 Basic theme, which von Wolzogen called, Love Feast Motive |
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 Grundthema (ogg format) |
Whilst it would be an oversimplification to say that all of
the musical material of Parsifal was spun out of this
opening melody, it is possible, with a little imagination, to
relate to it almost every one of the motives that appear in this
guide. Wagner said that the prelude contains all he needs and
it all unfolds like a flower from its bud
. This is as much as
to say that the entire work has been woven as a web of related
melodies and harmonies, like cloud-layers that keep separating
and combining again
. Note how the melody modulates from the
tonic key to the mediant and back again. Tonic-mediant key
relationships are prominent in Parsifal, as are key
relationships of a tritone.
It is traditional to divide this melody into three parts.
Given the rich associations of each part, it is neither easy to
name them, nor very important what labels are attached to these
motives. The entire melody has been called the Love Feast motif. The first part (A) has been
labelled Fellowship, but I should
prefer to call it Redemption, because
it is the melody to which, at the end of the work, the chorus
sing, Erlösung dem Erlöser
. The melody begins with a
rising tonic arpeggio, followed by the sixth. This chord is
associated with Parsifal. With a small modification, this rising
phrase is used to represent the Grail
Knights and, omitting the first note, Communion (motif D becomes example D'). This part
of the theme was one of Wagner's first musical ideas for the
work.
...
finally, the revelation of "Nehmet hin mein Blut" -- R. tells me
that he wrote it down shortly before my return, with his hat and
coat on, just as he was about to go out to meet me. He has had to
alter the words to fit it, he says; this scene of Holy Communion
will be the main scene, the core of the whole work; with the
"Prize Song" in Die Meistersinger, too, the
melody came first, and he had adapted the words to it. He had
already told me yesterday that one must beware of having to
extend a melody for the sake of the words -- now today the chief
passage ("Nehmet hin mein Blut um uns'rer Liebe willen, nehmet
hin meinen Lieb und gedenket mein' ewiglich") is there complete,
in all its mildness, suffering, simplicity and exaltation.
"Amfortas' sufferings are contained in it", R. says to
me.
 Left: Motive of the Wound Below: Spear motive |
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The second phrase of the melody (B), containing a characteristic falling fifth, is related to the Guilt of Amfortas. It is also associated with the Kiss and therefore lies at the centre of the work, just as it lies at the centre of the Grundthema. It is first heard in the Kiss variant immediately after the basic motif associated with Agony is heard towards the end of the prelude to the first act. The rising semitone is repeated, teasingly, falls, and leads into (G). But in Gurnemanz's narrative, at der Speer is ihm entsunken, we hear the teasing semitone and the (B) form again on the wind instruments. This is both a recollection of the seduction of Amfortas, and a presentiment of the attempted seduction of Parsifal, at which the Kiss motif is heard again.
The third phrase (C) is the motif of the Spear. It contains a four-note motif (G) that will become the important motif of Suffering (#4), the three descending notes marked as (X) in example (C')). The motif of the Spear begins with the first three notes of a rising major scale, a reflection of the falling triplet that will be associated with Amfortas (#5).
The melody can be further divided into even smaller fragments. Beyond a certain point, the importance of finding a fragment within one of the other motives becomes subjective. The fragments that are, in my view, of significance, are marked in the figure above (D-H). Fragment (D) is the melody of the Communion, shown in example (D'). The seemingly trivial fragment (E) is developed, during the latter part of the prelude to the first act, together with (G), into the motif associated with the Agony of the wounded Amfortas. Also towards the end of the prelude we hear the development of fragment (H, a "beheaded" form of B) which seems to be associated with the king's unhealed Wound.