The Ride of the Valkyries is five minutes of galloping music for a large orchestra. Richard Wagner wrote it for his opera The Valkyrie, which was first staged in 1870. It shows warrior sisters riding flying horses through a storm. Strings swirl, and the brass call out a tune that climbs higher and higher.
Quick facts
- Composer: Richard Wagner, who lived from 1813 to 1883
- From: the opera The Valkyrie, the second of the four operas of The Ring of the Nibelung
- First staged: 1870
- Length: about 5 minutes on its own
- Played by: a large orchestra with a great deal of brass
- In the opera: it opens the third act, and the sisters sing over it
The story
The story comes from old Norse myths. Wotan is the chief of the gods. He has nine daughters, called Valkyries. They are warriors, and they ride horses that fly.
Their job is to find the bravest heroes and carry them to Valhalla, the great hall of the gods.
When the third act begins, the Valkyries are gathering on a rocky mountaintop. They arrive one by one out of the storm clouds, and they call to each other across the sky.
What to listen for
| Part | What happens |
|---|---|
| The wind | Woodwinds trill, and strings rush up and down. The storm clouds race. |
| The gallop | Horns and bassoons start a bouncing rhythm: da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM. The horses are in the air. |
| The call | The brass play the famous tune. It leaps up, and then it leaps higher. |
| More riders | The tune comes back louder, with trumpets. Picture one more sister arriving with each return. |
| The full sky | The whole brass section plays the tune, and cymbals crash. |
| The end | A last rush, and the riders land. |
The galloping rhythm
The piece is in nine. Each bar has three big beats, and each big beat splits in three: “ONE and a, TWO and a, THREE and a.” That is what makes it gallop and not march.
Read 6/8 time explained, which covers music in nine as well.
A tune for a character
Wagner gave short tunes to people, things, and ideas in his operas. When the tune plays, the listener knows who or what is near. These tunes are called leitmotifs, and film composers use the same idea today. The Valkyries’ tune is one of them.
Read opera words for kids.
Where you may have heard it
The tune turns up in films, in advertisements, and in cartoons. In a famous cartoon from 1957, a hunter sings his hunting song to this tune. Read classical music in cartoons.
A note for parents
Wagner wrote hateful things about Jewish people. The page on Wagner for kids explains what parents need to know and how to talk about it.
Things to do together
Gallop. Hold pretend reins, and gallop around the room. Land when the music ends.
Count the riders. Hold up a finger each time the big tune starts again.
Wind and brass. Wave your arms for the swirling strings. Punch the air for the brass tune.
Draw the sky. Draw storm clouds, and add one horse each time the tune returns.
Name the brass. Listen for the horns, the trumpets, and the trombones. Read brass instruments for kids.
Make a tune for a character. Hum a short tune for each person in your family. Hum it when they come into the room.
Questions to ask
- What in the music sounds like horses?
- What in the music sounds like wind?
- Are the riders coming closer or going away? How can you tell?
- Which instruments play the big tune?
Words to know
- Valkyrie: a warrior maiden in Norse myth
- Valhalla: the hall of the gods
- Leitmotif: a short tune that stands for a character or an idea
- Brass: the family of trumpets, horns, trombones, and tubas
Print and play
Draw the ride on a listening journal page. Tick the brass on the instrument families listening chart. For more music about storms, read classical music about storms and weather.
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This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.