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[Music]

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in this video I'll discuss the prelude

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to act one of recut vogner's longest

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single Opera Die Meistersinger von

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nürnberg this prelude also commonly

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referred to as the operas overture is

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one of the most famous examples of

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complex counterpoint in late romantic

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music often compared to the finale of

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Mozart's Jupiter symphony due to its

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eventual spectacular simultaneous

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combination of its most important

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musical themes Wagner was famous for

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having used light motifs

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in his operas a light motif is a

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recurring musical theme representing a

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particular person item or abstract idea

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it appears in the music whenever that

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corresponding person or thing appears in

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the plot Wagner was not the first

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composer to use this technique notably

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carl maria von weber made rudimentary

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use of light motifs in his opera dear

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fra shoots but vogner more than any

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other composer realized the full

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potential of the technique while in

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modern times we have geeky Lord of the

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Rings enthusiasts in the 19th century

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there was a different type of geeky ring

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enthusiasts who cataloged and named the

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light motifs in Wagner's operas many of

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these assigned meanings have endured

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over the decades although vogner himself

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never sanctioned them with that in mind

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let's listen again to the opening theme

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some of which we already heard at the

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beginning of the video this theme

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represents the formality and tradition

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of the eponymous Meister zingers or

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master singers actual historical groups

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of germanic craftsmen known for the very

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strict rules they use to judge poetry

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and music listen again to this stately

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opening theme noticing how anachronistic

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and evocative of earlier times it sounds

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also notice this prominent recurring

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figure present even in the accompaniment

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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the plot of de Maistre zinger is a love

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story in which a knight named Volta wins

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the hand of his love interest Ava in a

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singing contest the next light motif we

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hear in the prelude represents longing

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and desire and it returns in the

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beginning of the first act when the two

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future lovers are exchanging their first

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longing glances during a church service

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what makes this opera unique is the

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allegorical nature of the plot that

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vogner uses as a vehicle to present his

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own artistic Creed to the audience the

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comic villain one of the maestro singers

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named Bek Meza whose spoiler alert loses

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the singing contest and the hand of Ava

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to Valter in the end represents vogner's

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real-life conservative critics while

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Volta who at one point says he learned

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to sing from nature and birds represents

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vogner's own romanticized ideal of

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himself as an unskilled genius who

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transcends the pesky rules I personally

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disagree with this romantic conception

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of the artist and vogner's own life

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contradicts the idea since he certainly

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had plenty of formal musical training

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and even ignoring this the birds he

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learned from where Mozart and Beethoven

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while the Opera can be seen as a

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conflict between these two extremes one

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of the other characters named Hans acts

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an actual real historical Meister Zaire

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who lived in 16th century nürnberg

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represents the happy medium and at one

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point reminds Valter that the

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established traditions are sometimes

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protective of much of what makes art

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valuable the music of de Meistersinger

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also portrays this dualism and we return

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now to the light motif representing

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longing a much more venerian romantic

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melody that contrasts with the more

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traditional opening theme notice as you

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listen that it begins with a series of

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falling perfect fourths

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[Music]

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many hours later during the final act of

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the opera BEC Messer sings his very

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awkward song in the contest and noticed

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that it contains the same series of

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falling perfect fourths a transformation

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or perversion of the motif we just heard

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[Music]

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[Music]

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also notice the similarity between many

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Meistersinger light motifs and those of

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vogner's other works remember he was

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composing a lot of these operas

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contemporaneously over many decades the

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series of falling perfect fourths for

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example is also the basis of a much more

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famous light motif from the Ring cycle

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that represents the hero zigfried's

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impetuosity and also appears in vogner's

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earlier symphonic poem zigfried

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Adil

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[Music]

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returning to the Meistersinger prelude

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next comes a transitional passage that

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hints at a future important light motif

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that I'll discuss shortly this leads to

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the introduction of this red light motif

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the Meister zinger March that much like

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the original blue theme represents the

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formality and tradition of the Meister

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zingers in the Opera this theme commonly

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occurs when the Meister zingers make

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grand entrances often carrying their

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banner depicting King David playing a

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harp this symbolism in the Opera is

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based on historical facts as you can see

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from this passage in groves dictionary

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of music and musicians even more

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interesting is that this March is

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derived from an actual Meistersinger

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tune called the langa tone composed by a

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much earlier Meistersinger heinrich von

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Mughal if we transpose this to C major

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it sounds like this

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[Music]

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notice how vogner transforms this into a

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March by adding a fanfare like rhythm at

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the beginning

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[Applause]

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also notice that the portion derived

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from the langa tone repeats three times

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before being answered by this additional

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portion this leads directly to the

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introduction of another prominent theme

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that recurs frequently throughout the

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Opera I actually consider this the main

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important theme that represents the

