A Leitmotiv ( a German word, pronounced light-moe-teef) is a phrase of music which portrays a character, an idea, or an object. In English, it is sometimes known as the leading motif, or leading theme. The device is most closely associated with the operas of Richard Wagner. When a particular leitmotiv is first heard in an opera, it may announce the entrance of a new character. On the second hearing that character may not be in sight, but the audience is reminded of him by hearing his music sung by another character or played by the orchestra. In the same way, ideas can be established and referred to, as can objects and emotions.
WagnerΓÇÖs use of Leitmotivs is central to his method of opera composition. The leitmotiv themes are woven together throughout the score, constantly referring the listener to the intellectual structure of the opera, its story and its thematic content. Thus the Leitmotiv in music has a similar structural function to symbolic imagery in literature.
Listen to the extracts from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung in The Academy’s Concert Hall, or visit John Tomlinson’s Dressing Room to discover some Leitmotivs from The Ring.
