous and a minor 9th sound like an octave - Wagner had an incredible feel for this and ability to hear new possibilities internally – imho his greatest talent of all. - This is why you can do justice to most of Wagner’s music with piano accompaniment You can’t play Wagner on the piano any more than you can play Led Zeppelin or rap or EDM on the piano. Of course, you can – it will be recognizable. But you’re going to lose most of what makes it worth listening to. ========== MY OLD NOTES So... I asked the question “how do you start 15 hours of music” and now we know . But how do you carry on? How do you construct 15 hours of music that sounds coherent and doesn’t get boring? (Well, at least not boring to everyone. ) Here are some of the things that make Great Music great: COHERENCE It’s not just a string of disjunct musical ideas strung end to end, even if the ideas are each beautiful in themselves To achieve coherence, musical ideas need to re-occur or at least be related to each other in some way but not in a way that sounds like the music is just repeating what it said earlier CONTINUITY They also need to connect effectively from one to the next, to be woven one to the next in a way that feels right not play one – stop – play the next – stop – etc COMPLEXITY (in some sense – it needs to be rich enough in detail for us to discover something new on repeated listenings) And great music is usually multi-layered there is often more than one idea happening at a time new ideas will appear under or over or out of the middle of other ideas …ideally alongside APPROACHABILITY ie it makes some kind of sense on first hearing so you’re drawn in. (IMHO contemporary music often cops out in this aspect – though it’s very much a matter of degree) DRAMATIC ARCHITECTURE Great music also needs dramatic shape, - it needs to feel like it takes you on a journey In the best cases, a journey that makes a deep impact ... and changes who you are. I can tell you that it’s pretty tough to achieve all that even in a 3-minute song! And creating a 20-minute single movement that achieves it all to a high level is a major challenge For example the first movement of Beethoven’s Eroica is considered a landmark in large movements ...and it’s under 20 minutes. But 15 hours?! Part of the answer lies in having drama It’s very doubtful if you could create a purely musical work of this scale meeting these criteria I’m not sure if anyone has even tried but if so, they didn’t succeed or I think they’d be well known. But the dramatic aspect is only part of the story. Again, Wagner’s real genius was as a composer. So he built the Ring in many ways like one massive symphonic movement, ...a coherent, tightly-woven single structure ...that very rarely repeats itself (and when it does, for dramatic reasons, not “filling in time”) ... and feels like a single epic journey, not a set of short trips. Doing this requires many different musical skills!
- Leitmotifs are founded on Motivic Development: - Ie building music from a small set of musical ideas which reappear many times but rarely repeat. Wagner didn’t invent this way of composing music. Repetition is part of nearly all music Repetition with mutation - ie thematic development - can be heard in a lot of music too. In the classical period it became pretty much the central principle of musical structure: notably through Haydn (especially in the string quartets) and Beethoven ...building whole movements out of just a few ideas PLAY EXCERPT
- ========== OLD NOTES: These are various techniques of motivic development. But Wagner extended the techniques in several ways In the emotional range of the transformation: He manages to preserve a sense of continuity even while swinging around wildly in mood, ...often turning the mood on a dime! Which is necessary if the music is going to run hand in hand with the action Also in the complexity of layering of musical ideas multiple motifs piled on top of each other and woven into each other And in the degree to which a theme will morph and morph till it sounds completely different to the original (The start and end versions have almost nothing to do with each other ..but they are connected by all the intermediate versions.) And Wagner extended it hugely in timescale – to 15 hours in the Ring. What underpins this is his mastery of all musical elements: harmony, counterpoint and