about 150 items. Index of names, characters, themes, and topics. See also Don-
ington’sOpera and Its Symbols(#283).- Cumrow, Robert C. “The RingIs a Fraud: Self, Totem, and Myth in Der Ring
des Nibelungen.” OQ1-1 (Spring 1983): 107–125.
An effective deconstructive essay that points out numerous inconsistencies
between plot events and symbolic intentions. - Cooke, Deryck. I Saw the World End: A Study of Wagner’s “Ring.”New
York: Oxford U.P., 1979. 360p. ISBN 0-193153-81. ML410 .W15 C77.
The theme of this book is the mythological base for the story. The approach
includes serious attention to Wagner’s intentions, as well as the resulting
“overt meaning.” Cooke—who died before completing the work—examines
the characters and their motivations, relating all to the sagas. He reviews the
previous literature very critically, taking issue with Donington in particular. A
rudimentary bibliography, expansive index of names, titles, topics, and charac-
ters. - Lee, M. Owen. Wagner’s “Ring”: Turning the Sky Around.New York: Sum-
mit, 1990. 120p. ISBN 0-671-70773-6. ML410 .W15 L3.
Based on the author’s intermission radio talks during Metropolitan Opera
broadcasts. These are elegant essays on various aspects of the operas, aimed at
a general audience but of interest to anyone for their insights. Bibliography, no
index. - Dahlhaus, Carl. “Tonalität und Form in Wagners Ring des Nibelungen.” AfM
40–3 (1983): 165–173.
Considers the Lorenz and Halm approaches to the tonality concept. Then con-
cludes that tonality is a dependent variable, a function of form just as form is a
function of tonality.
See also Dahlhauss’s other writings on the topic of form, noted at #2006, and the next
entry.
- Dahlhaus, Carl. “Formprinzipien in Wagners Ring des Nibelungen.” In
Beiträge zur Geschichte der Oper,ed. Heinz Becker, 95–129 (Regensburg:
Bosse, 1969; reprint, GL,v.12).
Finds major weaknesses in the analyses of Lorenz (#2002), including the basic
concept of poetic/musical period—which can have, in Lorenz, as few as 14
measures or as many as 840 measures. This 1:60 ratio indicates that such a
period has no validity as a formal element. The Lorenz barform is likewise of
such variety in its dimensions as to become meaningless. These views are sup-
ported by numerous examples. - Westernhagen, Curt von. The Forging of the “Ring.”Trans. Mary Whittall.
New York: Cambridge U.P., 1976. viii, 248p. ISBN 0-521-21293-6. ML410
.W15 W1583.
Originally Die Entstehung des “Ring”(Zurich: Atlantis, 1973). An important
study of Wagner’s sketches—more than 800 pages of them—with all passages
Richard Wagner 381