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To wrap up my series on the Siegfried horn calls within Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, today’s article features the calls in Wagner’s final opera in the cycle, Götterdämmerung. The short call of course is something that most horn players are familiar with. The Prelude and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey is a fairly common staple in orchestra concerts.
It should be noted that in the full operatic version the short call appears on page 10 of the Horn I part. There is quite a bit to play before the famous call sounds.
Gone is the sleeping dragon and magical bird from the previous opera Siegfried. When performing this call this is something to bear in mind.
Our mythical hero is on a journey, carrying Brünnhilde’s shield and riding her horse Grane. The spirit in these calls is without a doubt, heroic.
Pages 17 and 18 are interesting to look at. Horn calls are peppered throughout.
Act II Scene II
One final excerpt to consider is this segue from Scene I into Scene II of Act II. This is perhaps the final sounding of Siegfried’s horn call within the Ring cycle.
The beginning of this excerpt until the hand-written rehearsal number 8 has been on Arizona Opera auditions. It encompasses a wide range and requires smooth control over long phrases.
The entire Horn I and II combined part for Götterdämmerung by the way, adds up to a whopping seventy-seven pages!
Previously in this series:
- Siegfried – the back story
A video that gives the story. - Slaying the dragon
The music that precedes and follows the Long Call. - Forging the sword
The end of Act I. - An Interpretive Approach to the Long Call
A boy, a bird and a sleeping giant.
