The first scene opens with an orchestral introduction which sets forth the Elizabeth motive, taken from an old ecclesiastical melody. The music grows animated as it leads into the first chorus, which joyfully welcomes the child Elizabeth, who as the affianced bride of Ludwig, son of the Landgrave of Thuringia, comes to the Wartburg, where she is brought up side by side with her future husband. The second scene reveals the happy matron Elizabeth, now for some years the wife of Ludwig. One of the most beautiful parts of the whole work is the duet between Elizabeth and Ludwig as he surprises her in her alms-deeds which she tries to conceal from him because of her mother-in-law’s fierce disapproval of them. Especially dramatic and beautiful is the portion dealing with the ‘Rose Miracle.’ The quaint story of this episode is as follows: Elizabeth, having dismissed her ladies in order that she may secretly bring bread and wine to some of her poor, sick subjects, suddenly meets her husband in the deep forest far from the Wartburg. Ludwig’s suspicions are aroused and when he asks what her basket contains, she tells him that she has been gathering roses. Ludwig, who does not believe her, seizes the basket, when she hastily confesses that it is bread and wine, and behold! the contents of the basket have been turned into roses! Liszt was very desirous of having this very mysterious and ethereal and indicated in the score that the orchestra should in this part ‘sound fairly transfigured’ and that the conductor should ‘scarcely mark the rhythm’ in order not to imperil the effect. The penitent Ludwig begs her forgiveness and as she asks, ‘Is it a dream?’ the chorus responds, ‘A wonder hath the Lord performed.’