part-weaving

Updated: May 12, 2025

There was no "form" no statement of first and second subject, no working-out section measured off with compass and ruler, no recapitulation and coda; and mid-nineteenth century ears and brains were utterly baffled. The thematic luxuriance, the richness of the part-weaving, the blazing brilliance of the colouring these were a mere vexation; and the volcanic energy was quickly found exhausting.

John F. Runciman - Richard Wagner: Composer of Operas