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Opera as a whole I'm highlighting it

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with this turquoise color to show that

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it's really just a transformation of the

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original blue theme notice that both

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feature the same figure I mentioned

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earlier try to hear how this new version

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sounds a lot more like vogner shedding

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the pedantic formality of the original

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theme in his essays on music vogner

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described his ideal of an unending

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melody and he considered the opening

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movement of Beethoven's opus 101 a major

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piano sonata to be an excellent example

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of this since it avoids the tonic for

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much of the movement until the

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recapitulation section and since the

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phrase structure is so irregular that

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the phrases seemed almost like run-on

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sentences you should listen to this

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gorgeous Beethoven movement on your own

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time but for now notice these same

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qualities in this section of the maestro

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zinger Prelude during which the

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transformed theme goes on and on

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paired with this counter subject of

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sorts also notice what happens when the

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section finally does end I'll discuss

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this after you listen

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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so after that unending melody we finally

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thought we would hear a normal

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resolution to the tonic after this long

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dominant seventh chord and trill but

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instead we hear this classic vogue nari

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and pivot in which the bass instruments

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denies the satisfaction of a strong 5:1

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resolution that would sound like this by

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playing an a while the rest of the

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orchestra results to a C major chord

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creating a partial deceptive cadence in

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the bass only

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[Music]

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this modulatory section features a new

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light motif that also likely represents

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romantic or sexual desire with this

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panting syncopated portion and these

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dynamic swells also pay attention to

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this part consisting of a turn followed

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by an upward leap this is a very common

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and popular melodic gesture in late

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romantic music as you'll hear in a

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moment

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[Music]

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compare this light motif with another

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more famous one from the Ring cycle

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Brunhilde z-- love theme notice the

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similar turn in this case inverted

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followed by the upward leap also notice

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the similar panting syncopations played

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by the bassoons and at the end of the

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excerpt listened for this light green

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motif that also appears in the next

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section of the Meister zinger Prelude

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[Music]

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[Music]

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[Music]

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gustav mahler was also particularly fond

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of this melodic gesture as you can hear

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in the following three examples first

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from the final sixth movement of his

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third symphony

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[Music]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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now an example from the opening movement

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of his sixth symphony

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[Music]

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and finally the entire sublime finale of

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the ninth symphony is constructed around

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this gesture

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[Music]

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returning to vogner the module Ettore

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section we just heard brings us to the

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next important light motif sometimes

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referred to as the prize song motif

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because it's a quotation of vaulters

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exquisite song that wins him the contest

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in the final act I may be overanalyzing

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but humor me for a moment I've always

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thought that this horn arpeggio sounded

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similar enough to the Meister zinger

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March theme and that this portion of the

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viola accompaniment sounded similar

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enough to the original Meister zinger

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theme that vogner may have been

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foreshadowing the simultaneous

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combination of all three of these that

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occurs later in the prelude now listen

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to the beginning of this new theme

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[Music]

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before going any further listen to the

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beginning of vaulters prize song from

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the final act of the opera notice first

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that the quotation we just heard in the

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prelude is not from the beginning of the

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song and also that the song itself is in

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triple meter while the quotation alters

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the theme to fit the 4/4 time signature

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of the Prelude although the beginning of

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the song is not the quoted portion it

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does anticipate the courted portion with

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these melodic elements

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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Oh

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[Music]

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the actual quoted portion comes later in

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the song at its most climactic moment

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and noticed these same melodic patterns

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we heard at the beginning of the song

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:26,459
[Music]

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00:21:27,980 --> 00:21:30,779
now listen to this theme again as it

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00:21:30,779 --> 00:21:33,299
appears in the prelude notice that the

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light green motif I mentioned earlier in

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00:21:35,669 --> 00:21:38,190
the excerpt from the Ring cycle now also

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00:21:38,190 --> 00:21:40,110
appears in the Meister zinger Prelude

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combined contrapuntal II with the darker

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green prize song motif

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00:21:47,370 --> 00:22:25,260
[Music]

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00:22:25,260 --> 00:22:26,280
[Applause]

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00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:59,640
[Music]

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00:23:00,570 --> 00:23:03,370
with this return of the pink motif from

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00:23:03,370 --> 00:23:06,010
earlier vogner transitions to the next

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00:23:06,010 --> 00:23:08,080
more lively and humorous section

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00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:10,360
featuring the original Meistersinger

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00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:12,820
theme played twice as quickly or in

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00:23:12,820 --> 00:23:15,010
rhythmic diminution by a band of

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00:23:15,010 --> 00:23:18,190
woodwind instruments in the Opera this

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00:23:18,190 --> 00:23:21,100
faster humorous staccato version occurs

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00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:22,960
mostly in association with the

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00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:26,440
Meistersinger apprentices statements of

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00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,210
this new version are punctuated by

