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Title Page
Dedication Page
General Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations for key references
Guide to abbreviations used in text
Allen Dunning's numbered Guide to the Ring's Musical Motifs
Detailed Table of Contents

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.

The Three Rhinedaughters: (pausing briefly in their swimming: [[ #174abc ]]/#175 frag>>) ([[ #174b: ]]) The sun-goddess sends her [[ #175: ]] bright-shining beams; (#33b? or #175?) night lies in the depths. (#12 frag) Once it was light [[ #175: ]] when, safe and hallowed, our father’s gold (#12) still gleamed there. Rhinegold, radiant gold! (#54?:) How brightly you used to shine, [[ #174c: ]] you hallowed star of the deep (:#174c). (They resume their aquatic dance: #174b: [is #4 here also?]) Weilala (#174c:) leia, (#175) (#174c:) wallala leialala (:#174c – plus #4?)! (distant horn call. #103 frag: They listen, then beat the water in jubilation. [[ #175 ]]; #33b?) (#174?:; #175>>:) O sun-goddess, send us the hero who may give us back the gold! (#12) If he left it with us, (#175) your bright-gleaming eye we’d then need envy [“neideten” (#12) no longer! (#12?) (#107 vari?: [this can’t be right: surely Dunning didn’t mean #107?]) Rhinegold, radiant gold (:#107 vari?)! (#174c:) How happily then you would shine, (#175) you free-spirited star of the deep (:#174c)!

 

(#103: Siegfried’s horn call is heard, closer than before. #175 - &/or #33b? [figurations representing water and fire seem to become indistinguishable during this scene, as they do in the finale of Twilight of the Gods, and to an extent they did when Siegfried in S.3.3 spoke of cooling his ardor, putting out his fire, so to speak, in the flood of Bruennhilde’s love – this merging fire and water music also seems related to figurations describing the Woodbird’s fluttering in flight near the end of S.2.3, and before Wotan/Wanderer’s appearance in S.3.2?]; #103?; #176 frag? [two-note horncall])

 

Woglinde: ([[ #176: ]] [is #176 a compound of frags of other motifs? It seems to be compounded of two emphasized notes, like #5 or #151, followed by a sort of fire or woodbird figuration?]) I can hear his horn (#175 &/or #33b?).

 

Wellgunde: [[ #176: ]] The hero’s approaching (:#176).

 

Flosshilde: Let us take counsel!

 

(All three plunge beneath the waves. #175: [&/or #33b, like Loge’s fire in the Twilight of the Gods finale?] Siegfried appears on the cliff, fully armed. [[ #176 ]])