HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE

Motivations

Background
Use of Leitmotifs
Two Orchestral Tone Paintings

Background:

Götterdämmerung is the fourth and final opera of Wagner’s monumental saga Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs). Knowledge of the first three operas in the cycle—Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried is extremely helpful in following the events and characters in this opera. Nevertheless, Götterdämmerung can be approached as a free-standing entity of its own.


Use of Leitmotifs:

Wagner developed the use of leitmotifs to represent characters, objects, places and specific emotions. These are melodies, short phrases and sometimes just rhythms which are used again and again throughout the opera to either musically emphasize something or someone specific, or to sometimes subtly remind the listener of something that already occurred, or to hint of something yet to come. Many times these leitmotifs are altered or transformed to show a change of emotion or a subtle shift of characterization. Sometimes he combines two or even three of these leitmotifs simultaneously such as when Siegfried seizes the infamous Ring from Brünnhilde’s finger and we hear the following three leitmotifs all at once: 1) The agreement between Siegfried and Gunther; 2) the “Sword” motif and 3) the evil Hagen. Most of the leitomotifs heard in Götterdämmerung were first heard in one or more of the three previous operas of the cycle. Nevertheless, Götterdämmerung will here be treated as an entity of its own, and the important leitmotifs which occur in this opera will listed here in a fresh numeration. (It is suggested that some of these key leitmotifs illustrated in the enclosed musical examples be played for the class a few times before they hear the opera so they can become familiar with them. Then play them in a jumbled order to see whether they can identify them. When that occurs, these leitmotifs can be a musical road map to the characters, actions and emotions of the opera.)

Götterdämmerung opens with a Prologue. The opening chord, in E flat minor, is taken from Brünnhilde’s awakening in the last act of Siegfried, and serves as a kind of link from that opera to this one. We then immediately hear an undulating arpeggio figure (Ex. #1) which represents both “Primeval Nature” and the murky waters of the “Rhine River.”

Unlike the opening of Das Rheingold, however, which was a long series of arpeggios in E flat major, here we are in the exotic realm of C flat minor. Upon repetition it moves to the weightier key of D flat minor and its third appearance, in E flat minor again, leads to the motif known as “Annunciation of Death,” first heard in Die Walküre (Ex. #2). Clearly, death and doom will be the ultimate destination of this opera.



The curtain opens upon three Norns, weavers of fate and destiny. As they hold a rope among them, they tell sad stories about the death of the gods. Their weaving is represented by a series of shifting dissonances (Ex. #3).



These three ladies, withered yet wise, are a contrast to the 3 Rhinemaidens who are young and vibrant. The First Norn describes how Wotan lost one of his eyes. The Second Norn tells how Wotan’s spear was shattered and the Third Norn recalls how Valhalla, the home of the gods, was built, and that one day soon it will be destroyed, along with the gods. After a while the rope breaks to the motif of the “Curse”—Ex. #4, sounded over an ominous role in the timpani, followed by a repetition of “Annunciation of Death” (#2).



This was the curse of death that Alberich placed upon the Ring after Wotan forced him to give it up to ransom Freia from the Giants in Das Rheingold.

During the orchestral transition from the Prologue to Act I, we hear a slow, stately version of the motif which represents Siegfried (Ex. #5).



In the previous opera, Siegfried, this motif was in a sprightly 6/8 time and represented “Young Siegfried.” Here it takes on a more mature and noble quality, fully harmonized as in a chorale. This is immediately followed by a new motif representing “Brünnhilde, the Woman” (Ex. #6).



It has a characteristic Wagnerian turn to it and will be repeated sequentially, ever higher and higher, with its theme tossed from one instrument to another with an overlapping, increasing torrent of sound as if it were rising upon a mountain, which in fact it is. At its peak, the “Siegfried” motif (#5) peals out in majesterial splendor as befitting a noble hero. We also get a reminder of Brünnhilde, the Valkyrie, with a truncated version of the famous “Ride of the Valkyries” motif (Ex. #7).



