‘Das Rheingold’ is conspicuous among the later works of Wagner for its brevity and concentration.  Although it embraces four scenes, the music is continuous throughout, and the whole makes but one act.  Wagner’s aim seems to have been to set forth in a series of brilliant pictures the medium in which his mighty drama was to unfold itself.  Human interest of course there is none, but the supernatural machinery is complete.  The denizens of the world are grouped in four divisions—­the gods in heaven, the giants on the earth, the dwarfs beneath, and the water-sprites in the bosom of the Rhine.  ‘Das Rheingold’ has a freshness and an open-air feeling which are eminently suitable to the prologue of a work which deals so much with the vast forces of nature as Wagner’s colossal drama.  There is little scope in it for the delicate psychology which enriches the later divisions of the tetralogy, but, on the other hand, Wagner has reproduced the ‘large utterance of the early gods’ with exquisite art.  Musically it can hardly rank with its successors, partly no doubt because the plot has not their absorbing interest, partly also because ‘Das Rheingold’ is the first work in which Wagner consciously worked in accordance with his theory of guiding themes, and consequently he had not as yet gained that complete mastery of his elaborate material which he afterwards attained.  Yet some of the musical pictures in ’Das Rheingold’ would be difficult to match throughout the glowing gallery of ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen,’ such as the beautiful opening scene in the depths of the Rhine, and the magnificent march to Valhalla with which it closes.

Before the opening of ‘Die Walkuere,’ the next work of the series, much has happened.  Wotan has begotten the nine Valkyries (Walkueren, or choosers of the slain), whose mission is to bring up dead heroes from the battle-field to dwell in Valhalla, and, if need be, help to defend it.  He determines, too, since he may not possess the ring himself, to beget a hero of the race of men who shall win it from Fafner (who has changed himself into a dragon in order to guard the treasure more securely), and so prevent it falling into the hands of an enemy of the gods.  For this purpose he descends to earth and, under the name of Volse, unites himself with a mortal woman, who bears him the Volsung twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde.  Bound by his oath to Fafner, Wotan may not openly assist Siegmund in the enterprise, but he dwells with him on the earth, and trains him in all manly exercises.  Sieglinde is carried off by enemies and given as wife to Hunding, and Siegmund returning one day from the chase finds his father gone, and nothing but an empty wolf-skin left in the hut.  Alone he has to wage continual war with the enemies who surround him.  One day, in defending a woman from wrong, he is overpowered by numbers, and losing his sword, has to fly for his life.  With this ‘Die Walkuere’ opens.  A violent storm is raging when Siegmund reaches Hunding’s