orchestration and particularly the combinations of these techniques (eg using orchestration to make a complex piece of counterpoint work) I think Wagner’s most amazing invention – among quite a few! – ... is his infinitely supple and elastic musical language. It allows him to express all kinds of extremes and subtle nuances of feeling ...out of just a few ideas Lesser composers can achieve a similar emotional range, ... but only by using different unconnected musical ideas – so it’s far less coherent. Certainly new musical ideas appear throughout the whole of the Ring. ...but by the time you get even halfway through Das Rheingold, most of the material derives from something you’ve heard earlier And this becomes more and more so as the work progresses You could study it for a lifetime and still be finding new connections ...which is why it rewards multiple listenings and study so much
- Wagner made it central to his musical construction kit. No-one yet has surpassed his use of Leitmotifs Couple of points in passing: Odd that Wagner said *melodic” – their *harmony* is often the most salient element, and sometimes their rhythm Note “by the orchestra”. To “get” Wagner, you have to listen above all to the orchestra. ===== OLD NOTES But the word is intimately linked with Wagner, because he took the technique far further than anyone before (and probably since) …weaving motivic development tightly into the drama in a multi-layered way For example, Leitmotifs are used to: express emotions (often with subtleties and undercurrents that could not be expressed by drama alone) act as flashbacks and reminders ...and sometimes flashforwards such as ”this is gonna have consequences that the characters don’t even realize yet!” represent characters (perhaps the least interesting use of them) ... and overall give us a bit of a map so we don’t get totally lost in the labyrinth
- Wagner’s musical language is plasticine (and more) - Infinite kneading / bending / twisting / stretching - Able to morph one shape till it becomes entirely different shape - Able to pull one piece apart into multiple fragments - Able to stick any two things together – as stark contrast, or one blended into another (or any degree in between) …and he can do any of this very fast, eg using a certain chord to turn the mood on a dime to follow and enhance the drama
- Rackham – Art Nouveau
- Not generally regarded as a Leitmotif: it doesn’t seem to derive from any of the LM’s and it’s not really used again. The Ring isn’t *entirely* built from LMs: Wagner also did quite a lot of freer “scene-setting”. Btw, Wagner was once caught in a deadly storm at sea on his way to England – the ship ended up sheltering in a Norwegian fjord, hundreds of km off course. He also loved nature and spent a lot of time in it. So he know the terror of a big storm!
- Donner From Wikipedia: In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god ...associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, ...and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Btw, Donner = Thor (from which Thursday)
- Siegmund finds a hut in the woods and takes shelter. Sieglinde is there; her husband is out (hunting?) As soon as S&S set eyes on each other, they start to fall in love. Which is weird, because – unknown to them – they’re brother and sister (Their father is Wotan. I don’t think we ever find out who the mother was.) But this fact turns out to be essential to the plot: most of the plot of DW revolves around this conflict between their love and what is legal/proper Low descending phrase – represents Siegmund? Beautiful ascending phrases like sighs (based on dim 7th and Tristan chord) – Sieglinde LET’S ANALYZE THESE 2 THEMES… ========== OLD This is a little weird because they’re brother and sister, ...and this is absolutely a sexual love affair, both adulterous and incestuous. The great hero Siegfried is the offspring of this union. Why did Wagner make them siblings? I really don’t know. I’ve read several attempts to explain it. And some seem to make a bit sense it - how the plot requires this. But I haven’t yet seen an explanation that makes me go “Aha! OK.” But whatever the reasons, Wagner wrote some of the most gorgeous transcendent music for this love affair. So I recommend just putting the “yuk!” factor to one side and enjoying the music.
- Another motif that has caused confusion.
