Siegfried’s Funeral March from Götterdämmerung
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
As a major protagonist in the ‘Ring’ cycle, Siegfried first appears in the third of the four dramas, also called Siegfried. Our hero is the outcome of an incestuous union between brother and sister, Siegmund and Sieglinde. His actions and fate are guided very much by others, and he is sometimes depicted as more of a simpleton than a hero. In Götterdämmerung, the first woman he encounters is Brünnhilde, who happens to be asleep. Having never seen a woman before, he exclaims, ‘This is no man’, to the amusement of many audiences. They fall in love but, driven by forces beyond his control and understanding, Siegfried claims the all-powerful ring and is consequently killed by Hagen, (a supposed ally of Brünnhilde), who plunges a spear into his back. His Funeral March serves as the interlude between the second and third scenes of Act 3.
Supported by two vassals, Siegfried bids farewell to Brünnhilde as his breath fails. Night falls. His body is borne away. The march begins solemnly, the brass instruments entering quietly as moonlight falls on the cortège and as fog shrouds the River Rhine. The full brass utter Siegfried’s motif, recalling his heroic deeds and the confident mood that characterised his youthful adventures. Many musical reminders of these events occur in this central section. Those unfamiliar with the dramas may judge it to be a hotchpotch but, for others, it chimes with emotions unacknowledged hitherto. The March ends as solemnly as it began, desolate and subdued.
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
As a major protagonist in the ‘Ring’ cycle, Siegfried first appears in the third of the four dramas, also called Siegfried. Our hero is the outcome of an incestuous union between brother and sister, Siegmund and Sieglinde. His actions and fate are guided very much by others, and he is sometimes depicted as more of a simpleton than a hero. In Götterdämmerung, the first woman he encounters is Brünnhilde, who happens to be asleep. Having never seen a woman before, he exclaims, ‘This is no man’, to the amusement of many audiences. They fall in love but, driven by forces beyond his control and understanding, Siegfried claims the all-powerful ring and is consequently killed by Hagen, (a supposed ally of Brünnhilde), who plunges a spear into his back. His Funeral March serves as the interlude between the second and third scenes of Act 3.
Supported by two vassals, Siegfried bids farewell to Brünnhilde as his breath fails. Night falls. His body is borne away. The march begins solemnly, the brass instruments entering quietly as moonlight falls on the cortège and as fog shrouds the River Rhine. The full brass utter Siegfried’s motif, recalling his heroic deeds and the confident mood that characterised his youthful adventures. Many musical reminders of these events occur in this central section. Those unfamiliar with the dramas may judge it to be a hotchpotch but, for others, it chimes with emotions unacknowledged hitherto. The March ends as solemnly as it began, desolate and subdued.