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1. Nature
In complete darkness a low E flat and B flat in the orchestra is followed by the horns playing the nature motive. All 8 horns play this motive overlapping and building the texture.
2. Earth
The nature motive is joined by the Earth motive. This motive will undergo various transformations during the cycle. Importantly it will change from the major key to the minor to represent Erda, the earth goddess.
3. Rhine flowing
Starting in the cellos and building throughout the strings from low to high is the motive for the flowing Rhine.
3a. Rhine rushing
The flowing Rhine motive then doubles in speed.
2a. Earth double tempo
As the Rhine motive doubles in speed so does the Earth motive.
The motives above build into a full orchestral crescendo as they rise from the lower registers in these excerpts into the higher strings and woodwinds.
4. Rhine Maidens
The Rhine maidens appear swimming in the Rhine. This motive is used to represent creatures of the natural world and innocence. As well as representing the Rhine maidens throughout the cycle, a variant is used for the wood dove in Siegfried.
The last two notes of this theme Ex.4a and the dotted rhythm Ex.4b will each assume significant importance in their own right throughout the cycle, giving rise to several other motives.
Alberich, the Nibelung, then appears. He is as grotesque as the Rhine maidens are lithe. Alberich is represented by a series of motives. They are short and halting, mostly lower register instruments to express his ungainly movements. Alberich engages with the Rhine maidens hoping to woo one of them. Each one in turn feigns interest in him and then rejects and mocks him.
5. Gold
As the Rhine maidens tire of their game with Alberich they return to their playful exultation, when the sun lights up the gold they guard
6. Rheingold
The Rhine maidens extol the beauty of the gold
The falling note theme Ex.6a and the dotted rhythm Ex.6b that featured in the Rhine maidens' motive Ex.4 are present again. The shape and rhythm of Ex.6b will give rise to other important motives.
7. Ring
As Alberich questions whether the gold has any purpose other than its beauty one of the Rhine maidens explains that the world's wealth and power would be won by the person who could fashion a ring from the gold.
8. Conflict of Love and Power
Following discussion between the Rhine maidens about whether they should be talking so freely about the gold to a stranger (Alberich) one of them reminds the other two that there is little chance of anyone fashioning a ring from the gold since the person must also forswear love and no-one would want to do that.
This extraordinarily powerful motive is used sparingly throughout the Ring cycle. Yet is has probably created more controversy, more debate and more words written about it than any other motive in the entire cycle. Writers tie themselves up in knots trying to reconcile the different intentions in its key occurrences. It is usually named Renunciation of Love. Its first appearance in Rhinegold supports that label. But subsequent appearances contradict this. Some occurrences are love affirming. This is why the motive is here named Conflict of Love and Power which seems more appropriate to all its appearances.
There are other explanations and ones that Wagner devotees might reject. One explanation might be that it is just such a great and powerful theme that Wagner wanted to use it again. That seems unlikely. Another possibility might be that Wagner made a mistake. Throughout such a large undertaking Wagner made many versions of the text, the plot and the musical themes before settling on the version we know today. In his brilliant book Wagner Nights Ernest Newman suggests that during the composition of Das Rheingold Wagner "was not yet fully master of his new method of constructing his musical fabric out of leading motives; he was sometimes inclined to introduce them without reasons that we can now regard as valid". Some inconsistencies remain due to the changes in plot, the development of his compositional style and technique and Wagner's change of mind about the ending after his encounter with the philosophy of Schopenhauer. Given the size of the enterprise and the years it took to complete, it is hardly surprising that there are errors. That the inconsistencies are so few is remarkable. The few errors of text and plot are readily excused by most writers. Perhaps this is one of only a few musical errors. Considered as the conflict of love and power, the motive is consistent in all appearances.
Alberich seizes his chance, steals the gold and proclaims that he will forego love to win wealth and power. The scene closes with an orchestral interlude that mixes the rushing Rhine motive Ex.3b turned into the minor key, the Ring motive Ex.7 and the Conflict of Love and Power motive Ex.8. The scene ends with the Ring motive recast in a slower version:
7a. Ring
