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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 1983
Wagner's compositional procedure, as shown by surviving sketch material, has been widely discussed, firstly in the pioneering work of Otto Strobel, and more recently by Curt von Westemhagen, Robert Bailey and John Deathridge. Detailed studies of this type concern Rienzi, Siegfrieds Tod, Der Ring and the first act of Tristan. Discussions of sketches for Parsifal, however, have either been restricted to arguments of nomenclature or to a general description of their nature rather than their content; that is, we are merely made aware of the fact that there are two musical drafts of the complete opera, to use Strobel's terminology, the ‘composition sketch’ and the ‘orchestral sketch’, the first being written in pencil on two instrumental staves under a vocal line, and the second more detailed version being in ink with the instrumental parts now on up to four or five staves, and the vocal parts on as many as two to three staves. This apparent neglect seems even more curious when one discovers the wealth and nature of the sketch material that survives for Parsifal.
1 See, amongst other articles, Otto Strobel, ‘Die Kompositionskizzen zum “Ring des Nibelungen”’, Bayreuther Festpitlführer (Munich, 1930), 114; idem., ‘Zur Entstehungsgeschichte der “Götterdämmerung”’ Die Musik, (February, 1938), 336; also, ‘Richard Wagner als Arbeits genie’, Allgemeine Musikzeitung, lvi (1929), 523, 543, 563.Google Scholar
2 Curt von Westemhagen, The Forging of the Ring (English edn., London, 1976).Google Scholar
3 Robert Bailey, The Genesis of ‘Tristan und Isolde’ and a Study of Wagner's Sketches and Drafts for the First Act, (diss., University of Princeton, 1969); idem., ‘Wagner's Musical Sketches for “Siegfrieds Tod”’, Studies in Music History (in honour of Oliver Strunk) (Princeton, 1968), 459–94; idem., ‘The Evolution of Wagner's Compositional Procedure after “Lohengrin”’, International Musicological Society: Report of the Eleventh Congress, Copenhagen, 1977, (Copenhagen, 1974), 240–6; also ‘The Method of Composition’, The Wagner Companion, ed. P. Burbridge and R. Sutton, (London, 1979), 269–338.Google Scholar
4 John Deathridge, Wagner's ‘Rienzi’: A Reappraisal based on a Study of the Sketches (Oxford, 1977); idem., The Nomenclature of Wagner's Sketches', Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, ci, (1974–75), 75–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5 See, for example, Deathridge's article, op. cit.Google Scholar
6 As discussed by Bailey in the Wagner Companion.Google Scholar
7 I choose John Deathridge's solution to the problem of nomenclature, that is, retaining Strobel's terms, but recognizing their deficiency in adequately describing the nature of the sketch.Google Scholar
8 See Bailey, The Genesis of Tristan, Chapter 2.Google Scholar
9 The Forging of the Ring, 2.Google Scholar
10 Ibid., 179–81.Google Scholar
11 The ‘work-sheets’ are in the process of being indexed as part of the ‘New Wagner Edition’ published by Schott. Here, however, I refer to my own numbering system to provide a convenient means of reference, which has no significance other than relating to the order in which I found the sheets in the envelopes in Bayreuth. Recto and verso of sheets 1–21 and 34–6 are distinguished by a and b respectively.Google Scholar
12 Thus designated because, as Bailey states, half sheets usually have 14 or 15 staves as opposed to the 21 or so staves of the paper used for Wagner's earlier works and the ‘orchestral sketch’ for Parsifal.Google Scholar
13 Each cut-out is labelled ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’ etc. If more than one sketch appears on the cut-out it is identified as i, ii, iii etc. Thus 26 a, ii, refers to the second sketch on cut-out ‘a’ attached to sheet 26.Google Scholar
14 This is also true of some ‘work-sheets’ from nos. 1–21, but they obviously went unnoticed when the sketches were sorted into four types, illustrating the fact that no one seems to have examined the material they contain very carefully.Google Scholar
15 Cosima Wagner's Diaries, ed. Martin Gregor-Dellin and Dietrich Mack (English edn., London, 1978).Google Scholar
16 This apparent disparity between the date appearing at the top of the prelude in the ‘composition sketch’ and the diary entry could be explained by the fact that many detailed sketches for this prelude survive on the ‘work-sheets’. By 30 October 1878 Wagner was probably merely copying out the prelude into the complete pencil draft which had already been completed in preliminary sketches. This is corroborated by the fact that there are no erasures, deletions, insertions or other signs that Wagner was working out the material in the ‘composition sketch’.Google Scholar
17 From the Cosima diary it is known that Wagner was working on this transition between 1 and 7 March 1879.Google Scholar
18 Although I call the chromatic descent a bass part it is, in fact, more accurately described as a lower counterpoint as it is to appear above a tonic pedal.Google Scholar
19 Cosima was given the task of inking over the pages of the ‘composition sketch’ after Wagner had completed them in pencil.Google Scholar