Act II. The scene of this act represents a street in Nuremburg
crossing the stage and intersected in the middle by a narrow, winding alley. There are thus two corner houses--on the right corner of the alley _Pogner's_, on the left _Sachs's_. Before the former is a linden-tree, before the latter an elder. It is a lovely summer evening.
The opening scene is a merry one. _David_ and the 'prentices are closing shop. After a brisk introduction based on the Midsummer Festival Motive the 'prentices quiz _David_ on his love affair with _Magdalena_. The latter appears with a basket of dainties for her lover, but on learning that the knight has been rejected, she snatches the basket away from _David_ and hurries back to the house. The 'prentices now mockingly congratulate _David_ on his successful wooing. _David_ loses his temper and shows fight, but _Sachs_, coming upon the scene, sends the 'prentices on their way and then enters his workshop with _David_. The music of this episode, especially the 'prentices' chorus, is bright and graceful.
_Pogner_ and _Eva_, returning from an evening stroll, now come down the alley. Before retiring into the house the father questions the daughter as to her feelings concerning the duty she is to perform at the Mastersinging on the morrow. Her replies are discreetly evasive. The music beautifully reflects the affectionate relations between _Pogner_ and _Eva_. When _Pogner_, his daughter seated beside him under the linden-tree, speaks of the morrow's festival and _Eva's_ part in it in awarding the prize to the master of her choice before the assembled burghers of Nuremburg, the stately =Nuremburg Motive= is ushered in.
[Music]
_Magdalena_ appears at the door and signals to _Eva_. The latter persuades her father that it is too cool to remain outdoors and, as they enter the house, _Eva_ learns from _Magdalena_ of _Walther's_ failure before the masters. Magdalena advises her to seek counsel with _Sachs_ after supper.
The Cobbler Motive shows us _Sachs_ and _David_ in the former's workshop. When the master has dismissed his 'prentice till morning, he yields to his poetic love of the balmy midsummer night and, laying down his work, leans over the half-door of his shop as if lost in reverie. The Cobbler Motive dies away to _pp_, and then there is wafted from over the orchestra like the sweet scent of the blooming elder the Spring Motive, while tender notes on the horn blossom beneath a nebulous veil of tremolo violins into memories of _Walther's_ song. Its measures run through _Sachs's_ head until, angered at the stupid conservatism of his associates, he resumes his work to the brusque measures of the Cobbler's Motive. As his ill humour yields again to the beauties of the night, this motive yields once more to that of spring, which, with reminiscences of _Walther's_ first song before the masters, imbues this masterful monologue with poetic beauty of the highest order. The last words in praise of _Walther_ ("The bird who sang today," etc.) are sung to a broad and expressive melody.
_Eva_ now comes out into the street and, shyly approaching the shop, stands at the door unnoticed by _Sachs_ until she speaks to him. The theme which pervades this scene seems to breathe forth the very spirit of lovely maidenhood which springs from the union of romantic aspirations, feminine reserve, and rare physical graces. It is the =Eva Motive=, which, with the delicate touch of a master, Wagner so varies that it follows the many subtle dramatic suggestions of the scene. The Eva Motive, in its original form, is as follows:
[Music]
When at _Eva's_ first words _Sachs_ looks up, there is this elegant variation of the Eva Motive:
[Music]
Then the scene being now fully ushered in, we have the Eva Motive itself. _Eva_ leads the talk up to the morrow's festival, and when _Sachs_ mentions _Beckmesser_ as her chief wooer, roguishly hints, with evident reference to _Sachs_ himself, that she might prefer a hearty widower to a bachelor of such disagreeable characteristics as the marker. There are sufficient indications that the sturdy master is not indifferent to _Eva's_ charms, but, whole-souled, genuine friend that he is, his one idea is to further the love affair between his fair neighbour and _Walther_. The music of this passage is very suggestive. The melodic leading of the upper voice in the accompaniment, when _Eva_ asks: "Could not a widower hope to win me?" is identical with a variation of the Isolde Motive in "Tristan and Isolde," while the Eva Motive, shyly _pp_, seems to indicate the artfulness of _Eva's_ question. The reminiscence from "Tristan" can hardly be regarded as accidental, for _Sachs_ afterwards boasts that he does not care to share the fate of poor King Marke. _Eva_ now endeavours to glean particulars of _Walther's_ experience in the morning, and we have the Motive of Envy, the Knight Motive, and the Motive of Ridicule. _Eva_ does not appreciate the fine satire in _Sachs's_ severe strictures on _Walther's_ singing--he re-echoes not his own views, but those of the other masters, for whom, not for the knight, his strictures are really intended--and she leaves him in anger. This shows _Sachs_ which way the wind blows, and he forthwith resolves to do all in his power to bring _Eva's_ and _Walther's_ love affair to a successful conclusion. While _Eva_ is engaged with _Magdalena_, who has come out to call her, he busies himself in closing the upper half of his shop door so far that only a gleam of light is visible, he himself being completely hidden. _Eva_ learns from _Magdalena_ of _Beckmesser's_ intended serenade, and it is agreed that the maid shall personate _Eva_ at the window.
