Editing Das Rheingold (section)

===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}}