- The Spear was introduced in Das Rheingold. It represents Wotan’s authority and power to enforce the laws. His treaties are written on the spear. Often heard when he’s asserting his authority (and gets twisted in various ways as he loses it) But sometimes represents law in other ways. Descending scale (descends a 17th in its full form, ie 2 octaves plus a third!) Compare with what we heard just now. I called it Siegmund’s motif - but is it? Why would Siegmund’s motif be related to the spear? – because he’s offspring of Wotan? That’s the usual explanation. But wait – more than half the characters in DW are Wotan’s offspring: S&S, Brunnhilde and the 8 other Valkyries! What if this motif isn’t Siegmund? And what if the upper theme doesn’t represent Sieglinde? Could the upper line represent the joy of their love? …and the lower line represent its illegality? …the dark side which in the end destroys Siegmund and starts the unraveling of Wotan (which eventually leads to the end of the Gods) Part of the fun of listening to the Ring is coming up with your own theories of what the Leitmotif’s might mean! Btw, later in Die Walküre Wotan uses the Spear to shatter the magic sword Nothung wielded by Siegmund. Which isn’t the end of the story – later yet, in Siegfried, the sword has been re-forged, Wotan pits his spear against it wielded by Siegfried, and this time the Spear shatters. …but that’s not in DW. You have to see the sequel for that.
- Also represents Wotan, especially his nobility and stature. ============= OLD Opening of the 2nd Scene of DR: Valhalla – Wotan’s magnificent castle in the sky which the Giants have just finished building for him. PLAY EXCERPT 1 Instruments playing it? ….Wagner tubas + contrabass tuba + contrabass trombone. Tuning slightly off! Btw this is just the first of 4 segments representing Valhalla and Wotan’s stately power, but it’s the one I’m focusing on here. Here’s the definitive Ring motif again: PLAY EXCERPT 2 You can see that they’re related –similar shapes. That’s probably because both represent power: the Ring is unlawful power associated with Alberich Valhalla is lawful power associated with Wotan ...but ultimately both are negative and doomed Now for the wonderful transition. Notice how Wagner taks the same phrase and gradually changes the harmony so the darkness turns to light … as the scene changes, we’re also moving from the dark depths of the Rhine to a mountaintop bathed in sunlight …something Wagner knew well from his walks in the alps and was deeply moved by Note also the delicate filigree of rising arpeggios. Happens 3 times, each extending the preceding chord. - #1 is the F#+A+C+E Tristan chord from the Ring motif with A natural in the bass (a note of the chord). Rising filigree is played on violins (fast) & flutes (slow) - #2 is the same chord, but this time there’s a quiet G natural in the bass (on pizz bass/cellos then timp + 4th horn). In the rising filigree, the violins & flutes reverse their roles: violins slows, flutes fast. - #3 is a sweet G9/G13 chord (G+B+D+F+A plus occasional passing C and E naturals. Filligree is now in harp (fast) and flutes (slow) Then the horns take over the Ring pattern and the harmony drops a majpr 3rd to a very peaceful Eb9 that hangs expectantly in space... …we know something new is gonna happen! And then we’re into the Db major of Valhalla! PLAY EXCERPT 3 Btw this is just the first of 4 or 5 segments representing Valhalla and this stately side of Wotan …but we can’t do everything! Note – there’s a problem with Valhalla. In payment for it, Wotan promised the giants Freia, the goddess of love. He reneges on that promise, contributing hugely to the chain of events that end with the destruction of his world
- Wagner not content with using the orchestra in new ways. He also demanded new instruments and sounds Actually “Wagner Tuba” is not a great term. It’s not a bass instrument More of a baritone, comparable with the euphonium (but with a different sound) The Ring uses 4 Wagner tubas: 2 higher ones in Bb, 2 lower ones in F (though some parts of the scoreshave the higher ones in Eb and lower in Bb) Usually played by horns 5 to 8 Wagner specifically wanted an instrument with a sound halfway between horn and trombone and worked with instrument builders to get the instrument he wanted NEXT SLIDE
- Hunding is deep asleep, drugged by Sieglinde. S&S are talking in the moonlight, getting closer and closer. Suddenly we get an aria instead of continuous music and Leitmotifs!. How un-Wagner! The love scene develops with them singing in turn. The mood of this song permeates much of it, but with occasional LM’s: Love, Valhalla, etc Phrases from this are used as LMs, eg in Act 2, Sc1.4@4’42” as Wotan argues the case to Fricka for the love between S&S. Maybe other parts of it too…
