Hans Sachs (opera)
| Work data | |
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| Original title: | Hans Sachs |
Title page of the piano reduction, Leipzig 1841 |
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| Shape: | Comic opera in three acts |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Albert Lortzing |
| Libretto : | Albert Lortzing, Philipp Reger and Philipp Jakob Düringer |
| Literary source: | Play by Johann Ludwig Deinhardstein |
| Premiere: | Version 1: June 23, 1840 Version 2: May 25, 1845 |
| Place of premiere: | 1st version: Stadttheater Leipzig 2nd version: Nationaltheater Mannheim |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Nuremberg 1517 |
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Hans Sachs is a comic opera in three acts with spoken dialogues by Albert Lortzing (LoWV 43). He wrote the libretto himself with Philipp Reger and Philipp Jakob Düringer . They were based on the play of the same name by Johann Ludwig Deinhardstein . It premiered on June 23, 1840 in the Leipzig City Theater . An extended version was staged on May 25, 1845 in the Mannheim National Theater.
action
first act
Görg is the only apprentice of the Nuremberg master shoemaker and poet Hans Sachs . His job also includes cleaning the workshop in the evening. He got hold of a sheet of paper on which his master wrote a love poem. He likes it so much that he immediately plans to present it to his beloved Kordula and pass it off as his own work.
The goldsmith Steffen has his studio across from Saxony's shoemaker's workshop. He has a lovely daughter named Kunigunde. The master shoemaker cannot get this out of his head. Suddenly the thought that tomorrow there will be a singing contest for which he is registered as a participant tears him out of his dreams. He ponders what he should sing best about. But it doesn't take long before his rest is disturbed. Eoban Hesse , a councilor from Augsburg, enters the workshop. He not only brings a broken shoe to be repaired, but also shows off powerfully. Incidentally, he notes that he is the fiancé of his neighbor Kunigunde. This news hits Hans Sachs as hard as if his head were pressed between a vice.
Görg recommends to his master to simply face Kunigunde and make her a declaration of love, then he will notice which admirer her heart beats for.
Kunigunde is talking to her cousin Kordula in the gazebo. Suddenly Görg joins the two of them - hurrying ahead of his master - to prepare them for what is about to happen. It doesn't take long before Hans Sachs shows up. In conversation with Kunigunde, it becomes clear to him that the Augsburg councilor means no competition for him. Now Sachs wants to do the job and ask for her hand from Kunigunde's father. As a point in time, he envisions the end of tomorrow's competition.
Master Steffen is not only a goldsmith, but also Nuremberg's mayor. With this office he is fully occupied with preparing for tomorrow's competition. The fact that now of all times his daughter is asking him to drop the plan to connect her with the Augsburg resident does not suit him at all.
Second act
The singing competition is in full swing. Eoban Hesse and Hans Sachs have reached the final. Hesse delivers a reasonably good text about the Old Testament Absalom, but there is a huge gap in execution. It works quite differently with Hans Sachs. His noble verses about love and the fatherland inspire the audience. It cannot be overlooked or overheard who is the darling of the people. But people's voice is not in demand when it comes to choosing a winner. The decision is up to the mayor alone, and his judgment was already made before the candidates entered the competition: Eoban Hesse is declared the winner. No matter how much Nuremberg's citizens protest against it, the decision is irrevocable.
Hans Sachs can't believe all of this. His lifelong dream has been destroyed. There is no longer any point in asking the goldsmith and mayor Hesse for Kunigunde's hand. He decides to turn his back on his hometown.
The singing competition is now ticked off, but the celebration is not over yet. Görg sees his hour come. He proudly steps in front of his beloved Kordula and recites the poem he has found. Kordula is flattered, but frankly tells him that he stole the work. You can tell from the scriptures who is the true author. The shoemaker's boy throws the sheet away, hurt.
Two archers of the emperor discover the discarded note. As they read the text, the thought occurs to them to send the sheet to their master; because they know that he values good poetry very much.
Kunigunde did not miss the fact that Hans Sachs was betrayed by her father. So she wants to leave town with him. When the Augsburg councilor noticed the plan, he told the mayor that Sachs wanted to kidnap his daughter. Now it's enough for the mayor. By virtue of his office, he deprived the master shoemaker of his citizenship and officially banished him from the city. Only Görg sticks to his master.
Third act
Once again Emperor Maximilian leads to Nuremberg to hold a Reichstag here. If he's already busy here anyway, he wants to get to know the author of the beautiful verses that his archers brought him from this city. When the mayor and his councilors don't know what to do, Eoban Hesse poses as the author of the poem.
Hans Sachs and his apprentice learned about the emperor's visit. They really want to see him and that's why they are returning to Nuremberg. After some confusion, Eoban Hesse is exposed as a swindler. Now it is he who has to leave town. Hans Sachs regained his citizenship and was finally allowed to embrace his beloved Kunigunde. Soon he will lead her to the altar. Cheers of the people at the emperor end the opera.
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , three trombones
- Timpani , drums : drum , triangle
- Strings
- Incidental music on the scene: bell
- Incidental music behind the scene: wind orchestra
literature
- Hans Sachs. In: Georg Richard Kruse : Albert Lortzing (= Famous Musicians. Life and Character Pictures along with an Introduction to the Works of the Masters. Volume VII). Harmonie, Berlin 1899 ( online in the Internet Archive ).
Sound carrier
- (Abridged) complete recording (1950) at Walhall with Karl Schmitt-Walter , Friederike Sailer , Richard Wölker, Karl Mikorey, Albert Vogler et al., Nürnberger Singgemeinschaft, Fränkisches Landesorchester, arrangement (together with Wilhelm Hanke ) and conductor: Max Loy .
- Complete recording (2001) by Ars with Ulrich Wand, Kate Radmilovic, Marlene Mild, Mark Hamman, Hans-Hermann Ehrich, Michael Milanov, Gerard Quinn, the Osnabrück Municipal Theater Choir and the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Till Drömann.
Web links
- Hans Sachs : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto, Berlin 1874. Digitized at Google Books
- Work data on Hans Sachs based on MGG with discography at Operone
- Action at Zazzerino
Individual evidence
- ↑ Robert Didion : Hans Sachs. In: Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheater . Volume 3: Works. Henze - Massine. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-492-02413-0 , pp. 562-565.
- ↑ Jens Knorr: Conceptionless. Review of the recording from 2001. In: Junge Freiheit from April 4, 2003 ( Memento from February 25, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ).