In 1872 Wagner returned to his patron, Ludwig II., who encouraged him to devise schemes to raise £45,000 to build a theatre where he liked, and after his own design; Bayreuth, a small Bavarian township, was pitched upon, and here a theatre was erected and opened in 1876. It was built with special reference to Wagner’s idea that every seat in the house should have a complete view of the stage, and should therefore be on a slightly higher level than the seat in front of it; and also that the orchestra should be out of sight beneath the stage. Special arrangements for the remarkably heavy stage scenes and mechanical devices necessary for the production of the _Ring_ were also made, and all was successfully brought to a happy issue by three performances of that cycle in full, under the well-known and happily living great Wagnerian conductor, Hans Richter. [Sidenote: =Death=] After a further visit to England in 1877, Wagner returned to Bayreuth and wrote his last work, _Parsifal_, which was produced at the new Opera House in 1882. Early in the following year Wagner died at Venice, but his body was taken to his home, “Wahnfried,” and there interred. Bayreuth is to-day the goal of many pilgrims, people of all nationalities assembling for the performances of the _Ring_ and other works, which generally take place during the summers of alternate years. [Sidenote: =Wagner’s Methods=] In our chapter upon the Reformers of Opera we noted the methods by which Wagner brought music into its proper sphere—namely, that of an adjunct to the work of the stage; we need not here recapitulate his theories of the absolute necessity of the music helping, rather than hindering, the dramatic action. Let it be borne in mind that he set before himself the object of eliminating all that was unworthy in the methods of his predecessors, and found himself unable, in the greater part of his work, to accept the set aria, duet, or other concerted movement, in their place substituting a continuous, rich, and fully-scored accompanied recitative, consisting very largely of a series of melodies, heard singly or in combination; each melody, or _leit-motif_ (which might, however, be also a chord-progression, or characteristic combination of instruments), being meant to bring to the mind of the listener, through his ear and brain, a definite train of thought. [Sidenote: “=The Flying Dutchman=”]