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Read Ebook: Opera Stories from Wagner by Akin Florence
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Ebook has 832 lines and 15042 words, and 17 pages
THE RHINE-GOLD THE HAPPY RHINE-DAUGHTERS ALBERICH THE CARELESS RHINE-DAUGHTERS THE THEFT THE SAD RHINE-DAUGHTERS A CASTLE ON THE RHINE THE MORNING THE PAYMENT LOKI YOUTH OR AGE? NIBELHEIM THE BEST SMITH IN NIBELHEIM THE MASTER THE BOASTER THE WISHING-CAP THE TRICK THE CURSE THE GREEDY FAFNER A SLAVE TO GOLD THE BEAUTIFUL VALHALLA
THE WALKUERE A MATCHLESS SWORD THE VALIANT SIEGMUND HUNDING'S WIFE HUNDING THE WAR-MAIDENS WOTAN'S WIFE WOTAN AND BRUNHILDE OFF TO THE BATTLEFIELD THE FLIGHT THE PUNISHMENT THE SLEEP THE MAGIC FIRE
SIEGFRIED THE MISSING MIMI THE DRAGON A BABY IN THE FOREST MIMI AND THE BABY SIEGFRIED AND HIS FRIENDS THE BROKEN SWORD A BIG BROWN BEAR SIEGFRIED AND MIMI SIEGFRIED MENDS HIS FATHER'S SWORD SIEGFRIED GOES TO FIGHT THE DRAGON A WOOD-BIRD'S SONG SIEGFRIED AND THE DRAGON A CHANGE COMES OVER SIEGFRIED MIMI HAS A SURPRISE MIMI AND ALBERICH STOP TO QUARREL TOO LONG SIEGFRIED REACHES THE MOUNTAIN SIEGFRIED LEARNS WHAT FEAR IS THE AWAKENING
GOETTERDAEMMERUNG A SONG OF THE PAST A SONG OF THE PRESENT A SONG OF THE FUTURE A PLEDGE OF LOVE THE DOOM OF VALHALLA LOVE
MORE ABOUT THE STORIES
SIEGFRIED THE RHINE-MAIDENS AND ALBERICH WOTAN HE TUGGED IN VAIN WALKUERE CARRYING HEROES TO VALHALLA "EAT HIM, BRUIN," LAUGHED SIEGFRIED "I AM GOING TO EAT YOU," HISSED THE DRAGON THREE NORNS CAME TO THE MOUNTAIN CREST TO SPIN
TO THE GIRLS AND BOYS
In these stories you will find some wonderful giants.
You will find beautiful maidens who lived in a river.
You will find a large family of little black dwarfs who lived under the river, and you will find a splendid hero.
The little children of Germany used to curl up in their mothers' arms, when bedtime came, and listen to the stories of these strange people.
When these little children grew up, they told the same stories to their children.
So it went for many, many years.
The stories have been put together by a man named Richard Wagner. He put them together in such a way that they make one long and wonderful story.
After he had told these stories in words, he told them again in a more beautiful way. He told them in music.
Sometime you will hear this music, and you will think of beautiful water-maidens, singing and dancing in the sunshine.
You will think of great giants walking over mountains.
You will think of the little black dwarfs under the river, and you will hear them hammering, hammering upon their anvils.
OPERA STORIES FROM WAGNER
THE RHINE-GOLD
THE HAPPY RHINE-DAUGHTERS
In the Rhine River there lived three beautiful maidens. They were called the Rhine-daughters.
They had long, golden hair, which floated upon the waves as they swam from rock to rock.
When their father went away, he left in their care a great lump of pure gold.
This gold was on the very top of the highest rock in the river.
Every morning the beautiful Rhine-daughters would dance and sing about their gold.
They sang a happy song:--
"Heigh-ho! hither, ye waters! Waver and waft me to sleep on your breast! Heigh-ho! hither, ye waters! Weave me sweet dreams on your billowy crest!"
ALBERICH
One morning, when the sun was shining very brightly, the Rhine-daughters were startled by a strange sound in the depths of the water.
"Look!" whispered one. "What is that scowling at us from the rocks below?"
There, stealing along the river-bed, they saw a hideous little black dwarf.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" asked the Rhine-daughters.
"I am Alberich," answered the dwarf as he tried to climb up on the slippery rocks. "I came from the kingdom of the Nibelungs, down under the earth."
"What!" said the Rhine-daughters. "Surely you do not live down in the dark earth where there is no sunshine?"
"Yes," answered Alberich. "But I have come up to frolic in the sunshine with you"; and he held out his ugly, misshapen little hands to take the hands of the Rhine-daughters.
They only laughed at him and darted away to a higher rock.
Alberich hurried after them.
He blinked and scowled in the sunshine, because his eyes were not used to the light.
The maidens laughed and shouted in their play.
They called to Alberich and teased him.
They went very close to him, pretending that they would take his hand, that he, too, might play in the sunshine. Then they would quickly dart away, mocking him, and laughing at him more loudly than ever.
Alberich grew fierce and angry.
He clenched his fists and cried:--
"Woe be to you if I should catch you now."
THE CARELESS RHINE-DAUGHTERS
Alberich was the most hideous of all the black, ugly little Nibelungs.
The Nibelungs had cross, scowling faces, because they were always scolding each other.
They quarreled from morning till night, so, of course, their faces grew to look quarrelsome and ugly.
As Alberich hurried after the Rhine-daughters, he suddenly caught sight of the gold glittering in the morning sun.
He stood still. Then he straightened up as tall as his crooked, misshapen little back would let him. He opened his eyes wide.
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