基本説明
New in paperback. Hardcover was published in 1993.
Full Description
This text traces the compositional genesis of Richard Wagner's "Das Rheingold", the first opera of his operatic tetralogy "Der Ring des Nibelungen". It was a milestone in the composer's output and in the history of music in general. It marked Wagner's return to operatic composition after a hiatus of five years, and signified his definitive break with earlier operatic conventions. It also represents a reconsideration of the whole question of dramatic-musical form and the role of tonality in articulating this form. The book also attempts a comprehensive formal and tonal analysis of the piece. It is based upon Wagner's textual and musical manuscripts with up-to-date techniques. Darcy discusses the formal, harmonic and linear structure of the work. In so doing, he challenges a number of contemporary views about the opera, including those of Curt von Westernhagen and Carl Dahlhaus.
Contents
Structural outline of "Das Rheingold"; preliminaries; the documentary sources; the forging of the text; analytical positions; the opera as a whole; "creation ex nihilo" - the prelude; scene one; first transformation and scene two; second transformation and scene three; third transformation and scene four. Appendices: transcriptions from Wagner's complete draft; works cited.
