Editing Das Rheingold (section)

===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}}