Editing Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (section)

==Criticisms of Beckmesser as a possible antisemitic trope ==
Beckmesser has been widely criticized as an [[Stereotypes of Jews|antisemitic stereotype]], ever since the idea was put forward by [[Theodor_W._Adorno|Theodor Adorno]].<ref>Wagner, Nike.''The Wagners: The Dramas of a Musical Dynasty''. Trans. Ewald Osers and Michael Downes. London: Phoenix, 2001. pp. 100–101</ref> Wagner scholar [[Barry Millington]] advanced the idea that Beckmesser represents a Jewish stereotype, whose humiliation by the [[Aryan race|Aryan]] Walther is an onstage representation of Wagner's [[antisemitism]].<ref>Millington, Barry (ed.) (1992). ''The Wagner Compendium: A Guide to Wagner's Life and Music''. Thames and Hudson, London. {{ISBN|0-02-871359-1}} p. 304.</ref> Millington argued in his 1991 "Nuremberg Trial: Is There Anti-Semitism in {{Lang|de|Die Meistersinger}}?" that common antisemitic stereotypes prevalent in 19th-century Germany were a part of the "ideological fabric" of {{Lang|de|Die Meistersinger}} and that Beckmesser embodied these unmistakable antisemitic characteristics.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Millington|first=Barry|title=Wagner Washes Whiter|journal=[[The Musical Times]]|volume=137|number=1846|date=December 1996|pages=5–8|jstor=1004263|doi=10.2307/1004263 }}</ref> Millington's article spurred significant debate among Wagner scholars including [[Charles Rosen]],<ref>[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2544 "Wagner's Anti-Semitism"], ''[[The New York Review of Books]]''</ref> Hans Rudolph Vaget,<ref>Vaget, Hans Rudolf. "Wagner, Anti-Semitism, and Mr. Rose: Merkwürd'ger Fall!", ''[[The German Quarterly]]'', vol. 66, no. 2 (Spring 1993). pp. 222–236.</ref> [[Paul Lawrence Rose]],<ref>Rose, Paul Lawrence. "The Wagner Problem in the History of German antisemitism." ''[[The German Quarterly]]'', vol 68, no. 3 (Summer 1995). pp. 304–305.</ref> and Karl A. Zaenker.<ref>Zaenker, Karl A. "The Bedeviled Beckmesser: Another Look at Anti-Semitic Stereotypes in {{Lang|de|Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg}}". ''[[German Studies Review]]'', vol 22, no. 1 (February 1999). pp. 1–20.</ref>

In a 2009 interview, [[Katharina Wagner]], the composer's great-granddaughter and co-director of the [[Bayreuth Festival]], was asked whether she believed Wagner relied on Jewish stereotypes in his operas. Her response was, "With Beckmesser he probably did."<ref>Tenenbom, Tuvia. [http://www.zeit.de/2009/34/Bayreuth/komplettansicht "{{Lang{{!}}de{{!}}Hallo, Herr Hitler!}}"], ''[[Die Zeit]]'', August 13, 2009.</ref> [[Nike Wagner]], another of the composer's great-granddaughters, contends that Beckmesser is principally the victim of sadism, "which is inseparable from the syndrome that also produces violent fascism".<ref>Wagner, Nike.''The Wagners: The Dramas of a Musical Dynasty''. Trans. Ewald Osers and Michael Downes. London: Phoenix, 2001 p. 101</ref>

Scholars [[Dieter Borchmeyer]], {{ill|Udo Bermbach|de}} and [[Hermann Danuser]] support the thesis that with the character of Beckmesser, Wagner did not intend to allude to Jewish stereotypes, but rather to criticize (academic) pedantism in general. They point out similarities to the figure of [[Malvolio]] in Shakespeare's comedy ''[[Twelfth Night]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bermbach|first=Udo |display-authors=etal |title=Wagnerspectrum: Schwerpunkt Wagner und das Komische|year=2007|publisher=Königshausen & Neumann|isbn=978-3-8260-3714-6|language=de}}</ref>

Although the score calls for Beckmesser to rush off in a huff after his self-defeating attempt to sing Walther's song, in some productions he remains and listens to Walther's correct rendition of his song, and shakes hands with Sachs after the final monologue.<ref>[[Australian Opera]], 1990, conducted by Sir [[Charles Mackerras]], manufactured by Public Media Homevision.{{full citation needed|date=January 2021}} Also in [[John Dew (director)|John Dew]]'s production at Darmstadt (2008) and Gothenburg (2010).{{full citation needed|date=January 2021}}</ref>

A related view holds that Beckmesser was designed to parody the renowned critic [[Eduard Hanslick]], who valorized the music of Brahms and held Wagner's music in low regard.  We know that the original name of the Beckmesser character was "Veit Hanslich," and we know that Wagner invited Hanslick to his initial reading of the libretto, though whether then the character still had the "Hanslich" name when Hanslick heard it is unclear.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EB9DeJkserYC&q=Veit+Hanslich&pg=PA171|title=Wagner's Meistersinger: Performance, History, Representation|first=Nicholas|last=Vazsonyi|date=19 May 2018|publisher=University Rochester Press|access-date=19 May 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9781580461689}}</ref>  This second interpretation of Beckmesser may dovetail with the antisemitism interpretation above, as Wagner attacked Hanslick as "of gracefully concealed Jewish origin" in his revised edition of his essay [[Das Judenthum in der Musik|Jewishness in Music]].