Rheingold, Das

Produced as it was in 1865, four years before 'Das Rheingold,' it was the first of Wagner's later works actually to see the light.

As for "Das Rheingold," that must be left to conjecture entirely.

He was eager to hear at least a part of it, and so he gave orders that "Das Rheingold" should be prepared.

Bach used it too, and we find it—the rainbow theme in "Das Rheingold" is an example—in Wagner.

Wagner, however, called it a trilogy, regarding "Das Rheingold" only as a Vorabend to the three longer music-dramas.