The Leitmotifs of Wagner's Ring(pjb.com.au)
pjb.com.au
The Leitmotifs of Wagner's Ring
https://www.pjb.com.au/mus/wagner
24 comments
My other favorite example in Film is The Lord of the Rings. Especially in the first movie with the theme for the fellowship. It starts out as some single French horns and becomes this great theme when the complete fellowship walks the iconic scene over the mountains towards Moria. Then in Moria we hear it the last time played in full when it abruptly stopps. After Gandalf fell so does the theme. It’s beautiful done.
Yeah it’s pretty much perfect. You hear it from the first seconds: Galadriel/Lothlorien theme as the the voiceover starts over black screen, turns into the ring theme as the title card appears, and changing into the lighter Shire theme when she talks about it, waving different themes into each other, after finally ending in Fellowship theme as the title ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ appears.
Even after Boromir’s death you hear a sad and dark hint of the Fellowship theme as it fades away into the moment the fellowship truly breaks and Frodo decides to leave on his own.
Imagine my disappointment when they used the Nazgul theme in the Hobbit, in the final warg/orc fight scene. Just threw it all away because it’s something that sounds ominous.
Even after Boromir’s death you hear a sad and dark hint of the Fellowship theme as it fades away into the moment the fellowship truly breaks and Frodo decides to leave on his own.
Imagine my disappointment when they used the Nazgul theme in the Hobbit, in the final warg/orc fight scene. Just threw it all away because it’s something that sounds ominous.
Yeah because they had to throw that scene in and they had no music for it. If I remember correctly it was 2 minutes of movie means 2 weeks of sound work. Or something like that. And the hobbit was plagued with issues from the very start. I still like the soundtrack from the hobbit but it didn’t follow the leitmotif as much. When listening to it while working I have no idea where in the story the music belongs to. That is different with Lord of the Rings.
Yes it sure feels like that too. I like Hobbit music too, like how Misty Mountains Cold song is sung by dwarves at the start and it then develops into a full-blown hero theme later. It’s just they kinda overuse in not-so-impactful scenes and it loses its … well, impact.
My favorite theme/tune is in the song the Forest River from the extended soundtrack of part two. It only plays very shortly and comes back every now and then later in another track. It wasn’t in the first movie so I assume it belongs to Legolas or his girlfriend ;) but I’m not sure.
>>> You know how Darth Vader's theme plays when he enters the scene?
Before Vader's theme, was Williams' Oscar-winning Jaws. Two notes. Unforgettable dread every time you venture into the ocean. Not to mention the birth of the Hollywood summer blockbuster phenomenon ;)
https://csosoundsandstories.org/two-notes-that-changed-the-f...
Before Vader's theme, was Williams' Oscar-winning Jaws. Two notes. Unforgettable dread every time you venture into the ocean. Not to mention the birth of the Hollywood summer blockbuster phenomenon ;)
https://csosoundsandstories.org/two-notes-that-changed-the-f...
To expand on this, Wagner's ability to combine variations of different motifs in different modes enabled him to construct sentences, if not entire chapters of plot and story by music alone.
It's in part one of the reasons why Wagner's music is sometimes seen as impenetrable, as it demands a lot from you as a listener. This line of thinking is exemplified in this (purported) quote by Stravinsky:
It's in part one of the reasons why Wagner's music is sometimes seen as impenetrable, as it demands a lot from you as a listener. This line of thinking is exemplified in this (purported) quote by Stravinsky:
To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.
> […] which is one of the reasons why listeners of classical/jazz tend to be musicians and/or elderly people.
That seems a stretch. Both classical music and jazz have a very wide appeal. Classical music sometimes carries the populistic stigma of being only for old folk or the elite, but that does not reflect its actual listenership. If anything, streaming music has made classical music more accessible — at least at an entry level of the more popular pieces.
Listeners of the Ring cycle may very well be a much more exclusive club (this goes for opera in general), but classical music is part of many people's lives (my two year old son digs Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf).
That seems a stretch. Both classical music and jazz have a very wide appeal. Classical music sometimes carries the populistic stigma of being only for old folk or the elite, but that does not reflect its actual listenership. If anything, streaming music has made classical music more accessible — at least at an entry level of the more popular pieces.
Listeners of the Ring cycle may very well be a much more exclusive club (this goes for opera in general), but classical music is part of many people's lives (my two year old son digs Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf).
