Meistersinger

Die Meistersinger (also master singer ) were bourgeois poet and singer in the 15th and 16th century, who together formed a guild -like. The seals and melodies of master Sang (or Mastersingers ) were derived from the minstrelsy from, but obeyed strict rules. Among the artists outweighed the master craftsman, but also included priests, teachers and lawyers to do so.

Artistic organization

The song, his verse and strophige structure (and initially also lute accompaniment) were taught at the Meistersinger schools. The singers ' guild distinguished between the grades students, school friend, singer, poet, and lent only after approval of a master song the title. As a patron of the biblical psalmist King David was worshiped.

The centers of the Mastersingers were Augsburg, Nuremberg and Strasbourg and Frankfurt, but there was such music guilds of craftsmen such as in Upper Austria and Tyrol, in Alsace, in Gdansk, Wroclaw and Prague. The regular meetings were usually held in the church or at City Hall, later as a so-called " mine " in taverns. The seals were presented and the Guild line ( " flag " ) according to the rules of the tablature assessed. For masters only poets could be appointed, the ( "Sound", way ) invented a new melody and completely flawlessly reciting. In Nuremberg Martha Church had its own stage.

The rules of the Mastersingers should offer help and encourage compositional activity, but were designed more closely. This tendency was 1868 in his opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner caricatured - mainly in the person of strict city clerk Beckmessers, whose name became synonymous with pedantry.

The songs had a fixed scheme, the bar form: Stollen Stollen swan song. Often was the special form of the Reprise bars AABA, where the tunnel was completely or partially repeated at the end of the Abgesang.

Johann Christoph Wagenseil (1633-1705) wrote in 1697 the work of the Master -Singer Hold Blessed art in which many names have been handed down from Nuremberg Meistersinger.

Outstanding Master

• Muskatblüt, about 1380 to after 1438
• Bern head, called the women's prison, 1431, which sang of the death of Philip of Ingelheim and other Palatine knights in battle of Bulgnéville of 1431
• Hans Rosenplüt, " the Schnepperer ": blacksmith and gunsmith in Nuremberg, about 1400 to 1460, wrote carnival games, wine Greetings, comical and the praise poem to Nuremberg
• Michael Beheim: active, inter alia, in Vienna, 1416-1474, 3 ​​chronicles, among other things The book of the Viennese ( 1462-65 Kaiser Friedrich III. ) And a satire of Prince Dracula
• Hans Folz ( Foltz ): barber and a surgeon in Nuremberg, about 1438 to 1513, also wrote carnival games, reformed the Nuremberg master singing in 1480, thereby fueling the artistic diversity. In its heyday around 1500 Southern Germany had over 250 master singer.
• Hans Sachs (1494-1576): Schuster in Nuremberg and playwright; most versatile poet of his time, over 4000 songs, 1800 poems and about 200 dramas. His Meistersinger volumes are kept in Zwickau city archives. In Wagner's opera, he is compared to other Meistersinger positively represented by openness to new forms of poetry welcoming the tradition.
• Jörg Schechner (1500-1572) was initially a supporter of the Augsburg Anabaptist movement; by him are 21 songs and get a champion sound ( Reisige Freud Weis ), the later Hans Sachs took over for at least 11 of his songs.
• Jörg Wickram: goldsmith, clerk, booksellers 1505-1562, honorary title " Hans Sachs chair the Emperor " (? ). He founded in 1546 the Meistersinger school Colmar, versatile Baroque literature, Rollwagenbüchlin 1555 (Reprint 1966), travel stories for long carriage rides
• Cyriacus Spangenberg: Strasbourg theologian 1528-1604, and his son Wolfhart Spangenberg 1570-1636, textbook Singschul and 1615 ms from the Musica, singing art or Meistergesang (both repr in: .. W. Spangenberg sämtl works )
• Adam Puschman: Breslau 1532-1600, high school teacher, studied with Sachs
• Johann Spreng: Augsburg 1524-1601, Notary from 1594, translated Homer
• Peter Heiberger: Nagler in Steyr, ca 1550-1600, two collections of songs
• Paul Lechner joy: ca 1550-1616, singing schools and Eferding Wels in Upper Austria, extensive handwriting of master songs, 1691-93 Wroclaw
• Benedict of Watt 1569-1616, wrote in 1610 the Master Hymns ( with Hans Winter, † 1627 )
• Ambrosius Metzger 1573-1632, Master in Nuremberg. Brought Metamorphosis Ovidij in Meisterthoene

In the tradition of formation of the Meistersinger "Twelve old masters " of minnesong regarded as a model: Walther von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Reinmar the old man, Heinrich von Meissen ( Frauenlobstraße ), Konrad von Würzburg, Konrad Marner, Hartmann von Aue, Heinrich von Mügeln, Reinmar of Zweter, Wernher brother, Friedrich von Sonnenburg and master Boppe. The four " winning master " were models: in addition to those already mentioned Heinrich von Meissen ( Frauenlobstraße ) and Konrad Marner these were Heinrich von Mügeln and proverbs rainbow. In addition, the works of Neidhart von Reuental were very popular.

The master songs are delivered in about 120 manuscripts from the 15th to the 19th century. The Kolmarer Holy Spirit ( Mainz 1480 ) contains about 900 105 lyrics and melodies. Although the publication of master songs was actually undesirable, the Master chants contributed significantly to the tradition of folk songs, eg in Lochamer songbook to 1450th

The singing school of Nuremberg in 1770 resolved that followed in Ulm and Memmingen 50-100 years later, when the men came up singing clubs that represented a continuation in some way. The last association of Meistersinger was dissolved in 1872 in Memmingen. The last active Meistersinger died 1922 in Memmingen.

Reception in the 19th century

• ETA Hoffmann's tale of the Champion Martin Kufner and his companions from the Serapion Brothers deals with the competition in Meistergesang in Nuremberg.
• Johann Ludwig Deinhardstein's play Hans Sachs ( UA 1827) was the basis for Lortzings opera Hans Sachs ( UA 1840), which can ultimately be victorious in the contest against the Meistersinger Hans Sachs Eoban Hesse.
• Richard Wagner's opera, first performed in 1868 The Mastersingers of Nuremberg is mainly based on Wagenseil's work and is the most famous adaptation. Wagner's explanation of the bars ( Act I, Scene 3, and III. Act, scene 2 ), however, is historically incorrect.