Editing Das Rheingold (section)

==Music==
''Das Rheingold'' was Wagner's first attempt to write dramatic music in accordance with the principles he had enunciated in ''Opera and Drama'', hence the general absence in the score of conventional operatic "numbers" in the form of arias, ensembles and choruses.{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=105}}{{sfn|Jacobs|1980|p=149}} Rather than acting as the accompanist to the voices, the orchestra combines with them on equal terms to propel the drama forward.{{sfn|Whittall|1992|p=256}} According to Barry Millington's analysis, ''Das Rheingold'' represents Wagner's purest application of the ''Opera and Drama'' principles, a rigorous stance that he would eventually modify.{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=105}} Even in ''Rheingold'', as Jacobs indicates, Wagner was flexible when the dramatic occasion warranted it; thus, the Rhinemaidens sing in the disavowed ensembles, and there are several instances in which characters sing melodies that appear to be musically independent from the general flow.{{sfn|Jacobs|1980|pp=149–50}} The music is continuous, with instrumental [[entr'acte]]s linking the actions of the four discrete scenes.{{sfn|Osborne|1992|p=188}}

===Prelude===
The prelude to ''Das Rheingold'' consists of an extended (136-bar) chord in E{{music|b}} major, which begins almost inaudibly in the lowest register of eight double-basses. The note of B{{music|b}} is added by the bassoons and the chord is further embellished as the horns enter with a rising [[arpeggio]] to announce the "Nature" motif,{{sfn|Holman|2001|pp=109–110}}{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=99}} outlining the lower partials of an harmonic series with an E{{music|b}} fundamental. This is further elaborated in the strings; the lower-register instruments sustain the E{{music|b}} note throughout the prelude, while the chord is increasingly enhanced by the orchestra. The "Rhine" motif emerges, representing what Osborne describes as "the calm, majestic course of the river's character{{sfn|Osborne|1992|p=188}} The composer [[Robert Erickson]] describes the prelude as [[drone music]] – "the only well-known drone piece in the concert repertory".{{sfn|Erickson|1975|p=94}} Millington suggests that the protracted chord does not simply represent the depths of the Rhine, rather "the birth of the world, the act of creation itself".{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=99}}

===First scene===
When the prelude reaches its climax the curtain rises and the key shifts to A{{music|b}} as Woglinde sings a "greeting to the waters".{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=476}} The first two and last two notes of this short, lilting passage form a falling musical step which, in different guises, will recur throughout the opera, signifying variously the Rhinemaidens' innocence, their joy in the gold and conversely, in the minor key,{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=100}} Alberich's woe at his rejection by the maidens, and his enslavement of the Nibelungs.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=111}} The first appearance of the gold is signified by a muted horn call in the lower register, played under a shimmer of undulating strings,{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=478}} conveying, says Holman, "the shining, innocent beauty of the Rhinegold in its unfashioned state."{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=112}} The motif for the ring itself first appears in the woodwind,{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=479}} as Wellgunde reveals that a ring fashioned from the gold would confer on its owner the power to win the wealth of the world.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=114}} This is followed by what is sometimes known as the "renunciation" motif, when Woglinde sings that to fashion such a ring, the owner must first renounce love. Confusion arises because this same motif is used later in the ''Ring'' cycle to represent affirmation rather than rejection of love;{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=114}} [[Roger Scruton]] suggests the motif would be more appropriately labelled "existential choice".{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=313}} Alberich duly curses love, seizes the gold and departs, to the sounds of the despairing shrieks of the Rhinemaidens.{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=101}}

===Second scene===
[[File:Rhinegold and the Valkyries p 034.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The gods begin to lose their youth on Freia's departure]]
During the first entr'acte, the Ring motif is transformed into the multipart and oft-reiterated "Valhalla" music – four intertwined motifs which represent the majesty of the gods and the extent of Wotan's power.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=115}}{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=60}} Scene two begins on the mountaintop, in sight of the newly completed castle, where Fricka and Wotan bicker over Wotan's contract with the giants. This duologue is characterised by Fricka's "Love's longing" motif, in which she sighs for a home that will satisfy Wotan and halt his infidelities.{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=314}} Freia's distressed entrance is illustrated by "Love", a fragment that will recur and develop as the ''Ring'' cycle unfolds.{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=484}}{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=101}} The Giants' entrance is signified by heavy, stamping music that reflects both their simple nature and their brute strength.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=117}} The "Golden Apples" motif, of "remarkable beauty" according to Scruton, is sung by Fafner as a threatening reminder to the gods that the loss of Freia means the loss of their youth and vigour;{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=62}} it is later used by Loge to mock the gods for their weakness after Freia's departure with the giants.{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=316}} The "Spear" motif, a rapidly descending scale, represents the moral basis of Wotan's power and the sanctity of the treaties engraved on it.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=119}} The phrase of five descending notes known as "Woman's Worth", first sung by Loge, is described by Holman as one of the most pervasive and appealing motifs in the entire ''Ring'' cycle – he lists 43 occurrences of the motif throughout the cycle.{{sfn|Holman|2001|pp=393–396}} Many of the ''Ring''{{'}}s characters – Wotan, Froh, Alberich, Fasolt and Erda in ''Das Rheingold'' – either sing this phrase or are orchestrally referenced by it.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=119}}

