The Worthy Warrior
Music has been used throughout time as a form of expression for almost every situation, including telling stories. Music itself symbolizes the moments in our lives, and the emotions which are felt in those moments. The Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner is one such piece of music, influenced by Norse mythology, which invokes feelings of excitement and anticipation while imagining Valkyries choosing warriors from battle worthy to be taken to Valhalla. Another such piece of music is The Ride of the Valkyries by Domine, whose lyrics speak directly of being taken to Valhalla in the form of prayer of a fallen warrior on the battlefield. Both musical pieces include symbolism of the warrior’s spirit, as discussed in Norse mythology. What exactly does it mean to be worthy to be taken to…show more content… Overall, the music itself symbolizes the Valkyries in flight as they gather warriors for Valhalla, but the depths of the music also represents the warriors in the battle. In the opening trills of the woodwinds, “Ride” portrays an image of the daughters of Odin, preparing to take flight to Midgard. As the bassoons join in with their tones, much like the stomping of a horse’s foot which is ready to take off but waiting for their master to release the reigns, the orchestra begins building the intensity as the percussion increases, and the brass begins calling the warriors into battle. The crescendo of the music signals that the battle is beginning and the cymbals join in to represent the clashing of swords, indicating the battle is peaking. The orchestra layers on swooping notes to portray images of beautiful warrior maidens descending from the sky to gather fallen warriors, who will fill the halls of Valhalla until Odin calls upon his army when Ragnarok