The German Homer: Arnold Whittall examines the extent of Wagner’s debt to the Greeks

For many, it will be a matter of rejoicing that recent books on Wagner’s magnum opus have avoided titles like Tonality and Thematic Process in the ‘Ring’ Cycle. How much more there is, and should be, to Wagner scholarship and Wagner appreciation than matters of musical procedure and compositional technique is a topic to challenge the finest minds: but to write about the Ring as if only the music mattered (in anything but a contribution to one of those specialised journals whereby musicologists seek to ensure their professional survival) wins little admiration.