- This theme first appears in Act 4 of Das Rheingold as Wotan and the gods enter Valhalla Wotan: “Thus I salute the stronghold, safe from dread and dismay” It only later becomes clear that this theme is associated with the sword, which plays an important role in Die Walküre and Siegfried. The sword seems to represent positive decisiveness: “YES – I’m going to do it!” ============ OLD The sword has a lively story in the Ring… In DW we’re told that Wotan created the magic sword and plunged it in tree Men try to remove it, but no ordinary man could At the climax of wooing Sieglinde, Siegmund succeeds in pulling the sword out of the tree (no prizes for spotting the symbolism!) He names it Nothung (“needy”) When Siegmund fights Hunding, Wotan steps in and shatters it with his spear. (Wotan’s wife Fricka – goddess of wedlock - told Wotan he must let Siegmund die because he has committed incest.) The pieces end up with Sieglinde’s child Siegfried – or rather, with Mime, who brings up Siegfried Mime is unable to re-forge them, but Siegfried does Siegfried kills Fafner the dragon using the sword When Siegfried meets Wotan, he shatters Wotan’s spear with his sword When he encounters the sleeping Brünnhilde, he cuts off her breastplate armor with the sword and says “Das is keen Mann!” In Gotterdammerung when he goes to woo Brünnhilde on behalf of Gunther and disguised as Gunther (magic potion + tarnhelm), he promises Gunther we will lay the sword between them when they sleep so there’s no hanky-panky although whether he actually did remains an open question - another theme as Gott. unfolds is that he has dishonored Gunther. (By this time Siegfried has taken drugs - a love potion from Hagen - and no longer knows what he’s doing.) Note the descending octave. This occurs in lots of ways relating to the sword - eg when Siegmund calls out in Walkure Act 1 for the sword his father promised him, there’s an intensely dramatic moment when just that dropping octave to the words “Wälse” (name of his father – actually Wotan) …and later the same thing on “Notung” (the name he gives the sword) - These are often considered members of another whole family labeled “Purpose of the Sword”… but let’s skip that one. I don’t want to totally overwhelm you!
- Perhaps the most puzzling Leitmotif of them all. Appears firstin DR when Woglinde says that “Only he who forswears love's power… can forge the Ring” Hence the original name. But it that meaning makes no sense at all when it appears in DW: Siegmund is doing the exact opposite. Does it represent the downside of falling in love, that we become less free, certainly less carefree? We fear losing the object of love, an attachment that can overwhelm us, harming ourselves and the other. The term “Love-Curse” seems a better, more-general label Or perhaps “Love’s Trap” or “Love’s Suffering” (my ideas):. Also occurs where Wotan says his final goodbye to Brunnhilde: DW Act3 Sc3.7@3’10” right after the Fate motif. Added note, 2019-11: I’m no longer convinced that all the examples I included previously are related – eg Loge’s fruitless search. The lack of a minor 6th up-leap and minor 7th chord (with the 7th as melody note) sounds quite different from the minor chord (with the 3rd as the melody note) ========== OLD This motif in the first puzzle has traditionally been called the “Renunciation of Love” (I think that name dates back to Wolzogen) When it first appears, Woglinde is saying that “Only he who forswears love's power… can forge the Ring” Hence the name. But it appears in any contexts that have nothing to do with renouncing love - some seem like the opposite, some seem unconnected. So there’s been lots of discussion over its meaning. The key feature is a desceding phrase, usually starting on the mediant (3rd degree) in a minor key (sometimes the submediant) - The first (highest) note of the descending scale is always on a strong beat and is a long poignant note, often held with a slight pause. - The downsteps are always a semitone then a tone (which is why it works on the mediant and submediant in the minor) Many of the appearances also have an anacrusic leap up of a minor 6th into the first high note One complication is that when it’s only the descending scale without this, some commentators class it as a different motif (eg called “Lovelessness) Who knows?! Btw, the Siegmund example is just before his cry of “Nothung” with the descending octave of the sword. EXCERPT 4 ===========
- Builds towards a passionate climax. They’re in a tremendous state of excitement. The curtain falls quickly, “not a moment too soon” as 19th century audiences saw it.
