And the music? It fairly seethes with excitement. As _Siegmund_ leaps upon the table, the Motive of the Wälsungs' Heroism rings out as if in defiance of the enemies of the race. The Sword Motive--and he has grasped the hilt; the Motive of Compact, ominous of the fatality which hangs over the Wälsungs; the Motive of Renunciation, with its threatening import; then the Sword Motive--brilliant like the glitter of refulgent steel--and _Siegmund_ has unsheathed the sword. The Wälsungs' Call to Victory, like a song of triumph; a superb upward sweep of the Sword Motive; the Love Motive, now rushing onward in the very ecstasy of passion, and _Siegmund_ holds in his embrace _Sieglinde_, his bride--of the same doomed race as himself!
Act II. In the _Vorspiel_ the orchestra, with an upward rush of the Sword Motive, resolved into 9-8 time, the orchestra dashes into the Motive of Flight. The Sword Motive in this 9-8 rhythm closely resembles the Motive of the Valkyr's Ride, and the Flight Motive in the version in which it appears is much like the Valkyr's Shout. The Ride and the Shout are heard in the course of the _Vorspiel_, the former with tremendous force on trumpets and trombones as the curtain rises on a wild, rocky mountain pass, at the back of which, through a natural rock-formed arch, a gorge slopes downward.
In the foreground stands _Wotan_, armed with spear, shield, and helmet. Before him is _Brünnhilde_ in the superb costume of the Valkyr. The stormy spirit of the _Vorspiel_ pervades the music of _Wotan's_ command to _Brünnhilde_ that she bridle her steed for battle and spur it to the fray to do combat for _Siegmund_ against _Hunding_. _Brünnhilde_ greets _Wotan's_ command with the weirdly joyous =Shout of the Valkyrs=
It is the cry of the wild horsewomen of the air, coursing through storm-clouds, their shields flashing back the lightning, their voices mingling with the shrieks of the tempest. Weirder, wilder joy has never found expression in music. One seems to see the steeds of the air and streaks of lightning playing around their riders, and to hear the whistling of the wind.
The accompanying figure is based on the Motive of the =Ride of the Valkyrs=:
_Brünnhilde_, having leapt from rock to rock to the highest peak of the mountain, again faces _Wotan_, and with delightful banter calls to him that _Fricka_ is approaching in her ram-drawn chariot. _Fricka_ has appeared, descended from her chariot, and advances toward _Wotan_, _Brünnhilde_ having meanwhile disappeared behind the mountain height.
