VII.                     Ring  

  Music-World Rule

Von Wolzogen:  Ring

Cooke:  Ring (embryonic)

Sabor:  Ring

Holman:  Ring

Stone:  Ring

 

  Music-Ring

Cooke:  The Ring

Comment:  because the harmony of this theme plays such a major role throughout the Ring I have sided with Cooke and considered it the definitive theme and not just a variation.

 

  Music-Hoard

Von Wolzogen:  ‘rising treasure’

Cooke:  The Hoard

Sabor:  Treasure

Holman:  Hoard

Stone:  Hoard

 

  Music-Contemplation

Holman:  Loge’s Craft

Comment:  it is easy to confuse this theme with the Brooding theme below, but they are musically different.

 

  Music-Scheming

Von Wolzogen:  ‘meditation motive’

Cooke:  Scheming

Sabor:  Brooding

Holman:  Brooding

Stone:  Brooding

 

  Music-Malice

Von Wolzogen:  Vernichtungsarbeit (‘destructive work’)

Cooke:  Resentment

Sabor:  Nibelungen Hate

Holman:  Hatred

Stone:  Angst

 

  Music-Curse

Von Wolzogen:  Fluch

Cooke:  The Curse

Sabor:  Curse

Holman:  Curse

Stone:  Alberich’s Curse

 

  Music-Rights

Cooke:  Hunding’s Rights

Holman:  Rights

Stone:  Rules of the Game

 

  Music-Atonement

Von Wolzogen:  Sühnerecht  (‘expiation’)

Cooke:  Vow of Atonement

Sabor:  Atonement

Holman:  Vow of Atonement

Stone:  Rules of the Game

Comment:  per Stone “represents the codes that individuals and societies invent for their own perpetuation”.

 

  Music-Siegfried's Ruin

Von Wolzogen:  Mordwerk  (‘murder’)

Cooke:  Murder

Sabor:  Murder

Holman:  Murder

Stone:  Conspiracy

 

  Music-Sieglinde

Von Wolzogen:  Entsagung (‘renunciation’)

Cooke:  Sieglinde

Sabor:  Sieglinde

Holman:  Sieglinde

Stone:  Sieglinde

 

   Music-Sieglinde's Sympathy

Von Wolzogen:  Wälsungen Mitleid (‘ Volsung pity’)

Cooke:  Volsungs’ Bond of Sympathy

Sabor:  Wälsung Ordeal

Holman:  Volsungs’ Woe

Stone:  Suffering

Comment:  the second staff is the theme in question.

 

  Music-Valhalla

 

 

  Music-World Ashtree

Comment:  other authors apply the label to a rhythmic variation of the Nature Motive in Siegfried, but it is preferred here because of the theme’s independence in Götterdämmerung’s Prologue.

 

  Music-Rapture

Stone:  Rapture

 

  Music-Precious Siegfried

Von Wolzogen:  Weltenhort  (‘world’s savior’)

Cooke:  The World’s Treasure

Sabor:  Liebesglück

Holman:  World’s Treasure

Stone:  Love’s Happiness

 

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