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Sparrow and pshrynk - the Wagner Ring Cycle is regarded as the most influential work of art of the nineteenth century, and it cast a long shadow into the twentieth. There's no doubt that Tolkien took a lot from Wagner. The central gimmick of both works is basically the same - a ring that grants the bearer the power to rule the world, but is cursed. Both Ring works exist in mythological worlds with magic.
Wagner's Ring cycle deals with different (and perhaps more intense) themes - it has sex, and in particular incest, Wotan kills his child, none of the characters are really that admirable, and just about everybody dies. Tolkien used material derived from Wagner, but for different ends.
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