Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

STORY

Act I

In St. Catherine’s Church in Nuremberg, where a religious service is ending. One of the parishioners is goldsmith Veit Pogner’s daughter, Eva, who is being watched over by her maid Magdalene. Walther von Stolzing, a young man from a nearby town in Franconia, steals furtive glances at Eva, which the young woman is pleased to receive. They met by chance the day before, and it was love at first sight. Walther wants to speak with Eva, and she sneaks away from Magdalene for a moment to have a conversation with him. When she sees them, Magdalene reminds Eva that her father has already promised her hand in marriage to the winner of a song contest to be held in celebration of St. John’s Day. This news distresses Walther, since he doesn’t know what it’s about.

David, an apprentice to cobbler Hans Sachs and Magdalene’s lover, prepares the venue for a meeting of mastersingers, and he explains the rules of the competition to Walther. David launches into a long explanation of the contest, since Walther has promised Eva that he will enter and win her hand. One by one, the mastersingers file into the church, each representing a trade: furrier Kunz Vogelgesang, tinsmith Konrad Nachtigal, town clerk Sixtus Beckmesser, baker Fritz Kothner, pewterer Balthasar Zorn, grocer Ulrich Eisslinger, tailor Augustin Moser, soapmaker Hermann Ortel, stocking weaver Hans Schwarz, and coppersmith Hans Foltz. Eva’s father is also there, and the last to arrive is cobbler Hans Sachs.

Beckmesser is keen to be with Eva, but upon observing Pogner’s interest in the new candidate, he realises that the young man is a rival who must be eliminated at all costs. The mastersingers voice their opinions and discuss how the contest will be held. Pogner confirms that he will give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the winner, and that if Eva rejects him, she won’t be able to choose another contestant. Walther asks for a preliminary song trial. In his enthusiastic song, he describes his wonderful evenings in front of the fireplace, reading works by his favourite poet, and the pleasures of horseback riding in the spring to enjoy nature. Beckmesser tallies the errors in Walther’s composition and points them out to him. Sachs sympathises with Walther’s enthusiasm and remains pensive while the others leave the room.

Act II

On a Nuremberg street where the homes of Sachs and Pogner are across from one another, evening falls. David informs Magdalene of Walther’s failure. There is a dispute between the apprentices, requiring Sachs to intervene and calm them down. Pogner and Eva are relaxing under some linden trees that provide shade to their home. The father assures his daughter that if she doesn’t accept the winning poet, she can always choose another one, provided that he’s a mastersinger.

Sachs, carried away by the warm, pleasant summer night, reflects on the beauty and power of music and song in a splendid monologue. Eva goes into his workshop. There is a great friendship and mutual understanding between them, and despite the age difference, there is also a latent yet unexpressed emotional connection. Sachs quickly detects the young woman’s attraction to the aspiring mastersinger. Walther appears on the street, and the couple spontaneously embrace. Then Beckmesser walks down the street, lute in hand, ready to serenade Eva. As soon as he begins, an annoying sound can be heard from Sach’s workshop. Beckmesser is unable to concentrate, nor can his song be heard. The town clerk is furious.

Meanwhile, Beckmesser asks Sachs for his opinion on the song he’s composing for the contest. With quite a bit of pleasure, the cobbler points out a multitude of errors, which Beckmesser is forced to reluctantly accept. Soft strokes of the lute resume. The serenade begins and is echoed by knocks yet again, which Sachs is making from his workshop to mark each error. Beckmesser begins to sing louder, and Sachs’s knocking also gets louder. There is so much racket that it awakens all the neighbours, who complain. Taking advantage of the confusion, Walther and Eva prepare to run away together, but Sachs, who hasn’t taken his eyes off them, intervenes. The shouts turn into a riot, and nobody knows what is happening or why. Nobody knows where the fracas is going, but they all join in.

Act III

In Sachs’s workshop, David trains as an apprentice. Walther shows up, ready to prepare his song with Sachs as a last resort. Sachs advises him, praising him where appropriate and correcting him when necessary. The meddlesome Beckmesser reappears before Walther has finished correcting the poem. It doesn’t take long for the town clerk to notice the unfinished verses on the table. Suspicious by nature, he infers that Sachs is their author and could be planning to enter the contest to win Eva’s hand. When he gets his chance, he steals the composition.

All of Nuremberg has gathered in a meadow outside the city, decorated with market stalls and a grandstand. There is a procession led by the cobblers’ guild and followed by representatives of all the other trades. Sachs makes a speech praising Pogner for giving his daughter’s hand to the winner. Beckmesser is invited to sing his song. He hasn’t fully learned or understood the stolen verses, and with his bumbling and hesitation, he draws irritation and laughter from the crowd, who can’t understand how he could have dared to enter. Then it’s Walther’s turn. He captivates the audience from the outset. His song is poetic and beautiful, complying with the mastersingers’ strict rules. Amid applause, a radiant Eva awards him the prize. She takes the crown from Walther and places it on Sachs’s head. Then Sachs takes a gold medal from Pogner and puts it around Walther’s neck. All of them sing, hailing Sachs, and in a final choral apotheosis, a hymn is performed to glorify German sacred art.