Motif 8: Angels (Holy Salute)

German name: Engelthema/ Engelmotiv, Weihegruss

Musical example: Motif 8 - Angels or Holy Salute

Angels (Act 1) - Ludwig Weber; ogg format
Musical example: Angels, act 1

Holy Salute (Act 3) - Daniel Barenboim, BPO; ogg format
Musical example: Holy Salute, act 3

Titurel Receives the Grail - Franz Stassen

Left: Titurel Receives the Grail and Spear, oil painting by Franz Stassen.

The Angels motif is a derivative of the Titurel motif and therefore belongs to the family of Faith. It first appears when Gurnemanz tells how angels gave the Grail into the care of the pious Titurel.

Left: Death of Titurel, oil painting by Franz Stassen.

Because of its (transformed) appearance after the opening of Titurel's coffin in the third act, Wolzogen called this variant "the Holy Salute for Titurel" (Weihegruss). It is a variant of the first two-bar phrase in the upper voice of Angels, with its intervals expanded and essentially an arpeggiated seventh-chord.

References: von Wolzogen ex.25, Lorenz pp.53-54, Kufferath ex.15 p.243, Newman ex.16, ENO ex.14 and 15, Bauer pp.34-36.