I'm happy that you have a different experience (and that your son likes a classical piece), perhaps it's dependent on location and culture?
I sang classical (opera, church choir) for just over ten years, and spent a lot of time with other musicians and attended many of their performances. When it came to classical, jazz or blues it was nearly always a vast majority of musicians and elderly in the crowd, with the occasional families with small children hanging around for a few minutes when the events were public/free/outdoor.
For context, I am in my early thirties and live in Sweden (including Copenhagen here as well due to proximity).
I sang classical (opera, church choir) for just over ten years, and spent a lot of time with other musicians and attended many of their performances. When it came to classical, jazz or blues it was nearly always a vast majority of musicians and elderly in the crowd, with the occasional families with small children hanging around for a few minutes when the events were public/free/outdoor.
For context, I am in my early thirties and live in Sweden (including Copenhagen here as well due to proximity).
Oh for attending actual concerts in the flesh the demographics definitely skew towards elderly and people generally more into high-brow culture, you are right there. That is no different here in the Netherlands.
But I don't think that reflects listenership very well. People listen to classical music for a variety of reasons; sometimes just to have some light chamber music to study or work with, or just to explore highlights perhaps heard in film or other popular media.
But I don't think that reflects listenership very well. People listen to classical music for a variety of reasons; sometimes just to have some light chamber music to study or work with, or just to explore highlights perhaps heard in film or other popular media.
Then I think we are in agreement! I have a tendency to slip into binary modes of thinking, drawing my previous conclusion based solely on my own experience rather than looking outwards.
Thank you :)
Thank you :)
Well, I now count as elderly (or anyway eligible for Social Security), but I first went to an opera at the age of about 12. It was Cosi Fan Tutte, and I wouldn't argue with those who consider that Mozart requires less effort than Wagner.
A potentially interesting segue into modern music is the 2006 Ring inspired nerdcore 'remix' of the Ring-cycle: Rhyme of the Nibelung by Baddd Spellah featuring MC Frontalot:
https://soundcloud.com/badddspellah/rhyme-of-the-nibelung
A tongue-in-cheek adaptation of course, but I can't read about Leitmotifs in Wagner's Ring cycle without thinking of this song.
https://soundcloud.com/badddspellah/rhyme-of-the-nibelung
A tongue-in-cheek adaptation of course, but I can't read about Leitmotifs in Wagner's Ring cycle without thinking of this song.
Sideways, who does a ton of incredible work about music in films and TV, did a video about the Ring cycle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6GA9Px6qkc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6GA9Px6qkc
This is an amazing resource for anyone wanting to appreciate Wagner. When I was in college, I had to learn many of these leitmotifs by going to our library's listening room and following my professor's notes while playing compact disc recordings of performances he prescribed. It seemed high-tech at the time!
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A nice run through of the recent Met production here: https://vimeo.com/39374902
I paid something like $1100 per ticket to see a production at the last Seattle Opera cycle with no expectations (gift to the wife) and was blown away because the music is just plain incredibly well written and tuneful. It is straight up good 19th century pop music, albeit with a deeply weird plot replete with a heapin’ helpin’ of incest. Production itself was thankfully world class.
Whether this is someone's thing or not, I strongly encourage everyone to see a complete Ring Cycle at least once.
There'll be 3 opportunities to do so in Berlin between November & January.
There'll be 3 opportunities to do so in Berlin between November & January.
I'll personally give it a few years until 'getting together in large groups indoors seated next to strangers' feels more natural, is less at risk of being cancelled because of corona, and won't be sold out the minute sales open due to over a year of missing such things.
> I'll personally give it a few years until 'getting together in large groups indoors seated next to strangers' feels more natural
I think this largely depends on where you are in the world. There are already places you can go see a soccer match in a sold out stadium. Even in places that have been very locked down. I'm looking at you, AAMI Park.
I think this largely depends on where you are in the world. There are already places you can go see a soccer match in a sold out stadium. Even in places that have been very locked down. I'm looking at you, AAMI Park.
I highly recommend Deryick Cooke's introduction which uses clips from the acclaimed Solti recordings to help you understand the leitmotifs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI-ZYf8TO54&ab_channel=Rodde...
Wagner's Ring cycle was my go-to background music for studying for finals in college.
The influence is especially present in the Star Wars score. You know how Darth Vader's theme plays when he enters the scene? John Williams took hint from Wagner to assign tunes to each character.