We are back at the rock where we left Siegfried and Brünnhilde at the end of Siegfried. Brünnhilde addresses this hero, whom she is now sending forth, Don Quixote-like, to fresh deeds of glory, to a new motif, that of “Heroic Love” (Ex. #8).



To the “Hero” theme, first heard in Die Walküre (Ex. #9), she recalls how he found her sleeping on a rock, surrounded by fire, and how he awakened her.



Motifs #6 (“Brünnhilde, the Woman”) and #8 (“Heroic Love”) interplay with each other, along with a hint of the “Valkyrie” motif (#7). Siegfried recounts how he slew the dragon and obtained the Ring (#9—“Hero). They exchange gifts; he gives her the Ring as a pledge of his love and she gives him her horse in return. (Most productions leave out the actual horse.) The duet soars to new heights as we hear a motif known as “Freedom” (Ex. #10).



This motif becomes extended as their two voices overlap, ultimately climaxing on a high C by Brünnhilde and the A flat below by Siegfried. This is one of the few places in the entire Ring where two voices sing in harmony. Siegfried rides away on the “horse” which Brünnhilde gave him as the famous orchestral segment known as “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” begins. (This segment will be treated in a separate section at the end entitled “Two Orchestral Tone Paintings,” but one motif from this “Journey” must be cited now as it will be featured throughout the opera. This is “Young Siegfried”, with its famous solo French horn call (Ex. #11).



Act I takes place in the hall of the Gibichungs on the Rhine. Gunther and his sister Gutrune are in conference with their half-brother Hagen (son of Alberich). The evil Hagen is represented by a simple descending interval, here preceded by a series of grace notes (Ex. #12).



In subsequent appearances, other similar, but sinister-like descending intervals will characterize this schemer. The Gibichung race is depicted by a jerky, dotted rhythm (Ex. #13).



Hagen’s sole and ultimate aim is to procure the Ring for himself. In order to do this he arranges for Gunther to marry Brünnhilde, possessor of the Ring, and she will be brought to him by none other than her own husband Siegfried. He tells him that “A wife awaits thee, the noblest in the world,” and we hear Brünnhilde’s “Valkyrie” motif (#7). He goes on to say that “…a fire surrounds her” to the “Fire” motif (Ex. #14).



Only someone stronger and braver than Gunther could force his way through the flames to reach her. And of course Siegfried has already done this. Hagen goes on to describe how Siegfried succeeded in this mission as we hear the motif representing Siegfried’s ancestry, the “Volsung Race” (Ex. #15).



To a recapitulation of previous heard motifs, we hear how the Youthful Siegfried” (Ex. #11) slew the dragon and took the Ring (#16) from Fafner the Dragon.



The entire hoard of gold (“Rheingold” motif—Ex. #17) was there for the taking, but Siegfried only took the Ring.



Hagen knows about all of these events because his father Alberich has kept him in touch with all that happened to Siegfried and the dragon, and the killing of Mime the dwarf who raised him.

In order to further Hagen’s evil machinations, Siegfried will be given a drink laden with a potion which will cause him to forget that he ever knew Brünnhilde. Any time a disguise is used in the Ring, the magic helmet known as the Tarnhelm is used or referred to. This happened in Das Rheingold when Alberich demonstrated its powers by turning himself first into a snake then a toad. Fafner used this magic helmet as well to turn himself into a ferocious dragon. We now hear this motif (Ex. #18) as the plot is formulated.



This motif is starkly and somberly played by four muted French horns, giving out an aura of mystery. Gunther, far from being shocked by Hagen’s scheming, is pleased with the idea of marrying Brünnhilde, and Gutrune can hardly wait to have a hero like Siegfried as her husband. As Hagen tells Gutrune about the magic drink that will make Siegfried hers, we hear a motif known as “Enticement” (Ex. #19).



