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Since its premiere in 1868, Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg has defied repeated upheavals in the cultural-political landscape of German statehood to retain its unofficial status as the German national opera. The work's significance as a touchstone of national culture survived even such troubling episodes as its public endorsement in 1933 as 'the most German of all German operas' by Joseph Goebbels or the rendition in previous years by audiences at Bayreuth of both national and Nazi-party anthems at the work's culmination. This chequered reception history and apparent propensity for reinterpretation or reclamation has long fuelled debates over the socio-political meanings of Wagner's musical narrative. On the question of Beckmesser, for instance, heated arguments have surrounded the existence of antisemitic stereotypes in the work as well as their possible indication of a racial-political dimension to Sachs's restoration of Nuremberg society. Through a combination of musical-textual analysis with critical theory, this book interrogates the ideological underpinnings of Die Meistersinger's narrative. In four interconnected studies of the characters of Walther, Sachs, Beckmesser, and Eva, the book traces a critical potential within the opera's construction of provincial and national identities and problematizes existing discourse around its depiction of race and gender.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Music examples
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Nationalism and the aesthetic periphery
1 Walther: Conservation and reinvention
2 Sachs: In pursuit of universality
3 Entr'acte: On metareference and metapolitics
4 Beckmesser: Constructions of otherness
5 Eva: Repression and autonomy
Conclusion: Towards a critical nationalism
References
Index
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Christopher Kimbell completed his PhD in 2020 (Royal Holloway, University of London) and now teaches music in a secondary school.
Zusammenfassung
Through a combination of musical-textual analysis with critical theory and with four interconnected studies of the characters of Walther, Sachs, Beckmesser, and Eva, this book interrogates the ideological underpinnings of Die Meistersinger’s narrative.
Bericht
"This volume offers an insightful examination of Wagner's Die Meistersinger, exploring how the opera reflects and engages with 19th-century German nationalism, cultural identity, and the role of tradition within the arts. Kimbell situates Die Meistersinger within its historical and social context, deftly analyzing how Wagner uses musical forms, folk traditions, and communal values to represent a vision of a culturally unified Germany. Kimbell navigates complex themes, including antisemitism within the work itself and during its subsequent production history. He also addresses Wagner's controversial personal ideologies and the opera's later appropriation in nationalist contexts, providing a balanced scholarly perspective that is both critical and deeply informed. Kimbell's interdisciplinary approach-combining musical-textual analysis with critical theory-broadens the book's appeal for academic libraries supporting programs in these fields. His analysis of character symbolism, musical structures, and ideological undercurrents will be particularly valuable for researchers and students interested in Wagnerian studies, German cultural history, and the intersections of art and politics...Kimbell's research is rigorous, nuanced, and thoughtfully presented, making this an important addition to scholarly collections.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals."
S. Edwards, Delgado Community College, Choice, March 2025 Vol. 62 No. 7
"In many respects, this is the best book on Die Meistersinger I have had the pleasure of reading...This is a study of the work that is in many ways unprecedented in its balanced approach... Kimbell nicely connects the opera's attention to aesthetics with Wagner's contemporaneous and lived experience in the spirited debates about musical aesthetics that dominated musical life in 19th-century Europe...Kimbell's is by far the most balanced, sober and fair presentation I have come across. He also offers the most detailed analysis of Beckmesser's Serenade in Act II and Prize Song in Act III that I have come across... The book is worth reading for this chapter alone...At last, a book about Meistersinger that restores reason, balance and an examination of the evidence, evidence which both supports and undermines the author's position, presented evenly and openly. My recommendation to anyone wishing to study Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is to start with Christopher Kimbell's book."
Nicholas Vazsonyi, The Wagner Journal, 19, 1, 77-96
