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Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
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===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. [[File:Meistersinger.jpg|thumb|Act 3, painting by [[Ferdinand Leeke]]]] ''Scene 1: Sachs's workshop'' As morning dawns, Sachs is reading a large book. Lost in thought, he does not respond as David returns from delivering Beckmesser's shoes. David finally manages to attract his master's attention, and they discuss the upcoming festivities – it is Saint John's day, Hans Sachs's [[name day]]. David recites his verses for Sachs, and leaves to prepare for the festival. Alone, Sachs ponders last night's riot. "Madness! Madness! Everywhere madness!" (''Wahn! Wahn! Überall Wahn!'') His attempt to prevent an elopement had ended in shocking violence. Nevertheless, he is resolved to make madness work for him today. ''Scene 2'' Sachs gives Walther an interactive lesson on the history and philosophy of music and mastersinging, and teaches him to moderate his singing according to the spirit (if not the strict letter) of the masters' rules. Walther demonstrates his understanding by composing two sections of a new Prize Song in a more acceptable style than his previous effort from Act I. Sachs writes down the new verses as Walther sings them. A final section remains to be composed, but Walther postpones the task. The two men leave the room to dress for the festival. ''Scene 3'' Beckmesser, still sore from his drubbing the night before, enters the workshop. He spots the verses of the Prize Song, written in Sachs's handwriting, and infers (erroneously) that Sachs is secretly planning to enter the contest for Eva's hand. The cobbler re-enters the room and Beckmesser confronts him with the verses and asks if he wrote them. Sachs confirms that the handwriting is his, but does not clarify that he was not the author but merely served as scribe. However, he goes on to say that he has no intention of wooing Eva or entering the contest, and he presents the manuscript to Beckmesser as a gift. He promises never to claim the song for his own, and warns Beckmesser that it is a very difficult song to interpret and sing. Beckmesser, his confidence restored by the prospect of using verses written by the famous Hans Sachs, ignores the warning and rushes off to prepare for the song contest. Sachs smiles at Beckmesser's foolishness but expresses hope that Beckmesser will learn to be better in the future. ''Scene 4'' Eva arrives at the workshop. She is looking for Walther, but pretends to have complaints about a shoe that Sachs made for her. Sachs realizes that the shoe is a perfect fit, but pretends to set about altering the stitching. As he works, he tells Eva that he has just heard a beautiful song, lacking only an ending. Eva cries out as Walther enters the room, splendidly attired for the festival, and sings the third and final section of the Prize Song. The couple are overwhelmed with gratitude for Sachs, and Eva asks Sachs to forgive her for having manipulated his feelings. The cobbler brushes them off with bantering complaints about his lot as a shoemaker, poet, and widower. At last, however, he admits to Eva that, despite his feelings for her, he is resolved to avoid the fate of [[Mark of Cornwall|King Marke]] (a reference to the subject of another Wagner opera, ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'', in which an old man tries to marry a much younger woman), thus conferring his blessing upon the lovers. David and Magdalena appear. Sachs announces to the group that a new master-song has been born, which, following the rules of the mastersingers, is to be [[baptized]]. As an apprentice cannot serve as a witness for the baptism, he promotes David to the rank of [[journeyman]] with the traditional cuff on the ear (and by this also "promoting" him as a groom and Magdalena as a bride). He then christens the Prize Song the ''Morning Dream Song'' (''Selige Morgentraumdeut-Weise''). After celebrating their good fortune with an extended quintet ''(Selig, wie die Sonne meines Glückes lacht)'' – musically capping the first four scenes of act 3 – the group departs for the festival. ''Scene 5'' Almost an act in itself, this scene occupies about 45 minutes of the two hours of act 3 and is separated from the preceding four scenes by ''Verwandlungsmusik'', a transforming interlude. Meadow by the [[Pegnitz River]]. It is the [[Nativity of St. John the Baptist|Feast of St. John]]. Various guilds enter boasting of their contributions to Nürnberg's success; Wagner depicts three of them: the Cobblers, whose chorus ''Sankt [[Crispin and Crispinian|Krispin]], lobet ihn!'' uses the signature cry ''streck! streck! streck!''; the Tailors, who sing the chorus ''Als Nürnberg belagert war'' with the goat cry ''meck! meck! meck!''; and the Bakers, who cut the tailors off with ''Hungersnot! Hungersnot!'', or ''Famine, famine!'', and its ''beck! beck! beck!'', or ''bake, bake, bake!'' This leads into the ''Tanz der Lehrbuben'' (Dance of the Apprentices). The mastersingers themselves then grandly arrive: the Procession of the Masters. The crowd sings the praises of Hans Sachs, the most beloved and famous of the mastersingers; here Wagner provides a rousing chorus, ''Wach' auf, es nahet gen den Tag'', using words written by the historical Sachs himself,<ref name=Nachtigall /> in a chorale-like four-part setting,<ref>{{cite journal|author1-link=Arthur Groos|last=Groos|first=Arthur|date=Summer 1992|title=Constructing Nuremberg: Typological and Proleptic Communities in ''Die Meistersinger''|journal=[[19th-Century Music]]|volume=16|number=1|pages=18–34 (31)|doi=10.2307/746617 |jstor=746617 }}</ref> relating it to the chorales of the "Wittenberg Nightingale" (a metaphor for Martin Luther).<ref>{{NDB|22|330|332|Sachs, Hans|Johannes Rettelbach|118604597}}</ref> {{Listen|type=music|filename=Richard Wagner - Preisleid from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg sung by Leo_Slezak 3.ogg |title="Morgenlich leuchtend im rosigen Schein" (Walther's Prize song)|description=Sung by [[Leo Slezak]] in 1910 for [[Edison Records]]}} The prize contest begins. Beckmesser attempts to sing the verses that he had obtained from Sachs. However, he garbles the words ''(Morgen ich leuchte)'' and fails to fit them to an appropriate melody, and ends up singing so clumsily that the crowd laughs him off. Before storming off in anger, he yells that the song was not even his: Hans Sachs tricked him into singing it. The crowd is confused. How could the great Hans Sachs have written such a bad song? Sachs tells them that the song is not his own, and also that it is in fact a beautiful song which the masters will love when they hear it sung correctly. To prove this, he calls a witness: Walther. The people are so curious about the song (correctly worded as ''Morgenlich leuchtend im rosigen Schein'') that they allow Walther to sing it, and everyone is won over in spite of its novelty. They declare Walther the winner, and the mastersingers want to make him a member of their guild on the spot. At first Walther is tempted to reject their offer, but Sachs intervenes once more and explains that art, even ground-breaking, contrary art like Walther's, can only exist within a cultural tradition, which tradition the art sustains and improves. Walther is convinced; he agrees to join. Pogner places the symbolic master-hood medal around his neck, Eva takes his hand, and the people sing once more the praises of Hans Sachs, the beloved mastersinger of Nuremberg.
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