“Let now but Siegfried come and taste of the magical drought….and he will forget he ever knew Brünnhilde” plots Hagen. In an amazing musical juxtaposition of contrasting motifs, the “Curse” (#4) sounds out and in the immediate next measure of music we hear “Youthful Siegfried” (#11) played by a French horn offstage telling us that he is approaching. The contrast between these two ideas is jarring.

As Siegfried arrives, we hear the amazing power of the leitmotifs telling us what is just underneath the surface. Hagen greets Siegfried ostentatiously with the words, “Heil, Siegfried” (“Hail, Siegfried”), while underneath the vocal line, three trombones peal out fortissimo with the “Curse” (#4). The “Hero” motif (#9) introduces Siegfried’s greeting. Gunther offers him hospitality and Siegfried says he has only his sword to offer—“Sword” motif (Ex. #20).



Now it is his turn to tell his story. To the dotted rhythm of the “Nibelung Smiths” (#21), Siegfried begins his story of how he came to the gold and slew the Dragon—“Dragon” motif (#22)—took the magic helmet (#18) and gave the “Ring” (#16) to Brünnhilde.





Gutrune now enters accompanied by her sweet, high, tender, lyrical theme (Ex. #23).



She brings Siegfried a drink, for he must be tired and thirsty from his “Rhine Journey.” We hear the “Enticement” motif (#19) as Siegfried is ready to drink. He drinks to Brünnhilde as the “Tarnhelm” (#18) and “Gutrune” (#23) motifs interlock. The drink’s effects are immediate. He perceives Gutrune to be fair and beautiful, and he burns with passion for her as he asks her brother Gunther for her name. With the “Curse” motif (#4) in the background, Siegfried asks Gunther if he has a wife and offers to bring him Brünnhilde if he can have Gutrune for his wife. He has totally forgotten that Brünnhilde was his wife and he says he will go through flames to obtain her for Gunther. Siegfried and Gunther swear a “Blood Brotherhood” as the “Curse” motif (#4) resounds again. Every time there was a treaty or an oath of some kind in any of the Ring opera, this downward, scale-like motif was used (Ex. #24).



The blood of both of them runs into the drinking horn as they sing a brief harmonious duet in 3rds, as the “Treaty” motif (#24) repeats again and again. But the Hagen motif (#12) in the orchestra, this time a full descending octave, gives a sinister turn to the oath. Siegfried and Gunther set off for Brünnhilde while Hagen stays back to contemplate the “Ring” (#16).

As the scene changes back to Brünnhilde’s rock, the tender strains of “Brünnhilde the Woman” (#6), so prominent in the first scene of Act I is heard handed off from one woodwind instrument to another and finally to the viola, but with shadows of the “Curse” motif (#4) and references to the “Valkyrie” (#7). In a brief scene with one of her sisters, Waltraute brings a message from their father Wotan in which she begs Brünnhilde to return the Ring to the rightful owners, the Rhinemaidens, to ward off its curse. During this scene we hear many motivic references to the Gold, the Curse and the Ring as well as the motif of Valhalla itself. But she refuses to part with this token of Siegfried’s love and sends her away to the “Valkryie” theme (#7), without the Ring.

Siegfried appears with his horn-call (#11) and “Hero’s” theme (#9), but Brünnhilde’s recoils in horror as the “Tarnhelm” (#18) has turned him into Gunther’s form. Siegfried’s voice now takes on a baritonal timbre to match Gunther’s voice as closely as possible as he seeks Brünnhilde for Gunther’s wife. Brünnhilde, unaware of the treachery set in motion by Hagen, thinks this is part of a master plan by her father Wotan. Siegfried struggles with Brünnhilde for the accursed Ring (#4) as the “Valkyrie” motif (#7) represents Brünnhilde’s resistance. He seizes the Ring from her finger as she shrieks in horror. A mournful whimper of “Brünnhilde the Woman” (#6) is all that’s left of her struggle. And the “Tarnhelm” motif (#18) reminds us that this is still a disguise. Siegfried exclaims, “Now your are mine Brünnhilde, Gunther’s bride.” And with an ingenuous stroke, Wagner merges three motifs at once: 1) the “Sword” (#20) played by the trombones; 2) the “Treaty” (#24) played by French horns and 3) “Hagen” (#12) in desceding pairs of octaves, played by the strings and woodwinds. Siegfried follows Brünnhilde into the cave as the curtain falls on Act I.