Steps are heard coming down the alley. _Eva_ recognizes _Walther_ and flies to his arms, _Magdalena_ discreetly hurrying into the house. The ensuing ardent scene between _Eva_ and _Walther_ brings familiar motives. The knight's excitement is comically broken in upon by the _Night Watchman's_ cow-horn, and, as _Eva_ lays her hand soothingly upon his arm and counsels that they retreat within the shadow of the linden-tree, there steals over the orchestra, like the fragrance of the summer night, a delicate variant of the Eva Motive--=The Summer Night Motive=.
[Music]
_Eva_ vanishes into the house to prepare to elope with _Walther_. The _Night Watchman_ now goes up the stage intoning a mediæval chant. Coming in the midst of the beautiful modern music of "The Mastersingers," its effect is most quaint.
As _Eva_ reappears and she and the knight are about to make their escape, _Sachs_, to prevent this precipitate and foolish step, throws open his shutters and allows his lamp to shed a streak of brilliant light across the street.
The lovers hesitate; and now _Beckmesser_ sneaks in after the _Night Watchman_ and, leaning against _Sachs's_ house, begins to tune his lute, the peculiar twang of which, contrasted with the rich orchestration, sounds irresistibly ridiculous.
Meanwhile, _Eva_ and _Walther_ have once more retreated into the shade of the linden-tree, and _Sachs_, who has placed his work bench in front of his door, begins hammering at the last and intones a song which is one of the rough diamonds of musical invention, for it is purposely brusque and rough, just such a song as a hearty, happy artisan might sing over his work. It is aptly introduced by the Cobbler Motive. _Beckmesser_, greatly disturbed lest his serenade be ruined, entreats _Sachs_ to cease singing. The latter agrees, but with the proviso that he shall "mark" each of _Beckmesser's_ mistakes with a hammer stroke. As if to bring out as sharply as possible the ridiculous character of the serenade, the orchestra breathes forth once more the summer night's music before _Beckmesser_ begins his song, and this is set to a parody of the Lyric Motive. Wagner, with keen satire, seems to want to show how a beautiful melody may become absurd through old-fogy methods. _Beckmesser_ has hardly begun before _Sachs's_ hammer comes down on the last with a resounding whack, which makes the town clerk fairly jump with anger. He resumes, but soon is rudely interrupted again by a blow of _Sachs's_ hammer. The whacks come faster and faster. _Beckmesser_, in order to make himself heard above them, sings louder and louder. Some of the neighbours are awakened by the noise and coming to their windows bid _Beckmesser_ hold his peace. _David_, stung by jealousy as he sees _Magdalena_ listening to the serenade, leaps from his room and falls upon the town clerk with a cudgel. The neighbours, male and female, run out into the street and a general _mêlée_ ensues, the masters, who hurry upon the scene, seeking to restore quiet, while the 'prentices vent their high spirits by doing all in their power to add to the hubbub. All is now noise and disorder, pandemonium seeming to have been let loose upon the dignified old town.
Musically this tumult finds expression in a fugue whose chief theme is the =Cudgel Motive=.
[Music]
From beneath the hubbub of voices--those of the 'prentices and journeymen, delighted to take part in the shindy, of the women who are terrified at it, and of the masters who strive to stop it, is heard the theme of _Beckmesser's_ song, the real cause of the row. This is another of those many instances in which Wagner vividly expresses in his music the significance of what transpires on the stage.
_Sachs_ finally succeeds in shoving the 'prentices and journeymen out of the way. The street is cleared, but not before the cobbler-poet has pushed _Eva_, who was about to elope with _Walther_, into her father's arms and drawn _Walther_ after him into his shop.
The street is quiet. And now, the rumpus subsided and all concerned in it gone, the _Night Watchman_ appears, rubs his eyes and chants his mediæval call. The street is flooded with moonlight. The _Watchman_ with his clumsy halberd lunges at his own shadow, then goes up the alley.
We have had hubbub, we have had humour, and now we have a musical ending elvish, roguish, and yet exquisite in sentiment. The effect is produced by the Cudgel Motive played with the utmost delicacy on the flute, while the theme of _Beckmesser's_ serenade merrily runs after itself on clarinet and bassoon, and the muted violins softly breathe the Midsummer Festival Motive.