Chapter 47. Total Art: Wagner and German Romantic Opera; Listening Guide 38: Wagner: Die Walküre, Act III, Opening and Finale
Put the following events of Act III of Wagner's Die Walküre in their correct narrative order.
1.After a battle between Siegmund and Hunding, nine warrior maidens, the Valkyries, ride from the battlefield back to Valhalla. 2.Brünhilde arrives last carrying Sieglinde and fragments of Siegmund's sword. 3.Wotan punishes Brünhilde by putting her to sleep on a rock encircled by flames. 4.Alberich the Nibelungen forges a ring of gold.
Which of the following statements describe the finale of Act III from Die Walküre?
Correct Answer(s) It is in duple meter. It is performed by bass-baritone with orchestra.
Here is the slumber leitmotif:
Correct choiceIt is the Siegfried leitmotif and the slumber leitmotif played simultaneously.
Whose daughter was Cosima, Wagner's wife?
Franz Liszt
Which describes the music in this excerpt, which begins about eight seconds into scene 1?
swirling strings and woodwinds with a lively dotted rhythm in French horns and low strings
Which describes the music in this excerpt, which begins 22 seconds into scene 1?
swirling strings and woodwinds; a lively dotted rhythm in horns and low strings; and a melody played by brass
Match the descriptive words or phrases with the different elements of music as found in the opening of Wagner's Die Walküre, Act III.
texture Correct label: polyphonic rhythm Correct label: dotted orchestration Correct label: brass, winds, strings
After considerable success in Dresden with Rienzi, Wagner began to choose subjects derived from Germanic epics.
true
The role of the Valkyries was to carry fallen heroes from the battlefield to Valhalla on their winged horses.
true
The first scene of Act III of Wagner's Die Walküre opens with music that is in which meter?
9/8
Match the excerpt with the word or phrase that fits the role of the music in the Act III finale of Die Walküre.
Correct label: Siegfried motive Wer meines Speeres 0:34 Correct label: Invocation of Loge, god of fire descending trombones1:03 Correct label: Magic sleep motive chromatic woodwinds 0:12
Which term refers to Wagner's concept of a total artwork, encompassing all the arts?
Gesamtkunstwerk
In Wagner's The Ring Cycle, the treasure of gold that lies in a particular river is guarded by the three --
Rhine Maidens
The nine daughters of Wotan, in Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung, are known as the --
Valkyries
Which character from Wagner's Ring Cycle is presented in this image?
a Valkyrie
What is the basis for the story of The Ring of the Nibelung?
a medieval German epic poem
The finale from Wagner's Die Walküre features solo - voice and - focused on brass and woodwinds; - meter; and themes, or -, for "magic fire," "magic sleep," "slumber," and "Siegfried," performed both individually and simultaneously.
bass-baritone orchestra duple leitmotifs
What instruments perform the "Siegfried" leitmotif from the closing of Act III from Die Walker :34
brass
On what type of harmony did Wagner base his musical language?
chromatic harmony
What are the distinguishing features of the "magic sleep" leitmotif from the closing of Act III from Die Walküre?
descending chromatic line that gets quieter
Which describes the meter of the finale of Act III from Die Walküre?
duple
In his music dramas Wagner created short arias that lent themselves to being separated from the larger work for performance at home.
false
In the nineteenth century Germany was noted for its long-established opera tradition.
false
The singer (Wotan) in the finale of Act III of Die Walküre is a tenor.
false
How many music dramas make up Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung?
four
Here is the magic fire leitmotif:36 12 36
it is the magic fire leitmotif
Here is the magic fire leitmotif: 36 12 12
it is the magic sleep leitmotif.
Here is the slumber leitmotif:
it is the slumber leitmotif
The "Ride" motive played by the brass is called a leitmotif. It is played first by the French horns.
leitmotif French Horns
Wagner's large-scale music dramas are unified by --
leitmotifs
Which leitmotifs did Wagner use in the closing scene of Act III in Die Walküre?
magic fire magic sleep Siegfried
Match the term to its correct description.
melodrama-scenes with spoken dialogue or minimal singing, but striking orchestral accompaniment to intensify the dramatic effect of the words singspiel-light German comic opera with spoken dialogue music drama-opera conceived by Wagner in which music, poetry, drama and visual spectacle are fused together leitmotif-leading motives in Wagnerian opera that represent emotions, characters, ideas, objects and continually transform
In his career, Wagner abandoned the idea of separate arias, duets, ensembles, choruses, and ballets, instead developing an "endless --" that was molded to the natural inflections of the -- language
melody, German
What did Wagner call his complete integration of theater and music?
music drama
Put the excerpts in the correct order in which they first appear in the opening scene of Act III from Wagner's Die Walküre. BE VERY CAREFUL to click only on the white triangle to listen to the excerpts; clicking anywhere else in the cards will select it as an answer.
orange green red
Which describes the texture of the opening scene of Die Walkuüre?
polyphonic
Listen to the following music excerpts and drag them to the correct location on the music chart below.
red blue orange
Which describes the first seven seconds of scene 1 from Wagner's Die Walküre?
rushing strings and wavering woodwinds
In the final scene of Die Walküre, Wagner introduces the leitmotif for the hero -- who hasn't even been born yet
siegfried
Light German opera featuring spoken dialogue is called what?
singspiel
Which describes the texture in the first minute of the finale of Act III? Wagner- Die Walkure [1:03]
solo low voice [bass-baritone] with orchestra
Wagner had a theater built at Bayreuth specifically for the performance of his music dramas.
true
in this excerpt, which begins 22 seconds into scene 1, the trumpets and French horns both play the "Ride" leitmotif:
true
What instruments perform the "slumber" leitmotif from the closing of Act III from Die Walker? :10
woodwinds
What instruments are featured during the "magic fire" leitmotif in the finale of Act III?
woodwinds and French horns