Act II takes place during the darkness of night outside the hall of the Gibichungs next to the Rhine River. The first scene is between father son, Alberich and Hagen respectively. Alberich exhorts Hagen to the stay the course and recapture the Ring by somehow stealing it back from Siegfried. As the scene ends he bid him, “Swear to me, Hagen, my son!” Hagen assures him that he will as the “Curse” motif (#4) resounds.

As the sun rises, we hear the wavy arpeggios for eight French horns who enter one by one canonically. This represents the Rhine River and is similar to the opening of Das Rheingold. Siegfried arrives, now changed back into his own form. He has miraculously traveled so quickly from Brünnhilde’s rock by the magical powers of the Tarnhelm (#18). To be sure we know he is the Siegfried of old, we hear his familiar “Youthful Siegfried” motif (#11) and he gives Hagen a cheerful greeting. He swears to Gunther that even though he spent the night in a cave with Brünnhilde, he did not violate her as his sword lay between them.

Hagen summons his men, known as vassals, with a cow horn and he greets them with a “Hoi-ho! ” The summons sounds harsh by virtue of its 2-note interval of a descending minor 2nd and discordant harmony beneath (Ex. #25).



This interval of a falling half-tone will recur with great dramatic importance later in the act and will come to stand for “Vengeance.” They are to assemble for the upcoming double wedding ceremony—Siegfried to Gutrune and Gunther to Brünnhilde. A fanfare-like melody known as the “Gibichung Greeting” (Ex. #26) is played by the French horns.



A falling, dotted rhythm gives us a first hint of the “Twilight of the Gods” (Ex. #27), later to be prominent in Brünnhilde’s “Immolation Scene.”



Three consecutive blasts on three different cowhorns, each tuned 1/2 step higher than the previous, continues to bring the vassals onstage for what is the first choral moment in all of the Ring. They are accompanied by a staccato, angular motif in the orchestra which represents the “Vassals” (Ex. #28).



In a short chorale they welcome Gunther and Brünnhilde to a melody based on the “Gibichung Race” (#13). Gutrune then enters with Siegfried to a variation of her theme (#23) and they are greeting warmly by Gunther as bride and groom. There is an ominous intrusion of the “Hagen” motif (#12) as his manipulations and machinations permeate the entire action.

Siegfried tells Brünnhilde that Gutrune has been won by him just as she has been by Gunther. Brünnhilde, incredulous over these turns of events, nearly faints. An air of foreboding hovers over the scene, aided by the “Annunciation of Death” motif (#2). Her beautiful “Brünnhilde the Woman” (#6) is plaintively stated by the clarinet as she asks, “Siegfried, you know me not?” She then sees the Ring on Siegfried’s finger as we hear a harsh rendering of the “Ring” motif (#16) followed by the “Curse” of the Ring (#4). She asks Siegfried how he came by this Ring as she recalls that Gunther had wrested it from her. Gunther denies having ever had it. The “Tarnhelm” motif (#18) reminds us that Siegfried in disguise of Gunther seized it from her. Brünnhilde yells out that she has been betrayed by the man she thought loved her and blames the gods for her horrible plight. She wants vengeance over her broken heart as she demands, “Bring the betrayer to his death!” She declares to all that she is Siegfried’s wife. She furthers states that Siegfried’s sword did not lay between them when they were together in the cave all night, but that it hung in its sheath on the wall. Now it is Gunther’s turn to become outraged. Brünnhilde swears an oath upon penalty of death that Siegfried is lying. Siegfried takes Gutrune by the arm and they go into the hall for their wedding. Brünnhilde muses to herself about the evil scheming that lies beneath all this—“Annunciation of Death” (#2).