- The most famous moment in all of Wagner. We meet the most improtant Valkyrie, Brünnhilde. She warns her dad, Wotan, that his wife Fricka is furious at him. Q: Rhythm is reminiscent of the hammering of the Nibelungs in DR – dramatic link?
- …and Wotan and Fricka have a massive domestic row about Siegmund and Sieglinde. Fricka backs Hunding… and argues for the laws, protecting marriage and forbidding incest. Wotan argues that a vow without love is not to be upheld. His pro-divorce argument kind of works, but in the end he loses on the incest count. Wotan also starts to talk about how a hero, one who needs no godly protection ..and therefore can break free and “perform that feat which needful though it is to the gods, the god is forbidden to do” (What feat is he referring to?) Lots of LMs: Hunding, Sword, Curse of the Ring, Romantic Love, Spear/law. …which follow and enhance the argument. Wagner’s works are philosophical / political / sociological / psychological in a way that very little other opera is
- Better name: "Wotan's Distress"? Wotan pours his heart to Brünnhilde: story of his life, his growing problems, his desperate ideas for the future. We hear of the Curse of the Ring, of his building of Valhalla, of Erda’s warning about the ring, etc – all with Leitmotifs. Stage by stage he builds to telling Brünnhilde of Siegmund’s coming fate – that he will betray Siegmund. Wave upon wave of emotion, waxing and waning, building to a terrible climax where he says “Let all that I raised, now fall in ruins!” and says the end of the gods is coming: “das Ende, das Ende!” We hear of Hagen’s birth (the man who will ultimately murder Siegfried). Other LMs: Spear, Valkyries, Ring, Sword (when Wotan mentions that only a great hero could kill Fafner).
- Mood swings wildly: deep love, peaks of excitement, but fear and foreboding and guilt (Sieglinde’s) keep returning. …and Sieglinde has a huge crisis of conscience
- Brünnhilde has come to tell Siegmund he will soon die in battle. ========== OLD But it’s far broader - For one associated with Brünnhilde's sleep. eg when she is awakened from her sleep by Siegfried and sings “long was my sleep”, she sings this motif. - And in Gott., associated with Siegfried’s sad fate – it’s the very last thing he sings as he dies Harmony: Dmin to C#7 (ie from a minor chord to the dominant 7th a semitone lower) - then repeated a minor 3rd higher: Emin to D#7 (ie Eb7) The triplet pattern is striking: a triplet anacrusis onto a beat, on a single note: - On timp is very much part of the Fate motif. - But it’s perhaps more – eg it first occurs on trumpets in DR Scene 2 as Valhalla is introduced. - This doesn’t seem to have been identified or named as a motif in itself. - Btw I think of it as the “Beethoven's 5th” motif, but that’s just a mnemonic. The harmony of the Fate motif is usually (if not always) heard on Wagner tubas.
- To be fair, Cooke does say that the Valkyreis motif is itself descended from Erda. …which makes some sense. So my explanation is more a refinement of Cooke’s theory than a contradition. Can form your own theories.
- Brünnhilde deeply moved by Siegmund’s love for Sieglinde, that she decides to save him – against Wotan’s order When Siegmund meets Hunding in battle she tries But Wotan crashes in a shatters Nothung (the sword) with his spear Siegmund dies LM’s: Love, Fate, Wintersturme, Hunding, Sword, Hunding’s Horn, Valkyrie (Brünnhilde), Spear (Wotan’s authority), Wotan’s Frusrration
- Btw, when you Google “Valkyrie”, you quickly realize how popular they are with heavy fans of heavy metal and Japanese anime, with tatoo artists and motorcycle gangs. 2nD EXCERPT: Wow – heavy Valkyries! Or heavy horses? How do they get off the ground?
