Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is a famous opera, or music drama, by the composer Richard Wagner. It is very long, lasting almost four and a half hours, and is usually performed without any cuts. The opera was first shown on June 21, 1868, in Munich, Germany, with a conductor named Hans von Bülow leading the music.

The story happens in the city of Nuremberg during the middle of the 1500s. At that time, Nuremberg was an important city with many artists and craftspeople. The opera is about a group called the Meistersingers, who were amateur poets and musicians that were also master craftsmen. They had special rules for making and performing music. One of the main characters, Hans Sachs, was a real person—a famous poet and cobbler from that time.

This opera is special because it is the only comedy Wagner wrote in his later works. It is also different from his other operas because it is set in a real place and time, not in a magical or mythical world. The story is completely made up, and there are no magical events or characters in it. The opera includes many traditional parts like songs, dances, and choruses, which Wagner usually did not like to use in his other works.

Composition history

Richard Wagner began thinking about Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in 1845 while reading about German poetry. He imagined a funny scene where a character named Hans Sachs taught a lesson to someone during a singing contest.

Wagner also used ideas from real life for part of the story. He remembered a time when a mix-up almost caused a big fight, which he used for the end of one part of the opera.

In 1854, Wagner read philosopher Schopenhauer, who thought music could share feelings without words. This changed Wagner's ideas about how operas should be made. Even though Die Meistersinger is funny, it also shows Wagner's thoughts about music and life.

Wagner finally finished writing the music in 1867 after many hard times, including problems with other operas and personal sadness. The opera was first performed in Munich on June 21, 1868, and it was very well received by the audience.

Roles

Instrumentation

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg uses many different instruments to create its music. The orchestra includes woodwinds like flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, as well as brass instruments such as horns, trumpets, trombones, and a tuba. There are also percussion instruments like timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and glockenspiel, plus a harp and strings including violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses.

During the performance, extra instruments like more trumpets, horns, a special stierhorn, lute, military drums, and an organ are used on stage in Act I.

Synopsis

Nuremberg, towards the middle of the sixteenth century.

Act 1

Prelude

Scene 1: Interior of St. Catherine's Church in Nuremberg, Saint John's Eve or Midsummer's Eve, June 23

After some music, a church service ends. Walther von Stolzing, a young knight from Franconia, meets Eva Pogner and asks if she is engaged. She tells him her father, Veit Pogner, will give her hand in marriage to the winner of a song contest the next day. Eva's maid, Magdalena, tells Walther’s apprentice David about the mastersingers' art. Walther wants to join the contest but needs to become a mastersinger first.

Scene 2

As apprentices prepare the church, David warns Walther that becoming a mastersinger takes years of learning. He explains the complicated rules, but Walther is determined to try.

Scene 3

The mastersingers arrive, including Eva’s father Veit Pogner and town clerk Beckmesser. Beckmesser expects to win the contest easily. Pogner announces that the winner of the contest will marry Eva. Hans Sachs suggests Eva should choose, but Pogner agrees she can refuse the winner but must marry a mastersinger. Sachs also suggests the townspeople judge the contest, but the masters reject this. Pogner introduces Walther as a candidate. Walther says his teacher in poetry was Walther von der Vogelweide and his music teachers were birds and nature. The masters agree to let him join if he can perform a master-song of his own. Walther chooses love for his song topic and will be judged by Beckmesser. Walther sings a new free-form tune, breaking all the rules. Beckmesser interrupts, noting many mistakes, and the masters reject Walther. He leaves the church angrily.

Act 2

Evening. On the street corner by Pogner's and Sachs's houses. A linden tree stands outside Pogner's house, a Flieder-tree before Sachs's. Apprentices are closing the shutters.

Scene 1

The apprentices celebrate St. John's Day and its flower garlands. David tells Magdalena about Walther’s failure, and she leaves without giving him food, upsetting the other apprentices.

Scene 2

Pogner talks with Eva about Walther’s application, and Eva decides to ask Sachs about it.