Hagen seizes upon this opportunity to avenge the wrong inflicted upon Brünnhilde by the “traitor” Siegfried. He pries from Brünnhilde the secret of Siegfried’s vulnerability, his back, for he would never turn his back to an enemy—“Sword” motif (#20). Hagen asserts, “There my spear will strike.” Gunther recoils at this thought, for he had earlier sworn a blood oath with Siegfried and he does not want to violate it. Brünnhilde, in a vengeful state, declares that she will be content with Siegfried’s death. Hagen now plays his final card, so to speak, and with it shows his underlying motivation. He says that Siegfried’s death will give him the Ring with which he can rule the world. So as not to offend Gutrune (#23), Hagen says he will make Siegfried’s death look like a hunting accident. There is a final trio among Gutrune, Gunther and Hagen and the orchestral postlude to Act II features mostly Gutrune’s gentle theme (#23), but with a strong overlay of the sinister descending minor 2nd—the “Vengeance” motif heard earlier during Hagen’s artificially friendly greeting of Siegfried. His most heinous act is yet to come.

Act III, in the valley of the Rhine River, opens with the famous “Young Siegfried” horn call played by a solo French horn (#11). It is immediately answered by the “Vengeance” motif descending minor (#25) and the fanfare of the “Gibichungs” (#26). The “Rhinegold Trio” music is played by the orchestra (#29).



As the curtain opens the three Rhinemaidens are playfully swimming around to the following two new motifs (Ex. #30 and #31).





The first of these is in lush 3-part harmony with each scale-wise rising chord making a consonant harmony. The second is more chromatic in nature, with trills and little rhythmic 16th note twirls. They pine after their long lost gold. We hear Siegfried’s horn (#11) as he approaches, having wandered astray from his hunting party. The Rhinemaidens notice the Ring he is wearing (#16). They tell him that if he gives them the Ring he will be free from its curse. The “Hero” (#9) motif and the “Sword” motif (#20) ring out as he responds that his trusty sword shall nullify any possible curse. He is not afraid of anything and reminds them that he slew the Dragon to win the Ring. Giving up, the Rhinemaidens swim away to #30 and #31.

As the rest of the hunting party—Hagen, Gunther and the Vassals—arrive, the foreboding “Curse” motif (#4) is heard, followed by “Gibichung Greeting” (#26) and the descending minor 2nd of Hagen’s “Vengeance” motif (#25). Hagen offers Siegfried a drink and the latter retells some of his previous ventures of his youth to themes from Siegfried including the “Nibelung Smiths” (Ex. #21), the “Sword” (#20)—this time in a 6/8 meter rather than the usual 4/4, and the “Dragon” (#22). To a reminiscence of the “Forest Murmers” (from Seigfried) he tells how when he put the Dragon’s blood to his mouth, he could understand the Forest Bird, who warned him of the treacherous Mime, the dwarf who raised him. Hagen then puts a special herb into his drink which nullifies the effects of the earlier drink of forgetfulness. As we hear once again the motif of the magic “Tarnhelm” (#18) he regains all memory of Brünnhilde and describes how the Forest Bird led him to her—“Brünnhilde, the Woman” (#6)—and how he braved the wall of flames to get to his prize. Gunther is stunned to hear that Brünnhilde is Siegfried’s wife.

