The associative power of music has fascinated musicians throughout history. Among other things, it has prompted considerable interest in associative themes (or Leitmotive). The locis classicus of associative thematic technique is, of course, Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen; as such it has often served as a focus for analysis. The danger of such analysis, however, lies in the lure of oversimplification. Unraveling the meanings of associative themes entails coming to grips with a warp and weft as tangled as that woven by the Norns themselves.
The typical method of identifying and naming themes has been entity-centered - a one-dimensional mapping between music and meaning. The present study widens the scope of these earlier investigations, invoking a transformative approach that provides for the possibility of accumulative meaning. A detailed discussion of Thematic Irony serves as a compelling example.
Thematic Irony occurs when an associative theme appears in a musial or dramatic environment antithetical to its original meaning. The incongruity of this recontextualized theme, like a sarcastic tone of voice, results in an accumulation of associations that forces the listener to reapprehend its meaning. Like other developmental techniques, it illustrates a new manner of extracting meaning from Wagner's music; one in which the methods of thematic development themselves function as a hermeneutic for reflecting upon the drama.