Likely the most widely influential musical composition ever, Richard Wagner's operatic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (1848–74) continues to spark music-theoretical and analytical interest. This seminar offers students the opportunity to acquaint themselves thoroughly with the many dimensions of this important work and to study various aspect of its reception within the field of music theory and analysis. The first part of the course comprises an overview of each of the four music dramas and an introduction to the vast literature about them. Later sessions offer a more detailed investigation of individual scenes in view of specific theoretical and analytical topics (phrase structure and large-scale form, Leitmotiv technique and semiotics, harmony and large-scale tonal organization, orchestration and Klang, etc.). A recurring concern throughout this exploration will be the ways in which the musical analysis can both illuminate and be illuminated by the drama that unfolds on stage.