- Air movement rapid swirling on woodwind, gusts on strings And a tremendous sense of anticipation. Many of these “effects” moments in the Ring: the opening of the whole work (bottom of the Rhine river), waves, wind in trees, lightning and thunder, etc. Wagner thought primarily in terms of sound – as dramatic as possible (melodramatic) - not primarily in terms of tunes/songs. Again, this is so much akin to what film music composers do. Often the only real “tune” in a film (if there is any) is at the end of the credits.
- Brünnhilde is on horseback carrying Sieglinde, fleeing the fury of Wotan, who is out to punish her for her disobedience. She pleads with the other Valkyries to help her and to rescue Sieglinde.
- Sieglinde comes too, but with Siegmund gone, all she wants is death Brünnhilde urges her “Live – for the sake of love!” And eventually tells her that she’s carrying a great hero in her womb Seigfried). Jessye Norman died two monthas ago on Sept 30th.
- Wotan arrives, furious: “Where is Brünnhilde?!” The Valkyries huddle around here but can’t save her. He tells Brünnhilde he is casting her out of Valhalla, …stripping her of her deity to become mortal … to be held “sealed in soundest sleep” and taken by the first man who comes along. The Valkyries react in horror. When Wotan has calmed down, she questions whether the punishment is just, including pointing out that defending Siegmund is what Wotan really wanted anyway. “Explain to me clearly what hidden guilt forces you now … to disown your dearest child.” He won’t back down completely, but she does persuade him to set things up so only a fearless hero can claim her.
- One of the most wonderful parts of the whole Ring – perhaps the moment of most extreme emotion. It comes towards the end of the scene in Die Walküre where Wotan banishes Brünnhilde. Despite her being his favorite daughter, he has to punish her because she disobeyed him. One of those parental “this hurts me more than it hurts you” moments His punishment is to put her into a sleep. He then says goodbye to her forever ...and this music is part of that goodbye. The whole relationship of Wotan and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre is to me perhaps the most amazing aspects of the Ring. (There’s no incest here, just good proper love between a father and his daughter.) Brünnhilde is the person Wotan confides in, ...the person he pours his heart out to ... as he loses confidence and the will to live: “I am the unhappiest of men”, etc. And then this scene where he’s torn between his love for her and the need (he believes) to punish her. It’s one aspect of the Ring where even the libretto alone is powerful .. in its emotional/psychological complexity And the music is gorgeous... PLAY EXCERPT The end of that sounds more like Richard Strauss than Wagner I enjoy a lot of Richard Strauss as well as Wagner, but it wasn’t till I heard this that I realized how Wagner had already created that particular sound long before Strauss came along.
- Wotan banishes Brünnhilde to sleep on the mountaintop till she is wakened by a great hero (Siegfried, of course) Till then she’s protected by a ring of fire Ending: Sleeping Brünnhilde, Siegfried, under gentle tinkling of fire. We hear fate too. ============= OLD Loge: first-inversion major chords rising chromatically. Magic Fire: F# – Neapolitan 66h (G7) 3rd inv - F#– D#Min - F# - C# - F# Btw, don’t think that one of these depicts Loge and the other Fire. - Loge & Fire are totally intertwined in the Ring. - And all the LM names are just labels. We’ll never know for sure exactly what Wagner intended them to mean. In fact my hunch is that he may not have ascribed a very specific meaning to them. Musical motifs can mean nothing (eg Beethoven's’ 5th) or mean something precise (Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf) or any shade of grey in between. - The Ring without doubt has some specific symbolic meanings that we can be 99% sure of, but in other cases Wagner’s logic may be more intuitively musical, less explicitly symbolic. So let the labels restrict your intuitive/emotional/musical understanding of the LMs.
- Redemption / Glorification B’s Compassionate Love (for S&S) W’s Frustration W’s Revolt