Opera Background
The Ring and its Literary SourcesWagner's use of Leitmotifs in the Ring
Stabreim in the Ring
Richard Wagner is a unique opera composer in part because he wrote his own libretti. The words of the Ring are especially unique because they do not have "end-rhyme". The poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is a good example of end-rhyme:Mary had a little lambWagner used a special form of rhyme called "Stabreim" /shtahb-rime/. This form of rhyme, used in very old Germanic texts, is what we call alliteration. The following example is from Siegmund's song in Die Walküre. Read the lines aloud, remembering that in German the "w" is pronounced as a "v":
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
Winterstürme wichenUsing this kind of rhyme liberated Wagner from the normal poetic meter, or rhythm patterns. When the lines are of differing lengths, the music can be more seamless, continually moving forward, instead of closely adhering to the poetic structure. This seamless quality was very important to Wagner, and is one of the things that makes the Ring different from other operas of the day.
dem Wonnemond,
in mildem Lichte
leuchtet der Lenz...
(Winter storms have vanished
In the month of May
In gentle light
Sparkles the spring...)
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