“Wondrous Things I Must Tell You”: Siegfried’s Death Song

Abstract

Recapitulatory gestures are a central figure of Wagner’s Ring, but rarely does one character explicitly quote another. One such quotation is found in a passage in Act III of Götterdämmerung, when Siegfried recalls the Woodbird’s song from the previous opera as he recounts heroic adventures of his youth. His altered reprise, bound up with a series of musical and dramatic recapitulations, reveals Siegfried as a reflective shaper of his tale. Close attention to Wagner’s evolving texts and their eventual musical settings sheds light on Siegfried’s story, his role in Wagner’s completed drama, and the artistic license he employs in his final song.