It is now the moment for Hagen to act. Two ravens are seen flying overhead. Siegfried turns his back to look up at them. A harsh, dissonant chord resounds and the “Curse” motif chillingly peals out in full fury with the 2-note “Vengeance” motif (#25) as its counterpoint. Hagen thrusts his spear into Siegfried’s back. We now hear a rhythm and a figure which will play a significant role in the upcoming “Funeral Music” (Ex. #31). It consists of stab-like punctuations followed by a sweeping swirl in a set of three triplet figures. Then comes the inevitable “Annuciation of Death” (#2). A lone timpani softly taps out a figure. A piercing E minor chord creates one of those bone chilling moments. It is the same chord which served to awaken Brünnhilde from her long sleep in the previous opera. This chord, played by the oboes, clarinets and French horns, is followed by rising arpeggios played by six harps and then ethereal sounding violins in their highest register. With his dying breath Siegfried calls out, “Brünnhilde, Heilige Braut” (“Brünnhilde, holiest bride”). The main melody in this sequence is known as “Brünnhilde’s Awakening” (Ex. #33) and it is as if he is awakening her once more.



The “Hero” theme (#9) is played three times sequentially and with “Brünnhilde” on his lips, he sinks back in death. (The “Funeral Music” will be discussed in the segment entitled “Two Orchestral Tone Paintings”.)

In the final scene, Gutrune is waiting for Siegfried. Hagen, to his “Vengeance” motif (#25) appears with his vassals to tell her the bad tidings. He says a wild boar attacked and killed Siegfried, but her brother Gunther tells her the truth. Hagen now claims the Ring for himself. Gunther also claims it and the two half-brothers begin to argue. In one final realization of the curse of the Ring, Hagen kills Gunther with the Siegfried’s “Sword” (#20).

Brünnhilde now enters the hall to the motif of “The Twilight of the Gods” (#27). She realizes what has occurred and she shows genuine pity for Gutrune. In a scene known as “Brünnhilde’s Immolation” She orders a huge funeral pyre to be built near the river to consume the greatest of all heros. Among the many prominent motifs in this scene are the rising and falling arc of the “Rhine” (#1) and “Twilight of the Gods” (#27). This might be said to represent the birth and death of all things, at least all things pertaining to the legend of Nibelungen epic. With the “Annunciation of Death” (#2), this time her own death, she bids the men to pile up the logs. A majestic dotted rhythm, heard for the first time, known as the “Majesty of the Gods” (Ex. #34) accompanies her final peroration.



She gives Siegfried, the mightiest of heroes (#9) the noblest of eulogies. She urges the vassals to lift Siegfried’s body onto the pyre and she removes the Ring. Again we hear the rising and falling of “Twilight” (#27). She curses the Ring and places it on the pyre, to be reclaimed by its rightful and original owners, the Rhinemaidens as we hear the music of the Rhinemaiden trio (#29) as well as #30. She lights the fire as the “Valkyrie” motif (#7) is heard once again, the motif that introduced her for the first time in the opera which bears her name. As the flames blaze up and begin to consume the entire hall, she rides her horse into their midst. We hear the soaring, lyrical “Redemption” motif (#35) soaring upward sequentially to a torrent of orchestral splendor.



Her finals words are “Siegfried, Brünnhilde greets you in bliss.” The Rhine overflows its banks and Hagen jumps in to the river after the Ring. One of the Rhinemaidens bears it away, while the other tow wrap their arms around Hagen and drag him down to the depths. Meanwhile, the flames fill the entire space and soars upward to consume Valhalla, the abode of the gods. The orchestra s peacefully sings the “Redemption” motif (#35). It is as though the world will now have a new order through the restoration of the Ring from whence it came and through Brünnhilde’s noble love.


Two Orchestral Tone Paintings:

There are two excerpts from Götterdämmerung which are often extracted and played as concert pieces. They are “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” and “Siegfried’s Funeral Music.”

