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Are the notes to be played just for the words that are not given by the radials? Otherwise I cannot see how only four notes are needed.

And is it one note for each radial or are lengths of notes taken into account? Thanks.

It's the entire first verse to be played, Orson. Long notes indeed accounted for - they are represented by the next radial not containing a note (hope that make sense).

Thanks, loge. I still think a fifth note is needed for the penultimate word given by the radials, but maybe I have the wrong version. At least it's not Wagner, loge!

I think the final notes have been squashed together a bit to avoid the necessity of a fifth note. It works well enough.

A music box puzzle based on the opening bars of Ride of the Valkyries... now there's an idea!

An excellent construction tnap Thank you.
We needed a stretch after a run of relatively easy puzzles.
Understand the need to transpose from the original, but it’s not the tune we recognised from our childhood. But, ho-hum, not to be sneezed at. Back to the Magpies.

Got there in the end but only thanks to the help given in this thread. Then tinkered at the piano for 20 mins and I suppose it's recognisable. Then I played the download files from the Wiki using an app and some of them are pretty unrecognisable too!

Q? Are all notes on a music box the same length? I can see how you would change the time between them but as I don't think there's any damping (as when you lift a finger off a piano key) don't all the notes sustain for the same time - unless the same note is played?

I posted a comment on the original thread, but nowadays solvers seem to want answers very early in the game and migrate quickly to the "may contain answers" thread. I think it's a pity that solvers don't persevere a bit longer before asking for answers. The Listener is not meant to be a stroll in the park.

Anyway, this was my comment:

I don't know if I have the right pegs, but it doesn't sound anything like the version I knew as a child, and I cannot find any matching example on the internet. With so many variations of the lyrics and so many variations of the music I don't see how it's possible to be sure if one's solution is 'correct'.

At the risk of offending murky hints for rings 35 & 37 would be useful - I've given this about 4 hours now and my head is starting to want the drink cupboard and sadly it's a tad early.

I guess the answer is that the grid is the grid and the tune fits around it.

Highlighting the necessary notes - I make it 23, plus using unclued radials to indicate a double length note - gets an acceptable enough version of what’s after all a crossword’s attempt at suggesting a tune.

We accept rough versions of a map of Ireland or geography of the US in other weeks.

I do agree with your point on the joy of delayed gratification. I had certainly written off the puzzle as insoluble.

BC - one proton plus one neutron.