This volume contains documents relating to the history of the work and its performance, together with a thorough reappraisal of the evolution of the libretto. Wagner saw his libretti as poems and evidently wished to conserve them in their entirety, which is why he did not adapt them to fit in with his score. They therefore have to be regarded and treated as an integral part of any edition of Wagner's collected works. This volume will thus be of interest not only to musicians and those working in theatre, but also to students of German literature.