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Title Page
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Guide to abbreviations used in text
Allen Dunning's numbered Guide to the Ring's Musical Motifs
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The Ring

Introduction


References
Appendix I
Appendix I I

Key Colour Coding

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I would be grateful for donations of any size, small or large, to help defray the cost (1) of maintaining this website, (2) and to finance my past and present research which produced my book posted here, Volume One of "The Wound That Will Never Heal," and my forthcoming revision of Volume One (to be submitted for publication), and completion of Volume Two on Wagner's six other canonic operas and music-dramas. I sacrificed at least seven years of paid employment and incurred debts to complete this project, and am currently unemployed, so I thank you in advance for any financial help you can provide. Your friend, Paul Heise.

[T.2.4: C]

Bruennhilde finally has a horrific revelation of the full scope and meaning of Siegfried’s betrayal of their love, and cries out in her despair to the gods, and to Wotan in particular, who are of course ultimately the cause of her anguish:

 

Bruennhilde: (crying out in the most terrible anguish: #151?:; #165 vari/#161 chord:) Deceit! Deceit! (:#151?; :#165 vari/#161 chord)! (#19 vari:) Most shameful deceit (:#19 vari)! (#151?:; #165 vari/#161 chord:) Betrayal! Betrayal (:#151?; :#165 vari/#161 chord)! (#170/#164:) As never before avenged (:#170/#164)!

 

Gutrune: (#164 vari:) Betrayal? Of whom (:#164 vari)?

 

Women and Vassals: (#164 vari) Betrayal? Of whom? (#7?; #156?)

 

Bruennhilde: (#20a voc & orch?:) Hallowed gods! heavenly rulers (:#20a)! (#164 - voc & orch?:) Was this what you whispered within your council (:#164 – voc & orch?)? (#50:; #164:) Would you teach me (#40:) suffering as none yet suffered (:#164; :#40; :#50)? (#164:) Have you caused me (#40:) shame more painful than any yet felt (:#164; :#40)? (#45a:; #19 vari or #20a orch?:; #19 voc?:) Now teach me (#19 vari:) revenge as never yet raged! Kindle such (#19 vari:) wrath as has never been tamed (:#19 vari or #20a; :#45a?)! (#59a varis:; #?: [a rhythm which perhaps recalls Siegfried’s filing of Nothung in S.1.3, possibly a #103 frag?:; #7?:) Bid Bruennhilde break her heart in twain (:#59a varis; :#? [perhaps a rhythm which recalls Siegfried’s filing of Nothung in S.1.3?]) (#164?:) to destroy the man who betrayed her (:#164?; :#7?)!

 

Gunther: (#152?:; #5/#172:) Bruennhilde, wife! Control yourself (:#152?; :#5/#172)!

 

Bruennhilde: (#164 vari:) Keep away, betrayer! Self-betrayed (:#164 vari)! – (#82? [perhaps music which expressed Bruennhilde’s fear of sexual union with siegfried in S.3.3, and also from her struggle with him to hold on to her ring in T.1.3?]; #19?) (#voc?:) Know then, all of you (:#voc?): (#101 unison: [the interval leap on “not to him …” may have been associated with Mime in R.3 &/or S.1.1?]) not to him (:#101 unison [Mime reference?]), (#?: [is this music motival or a significant reference?]) but to that man there am I wed (:#? [!!!]).