The Owl, the Nightingale and the Jew in the Thorn-bush: Relocating Anti-Semitism in Die Meistersinger (original) (raw)
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For the past twenty-five years a key piece of evidence for an anti-Semitic subtext in Wagner's Die Meistersinger has been identified in the Grimm Brothers' anti-Semitic tale 'The Jew in the Thorn-bush' and a possible allusion to this in the text of Walther's Act I 'trial song'. This article argues that the passages in question are better explained with reference to a medieval poetic tradition still prevalent in nineteenth-century German culture involving the vocal contest between birds, paradigmatically the owl and the nightingale. Since the twelfth century, the owl and the nightingale have debated the merits of high and low art, religious themes, social forms, poetic diction and more. The associations of pedantry and harsh, coarse vocal character with the figure of the owl maps readily onto the negative traits of Beckmesser, just as the contrasting associations of the melodious nightingale with springtime, courtship and 'natural' musicality align with traits of Wagner's artist-hero, Walther von Stolzing. Rather than displacing the possible anti-Semitic reading of Beckmesser, however, this alternative reading of the Beckmesser-Walther antagonism through the lens of avian conflict or debate poetry relocates that reading within a broader discursive and figurative context, one that is more commensurate with the possible role of anti-Semitic subtexts within Wagner's music dramas in general.
The Flyting of 'The Owl and the Nightingale': Animacy, Antisemitism, and Species Division
Early Middle English, 2020
Despite its popularity among Early Middle English scholars and scholars of medieval debate literature, The Owl and the Nightingale is relatively inconspicuous in scholarship on medieval race and sexuality. When read alongside later medieval flytings, poetic exchanges of slander focused on the body and its proclivities, the injurious speech in The Owl and the Nightingale operates through racialized and sexualized species division. This article draws on animacy theory and medieval race theory to explore the symbol of the owl-as-Jew in the poem and demonstrates how sexual and racial insult against human beings is filtered through the bodies of animals.
Jewishness in Germany: Tracing Anti-semitism Throughout Wagner’s Operas
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever composers, yet debate continues over the possible presence of anti-Semitism in his works. Nothing directly links characters, or the libretti of his operas with Judaism. However, plenty of Wagner’s own writings - from publicly published articles to letters and diary entries - prove, beyond doubt, his feelings towards Jewish people. Furthermore, a question mark also hangs over when and why Wagner developed such views. What follows is an attempt to trace the extent of anti-Semitism in Wagner’s operas through examining works from the beginning, middle and end of his prolific career. Wagner was a founder of ‘ontological anti-Semitism’; ‘hostility toward the Jews that concentrates on their being rather than their religion or economic practices, or any one particular attribute.’ (Sokel, 1991, p154.) From a musicological direction of entry, we can thus begin our analysis by dismissing the possibility any implicit anti-Semitism was unintentional due to ignorance. Wagner’s intentions and implied meanings are based on his views, the culture in Germany at the time, and any other people or events which may have affected these operas. A ‘cultural anti-Semitism’ was present in 19th century Germany and ‘for Wagner, Jewishness was a necessary evil’ in order ‘to define Germanness.’ (Millington, 2013, p186.) I shall thus attempt to trace the presence of anti-Semitism throughout Wagner’s career by looking at his two most popular operas; Rienzi and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and his final opera, Parsifal.
Wagner and the Wonder of Art: An Introduction to Die Meistersinger (review)
University of Toronto Quarterly, 2009
between their lives-'those two small people'-and their very large impact on poetry. It is this literary biography, as their title indicates, that especially occupies the authors. One would look in vain for new kinds of biography here, neither thick study of the culture and sociology of the poet, nor deep insight into psychology and motivation, or even a broad view of Robert's place in the development of ideas of literature. Much information that could contribute to these subjects is made available, but both authors' focus is on the literary career and poetic achievement. Kennedy, who, pace Pound, would trade the short poems of Dramatic Lyrics for 'a hundred Sordellos,' especially focuses on the variety of what he terms monodramas among Robert's short poems: I doubt his terms will replace the universally used dramatic monologue, but his accounts are rich in appreciation of Robert's abundant generic playfulness and dramatic inventiveness. Hair, who previously contributed an excellent book on Browning and genre, continues this critical appreciation and adds to it enthusiasm, still too rare, for the abundant Browning beyond The Ring and the Book, with interesting focus on Robert's interests in theory of interpretation and readers' response. The biography, published somewhat obscurely with University of Missouri Press for a major new biography and without illustration, is an important contribution and has much to attract those interested in learning more about this major poet. (JOHN MAYNARD) M. Owen Lee.
Honour Thy German Masters: Wagner’s Depiction of “Meistergesang” in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
2010
The music and culture of the sixteenth century Meistersinger is the central topic of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg , his only operatic comedy. Wagner turned to Johann Christoph Wagenseil’s Von der Meister-Singer Holdseligen Kunst for information on the customs of the Meistersinger , and many scenarios within the opera are based on information from this treatise. The inclusion of the famous historical Meistersinger Hans Sachs as a central character further strengthened the drama’s connection with the historical guild. The use of distinct set pieces, a seeming departure from the endliche Melodie of earlier operas, also helped Wagner create an air of authenticity within the music of Die Meistersinger . As much as Die Meistersinger invokes the sixteenth century, Wagner does not present an accurate musical depiction of Meistergesang in this work. Though Hans Sachs and his role as a Meistersinger is an important element in his drama, Wagner only superficially observed th...
‘An Hebraic Art-Taste’: Wagner, Jews and the Business of Music
Placing Wagner's attack on Jewish musicians in the context of the developing music industry of the mid-nineteenth century. In Lecture Series of Arizona State University Jewish Studies Dept., in conjunction with Phoenix Symphony's Concert Series, 'Rediscovered Masters'.