===Third scene===
The descent of Wotan and Loge into Nibelheim is represented musically in the second entr'acte, which begins with the "renunciation" and "spear" motifs but is quickly overwhelmed with the insistent, rhythmic 9/8 beat of the Nibelung motif in B{{music|flat}},{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=103}} briefly foreshadowed in Loge's scene 2 soliloquy.{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=497}} In the climax to the entr'acte this rhythm is hammered out on eighteen anvils.{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=102}} This motif is thereafter used, not just to represent the Nibelungs but also their enslavement in a state of relentless misery.{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=64}} During the scene's opening interaction between Alberich and Mime, the soft, mysterious "Tarnhelm" motif is heard on muted horns; this is later combined with the "serpent" motif as, at Loge's behest, Alberich uses the Tarnhelm to transform himself into a giant snake.{{sfn|Newman|1949|pp=499–501}} The transition back to the mountaintop, following Alberich's entrapment, references a number of motifs, among them Alberich's woe, the ring, renunciation and the Nibelungs' enslavement.{{sfn|Millington|2006|p=103}}{{sfn|Mann|1964|p=63}}{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=506}}

===Fourth scene===
After Wotan seizes the ring from the captive Alberich, the dwarf's agonised, self-pitying monologue ("Am I now free?") ends with his declamation of the "Curse" motif – "one of the most sinister musical ideas ever to have entered the operatic repertoire", according to Scruton's analysis: "It rises through a [[Half-diminished seventh chord|half-diminished chord]], and then falls through an octave to settle on a murky C major [[Triad (music)|triad]], with clarinets in their lowest register over a [[Timpani#Pedal timpani|timpani pedal]] in F sharp".{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=67}} This motif will recur throughout the cycle; it will be heard later in this scene, when Fafner clubs Fasolt to death over possession of the ring.{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=515}} Tranquil, ascending harmonies introduce the reconvention of the gods and giants.{{sfn|Newman|1949|p=511}} The subsequent dispute over Wotan's reluctance to part with the ring ends with Erda's appearance; her motif is a minor-key variation of the "Nature" motif from the prelude.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=126}} After her warning she departs to the sounds of the "Downfall" motif, an inversion of Erda's entry that resembles "Woman's Worth".{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=126}}{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=322}} The scene ends with a rapid succession of motifs: "Donner's Call", a horn fanfare by which he summons the thunderstorm; Froh's "Rainbow Bridge" which provides a path for the gods into Valhalla;{{sfn|Holman|2001|pp=126–127}} the "Sword" motif, a C major arpeggio that will become highly significant in later ''Ring'' operas,{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=70}} and the haunting "Rhinemaidens' Lament", developed from the falling step which earlier signified the maidens' joy in the gold.{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=128}} Scruton writes of this lament: "And yet, ever sounding in the depths, is the lament of the Rhine-daughters, singing of a natural order that preceded the conscious will that has usurped it. This lament sounds in the unconsciousness of us all, as we pursue our paths to personality, sovereignty and freedom...".{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=71}}{{refn|Cosima Wagner's diary entry for 12 February 1883 records that, on the night before he died, Wagner played the Rhinemaidens' lament on the piano, telling her: "I feel loving towards them, these subservient creatures of the deep, with all their yearning".{{sfn|Skelton|1994|p=516}}|group= n}} These are the last voices that are heard in the opera, "piercing our hearts with sudden longing, melting our bones with nostalgic desire",{{sfn|Donington|1963|p=114}} before the gods, "marching in empty triumph to their doom",{{sfn|Scruton|2017|p=70}} enter Valhalla to a thunderous orchestral conclusion, made up from several motifs including "Valhalla", "Rainbow Bridge" and the "Sword".{{sfn|Holman|2001|p=128}}

===Orchestral forces===
''Das Rheingold'' is scored for the following instrumental forces:{{sfn|Millington|1992|p=287}}

*    Woodwind: Piccolo; 3 flutes; 3 oboes; cor anglais; 3 clarinets; bass clarinet; 3 bassoons
*    Brass: 8 horns (5-8 doubling Wagner Tubas in Bb and F); 3 trumpets; bass trumpet; 2 tenor trombones; bass trombone; contrabass trombone (doubling bass trombone); contrabass tuba
*    Percussion: 2 sets of timpani; cymbals; triangle; gong
*    Strings: 16 first violins; 16 second violins; 12 violas; 12 cellos; 8 double basses; 6 harps (plus a seventh off-stage)
*    Off-stage: 18 anvils of varying sizes (tuned to 3 octaves of F#); hammer