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 Riding (ogg format) |
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This motive serves to remind us that, in Wagner's operatic
works, it is unwise to assign narrow associations to the
leitmotiven. On its first appearance, the Riding motif is associated with the wild ride of
Kundry-Herodias (and it is probable that Wagner was thinking of
Heine's poem, in which Herodias joins
the Wild Hunt). It reappears when Parsifal recalls the riders who
had drawn him away from his mother, and at all subsequent
references to riding. But the motif has wider associations. The
first four notes (marked 'a' in example C) appear in the
Parsifal motif (#12c) and a variant of
the theme is heard, for example, when Parsifal refers to his
childish deeds of daring
in act II.
This motif has sometimes been given the misleading name of the Curse motif, because it appears at Kundry's reference to her curse at the beginning of the second act. It becomes clear, however, towards the end of the same act that this was not a reference to the curse itself, but to the wandering that results both from Kundry's curse and from the curse she puts on Parsifal.
Carl Dahlhaus has pointed out that this is a hybrid theme,
with both the rising chromatic intervals of Yearning (#35) and the falling chromatic intervals
of Suffering (#4). In his analysis of
the scene between Kundry and Parsifal in act II, the first three
of seven periods that make up the Grausamer
section of the
scene, are dominated by each of these motives in succession. The
Riding/Herodias motif accompanies the
period beginning, durch Tod und Leben, Pein und
Lachen
.
Dahlhaus analyses this form of the motif, rather inaccurately, into three components: a fragment of Klingsor (a), a part representing riding (b) and the Yearning motif (c). Although the notes of (a) do appear in the Klingsor motif, it is surely more significant that they appear in the Parsifal motif with the same rhythm as here. Incidentally, the last four notes (d) are identical to the motif of Tristan's Honour from Tristan und Isolde; this might not be significant if it were not for the fact that the Remorse motif (#39) is its inversion.
The so-called Storm motif that accompanies Parsifal fighting with the Klingsor's army of knights can be seen as a development of part of this motif.
At the beginning of the third act we hear the hero tired as he rides towards Monsalvat. The Riding motif becomes the motif of Straying: see number 32.