1) “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey”- This is the orchestral link between the Prologue and the first act. Even though the curtain is lowered for much of it, it is extremely descriptive of Siegfried’s journey from the rock where he found Brünnhilde to the hall of the Gibichungs which is the setting for Act I. As the duet between Siegfried and Brünnhilde comes to an ecstatic end, the music does not pause but burst out full force into the “Mature Siegfried” theme, hinted at early in the opening of their scene, but now pealing out in all its glory (#5). It is played fanfare-like by the trumpets and French horns. Brünnhilde’s “Valkyrie” motif (#7) is present as well within the orchestral fabric. This is followed immediately by the “Freedom” motif (#10) in the woodwinds and French horns.

As Siegfried disappears down the mountain Brünnhilde (#6) watches him. Her lyrical melody is played by the upper woodwinds and violins and echoed by the French horns, with undulating harp arpeggios providing harmonic support and orchestral color. The music dies down and we soon hear Siegfried’s famous horn call (#11) from a distance, and a bass clarinet gives a soft echo of #6. A theme known as the “Love’s Resolution” (Ex. #36), first heard as part of the final duet in Siegfried follows immediately in the woodwinds.



The curtain is now lowered as the “Journey” continues at a moderate gait. Soon, however a crescendo and the addition of the colorful glockenspiel leads to a new rush of sound. Siegfried has reached the mighty Rhine River and its motif, first heard in the opening pages of Das Rheingold, now makes its broadly sweeping presence known (#1), with a torrent of sound in the brass, supported by wavy harp arpeggios. We hear the “Rheingold” motif softly in the trumpet (#17) and then the music of the “Ring” itself (#16). A final subdued “Rheingold” (#17) in the bass trumpet, now in the minor key, leads without pause into the dark, sinister world of Hagen and the tragedy that lies ahead.

2) “Siegfried’s Funeral Music” – This is the orchestral interlude between scenes in Act III. On a hunting trip near the banks of the Rhine, Siegfried has been murdered by Hagen. He dies, a noble hero, with Brünnhilde’s name on his lips. This orchestral interlude summarizes who he was and what he accomplished by recalling the important motifs associated with him.

We first get a hint of the unique rhythm that Wagner used for his death music with just a few quiet taps on the timpani. The sorrowful “Annuciation of Death” motif (#2), which has pervaded much of the opera, is slowly played by the clarinets and tubas. Three detached, chromatically rising and gradually louder notes in the low strings lead to a brass and timpani rhythm that cuts to the core with its profound power (#31). Three sets of triplets separate a repetition of the brass and timpani pounding. As the sound diminishes, four tubas somberly play a motif heard first in Die Walküre and represents the “Tragic Race of the Volsungs” (Ex. #15), Siegfried’s ancestors. The timpani continues it’s soft, almost hypnotic tapping. We hear the love music of Siegfried’s parents, Siegmund and Sieglinde, (Ex. #37), first on the plaintive English horn, then the clarinet, and finally the oboe.



The “Volsung Race” (#15) motif is developed with a steady crescendo and at its climax, a solo trumpet pierces out with the famous “Sword” motif (#38) in its original rhythm and original bright key of C major.



A still more powerful crescendo climaxes on the “Death” rhythm of #32, with virtually every instrument of the orchestra reinforcing each other in a most powerful declamation.



A slight decrescendo allows the trumpets and French horns to give out with the “Hero” motif, also in its original rhythm (Ex. #39), first heard in Die Walküre when Wotan promised Brünnhilde that only a hero who could pierce through the flaming wall of fire would awaken her.



A second statement of the “Hero” theme (#39) leads to a climactic paean to Siegfried (#5) in the brass, supported by a colorful backdrop of swirling strings, trilling triangle and crashing cymbals; all of this, alternating with powerful restatements of the “Death” rhythm (#32). The orchestral texture then dies down to a whimper as the “Curse” motif (#4) rears its ugly head again to lead us into the final scene of the opera and the ultimate “Twilight of the Gods.” A true and noble hero has been eulogized in the most majestic way with an orchestral tone painting of great power and emotion.