:: The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis ::

WebFacts

More WebFacts

WebFacts 1
Perhaps the most famous instances of motives named for their symbolic associations are the leitmotivs used by Richard Wagner (1813-1883) in his operas. Each leitmotiv represents a character, idea, or object in the opera; thus we hear motives in the composer's four-opera cycle Der Ring des Niebelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs) representing the ring, the giants, the Valkyries, the Tarnhelm (a magic cloak), fire, and Valhalla (residence of the gods), among others. Wagner himself did not use this term-it was popularized by a friend of his-but it has now come into common usage. While locating statements of each motive is only one part of an analysis of these masterworks, learning to identify them by ear can add to your enjoyment of the operas. To learn more about Wagner's musical style, read the essays in the Norton Critical Score Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan and Isolde, edited by Robert Bailey (New York: Norton, 1985). To learn more about Wagner's life, consult Ernest Newman's Life of Richard Wagner (London: Cassell, 1933–47; reprinted 1976).

Another famous instance of motives interpreted for their symbolic associations can be found in Albert Schweitzer's two-volume J. S. Bach (original in French, 1905; reprinted in 1980 by Paganiniana). Throughout the book, but particularly in Chapters 22 ("The Musical Language of the Chorales") and 23 ("The Musical Language of the Cantatas"), Schweitzer categorizes musical motives from Bach's works according to their Christian symbolism, as well as interpreting motives to represent emotions such as peace, grief, joy, tumult, exhaustion, terror, and so on. While we have no evidence that Schweitzer's analyses present an accurate picture of Bach's compositional intention, you may find that identifying these motives in compositions that you perform will color your interpretations of the composer's works in interesting and musical ways.