Scene 3

Hans Sachs works on shoes for Beckmesser and thinks about Walther’s song.

Scene 4

Eva asks Sachs about the contest. She hints she would like Sachs to win but he says he is too old. Sachs then tells her about Walther’s failure, and Eva storms off angrily.

Scene 5

Eva plans to search for Walther, and Magdalena agrees to pose as Eva at the window.

Scene 6

As Eva leaves, Walther appears and tells her he was rejected. They plan to elope but Sachs sees them and lights a lantern, forcing them to hide. Walther decides to confront Sachs but is interrupted by Beckmesser. Beckmesser begins a serenade but Sachs interrupts him with a cobbling song and hammers on shoes. Beckmesser tries to sing but makes many mistakes, and Sachs marks each error with a hammer strike. David sees Beckmesser “serenading” Magdalena and attacks him jealously. A riot breaks out, and Walther tries to escape with Eva but Sachs sends Eva home and takes Walther to his workshop. Quiet returns when the nightwatchman calls out the hour.

Act 3

Prelude, a meditative orchestral introduction using music from two key episodes to be heard in act 3: Sachs's scene 1 monologue "Wahn! Wahn!" and the "Wittenberg Nightingale" quasi-chorale sung by the townspeople to greet Sachs in scene 5.

Scene 1: Sachs's workshop

Sachs reads a book and does not notice David returning with Beckmesser’s shoes. They discuss the upcoming festival. Sachs ponders last night’s riot and decides to use the chaos to his advantage.

Scene 2

Sachs teaches Walther about music and mastersinging, helping him create a new Prize Song. Walther composes two sections, and Sachs writes them down. They leave to get ready for the festival.

Scene 3

Beckmesser finds the verses of the Prize Song and thinks Sachs plans to enter the contest. Sachs confirms the handwriting but says he won’t enter and gives the verses to Beckmesser. He warns Beckmesser the song is difficult but Beckmesser ignores the warning.

Scene 4

Eva visits Sachs, pretending to have a problem with a shoe. Sachs pretends to fix it and tells Eva he heard a beautiful song missing an ending. Walther enters and sings the final section of the Prize Song. Sachs blesses the couple, and David is promoted to journeyman. They celebrate and name the song the Morning Dream Song.

Scene 5

At the Feast of St. John by the Pegnitz River, various guilds boast about their contributions to Nürnberg. The prize contest begins, and Beckmesser tries to sing the verses but fails miserably. He accuses Sachs of tricking him. Sachs says the song is beautiful but needs to be sung correctly. Walther sings it perfectly, wins the contest, and joins the mastersingers. Pogner gives Walther a medal, Eva takes his hand, and everyone praises Hans Sachs.

Reception

Die Meistersinger was very popular when it first appeared in 1868, and many thought it was Wagner's most enjoyable work. It quickly spread across Germany and then around the world, being performed in many cities and countries.

During a difficult time for Germany, the opera became a symbol of pride in German culture. Sadly, later on, it was also used by some groups for their own messages. After World War II, efforts were made to change how the opera was shown to move away from those earlier meanings.

Criticisms of Beckmesser as a possible antisemitic trope

Some people have said that the character Beckmesser in the opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg might show unfair and hurtful ideas about Jewish people. This idea started with a writer named Theodor Adorno. A scholar named Barry Millington said Beckmesser looks like old unfair pictures of Jewish people that were common in Germany a long time ago.

But not everyone agrees. Some other scholars think Wagner was not trying to make fun of Jewish people. They believe he was making fun of people who are too strict about rules, like a character named Malvolio in a play by Shakespeare.

There are also other ideas about why Beckmesser was created. Some think he was meant to make fun of a famous music critic named Eduard Hanslick. The character was originally named “Veit Hanslich,” and Wagner even invited Hanslick to hear the story before it was shown, though it is not clear if the name was the same back then.

Recordings

This part of the article lists different recordings of the opera. The details of these recordings are shown in tables that will appear here.