Editing Der Ring des Nibelungen (section)

===Instrumentation===
Wagner made significant innovations in [[orchestration]] in this work. He wrote for a very large orchestra, using the whole range of instruments used singly or in combination to express the great range of emotion and events of the drama. Wagner even commissioned the production of new instruments, including the [[Wagner tuba]], invented to fill a gap he found between the tone qualities of the [[French horn|horn]] and the [[trombone]], as well as variations of existing instruments, such as the [[bass trumpet]] and a [[contrabass trombone]] with a double slide. He also developed the "Wagner bell", enabling the [[bassoon]] to reach the low A-natural, whereas normally B-flat is the instrument's lowest note. If such a bell is not to be used, then a [[contrabassoon]] should be employed.

All four parts have a very similar instrumentation. The core ensemble of instruments are one [[piccolo]], three [[Western concert flute|flutes]] (third doubling second [[piccolo]]), three [[oboe]]s, [[cor anglais]] (doubling fourth oboe), three [[soprano clarinet]]s, one [[bass clarinet]], three [[bassoon]]s; eight [[French horn|horns]] (fifth through eighth doubling [[Wagner tuba]]s), three [[trumpet]]s, one bass trumpet, three [[tenor trombone]]s, one [[contrabass trombone]] (doubling [[bass trombone]]), one [[contrabass tuba]]; a percussion section with 4 [[timpani]] (requiring two players), [[triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], [[cymbal]]s, [[tam-tam]]; six [[harp]]s and a string section consisting of 16 first and 16 second [[violin]]s, 12 [[viola]]s, 12 [[cello]]s and 8 [[double bass]]es.

''Das Rheingold'', one offstage harp and 18 offstage [[anvil]]s. ''Die Walküre'' requires one [[snare drum]], one [[D clarinet]] (played by the third clarinettist) and an on-stage [[steerhorn]]. ''Siegfried'' requires one onstage cor anglais and one onstage horn. ''Götterdämmerung'' requires a [[tenor drum]], as well as five onstage horns and four onstage steerhorns, one of them to be blown by Hagen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Instruments of the RING |url=https://www.lyricopera.org/lyric-lately/Instruments-of-the-RING/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.lyricopera.org |language=en}}</ref>