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00:23:28,210 --> 00:23:30,490
variants of the light green motif and

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00:23:30,490 --> 00:23:33,419
pink motif

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00:23:33,800 --> 00:24:19,559
[Music]

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00:24:19,559 --> 00:24:22,299
we finally arrived at the moment when

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00:24:22,299 --> 00:24:24,070
the counterpoint starts to become

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00:24:24,070 --> 00:24:26,440
increasingly complicated beginning with

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00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,929
a fugle passage in this case a double

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00:24:28,929 --> 00:24:31,570
fugato with the rhythmic diminution of

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00:24:31,570 --> 00:24:34,150
the turquoise transformed theme acting

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00:24:34,150 --> 00:24:36,610
as one subject and this yellow theme

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00:24:36,610 --> 00:24:40,390
acting as the other subject I already

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00:24:40,390 --> 00:24:42,190
mentioned the variant of this yellow

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00:24:42,190 --> 00:24:43,960
theme at the beginning of the prelude

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00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,260
that foreshadows its appearance here

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00:24:46,260 --> 00:24:48,940
this yellow theme is sometimes referred

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00:24:48,940 --> 00:24:51,549
to as the derision motif because it

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00:24:51,549 --> 00:24:53,530
appears in the final act when the crowd

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00:24:53,530 --> 00:24:56,200
laughs mockingly at Beck Messrs awkward

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00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,620
song adding to the chaotic and humorous

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00:24:59,620 --> 00:25:01,960
nature of this fugato are these trills

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00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,210
that eventually become so frequent they

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00:25:04,210 --> 00:25:05,740
almost sound like a swarm of mosquitoes

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00:25:05,740 --> 00:25:09,460
buzzing around your head also notice at

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00:25:09,460 --> 00:25:11,470
the end of this fugato the reappearance

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00:25:11,470 --> 00:25:14,200
of the pink desire motif soaring above

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the rest of the commotion leading to the

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00:25:16,419 --> 00:25:19,270
C major almost recapitulate ory return

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00:25:19,270 --> 00:25:21,340
of the original Meistersinger theme in

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00:25:21,340 --> 00:25:23,470
the brass this time paired with the

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00:25:23,470 --> 00:25:27,419
continuing fragments of the yellow theme

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00:25:27,620 --> 00:26:22,799
[Music]

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00:26:22,799 --> 00:26:25,899
the dense chaotic arrangement of trills

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00:26:25,899 --> 00:26:27,880
we just heard during the fugle passage

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00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,370
reminds me of two similar orchestral

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00:26:30,370 --> 00:26:32,919
passages one from the 18th century and

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00:26:32,919 --> 00:26:36,519
the other from the 20th century first

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00:26:36,519 --> 00:26:38,769
listen to this passage from the opening

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00:26:38,769 --> 00:26:41,169
movement of Mozart's 30th symphony in D

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00:26:41,169 --> 00:26:45,220
major K 202 notice how the trills

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00:26:45,220 --> 00:26:47,500
surround and overwhelm the melody being

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00:26:47,500 --> 00:26:50,909
played by the first violins

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00:26:52,030 --> 00:27:17,560
[Music]

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00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,150
the other example is the ferocious

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00:27:20,150 --> 00:27:22,820
ending of the Cossacks reply movement

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00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:25,580
from Shostakovich is 14th Symphony in

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00:27:25,580 --> 00:27:27,470
which the first violin section is

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00:27:27,470 --> 00:27:30,170
divided into ten parts each eventually

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00:27:30,170 --> 00:27:32,330
playing this trill a half step lower

355
00:27:32,330 --> 00:27:35,420
than the previous part this creates a

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00:27:35,420 --> 00:27:37,640
frenzied massive sound that has always

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00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,740
reminded me of a voracious cloud of

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00:27:39,740 --> 00:27:42,110
locusts although that has nothing to do

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00:27:42,110 --> 00:27:44,240
with the actual programmatic content of

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00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,690
this movement

361
00:27:48,220 --> 00:27:51,349
[Music]

362
00:27:54,030 --> 00:27:58,020
[Music]

363
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:09,970
[Music]

364
00:28:13,260 --> 00:28:16,359
[Music]

365
00:28:18,620 --> 00:28:21,420
returning to vogner the triumphant brass

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00:28:21,420 --> 00:28:23,490
entry of the original Meistersinger

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00:28:23,490 --> 00:28:25,620
theme we just heard brings us to the

368
00:28:25,620 --> 00:28:28,050
moment we've all been waiting for during

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00:28:28,050 --> 00:28:29,790
which three of the main themes are

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00:28:29,790 --> 00:28:33,180
played simultaneously the red maestro

371
00:28:33,180 --> 00:28:34,980
zinger March is played in rhythmic

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00:28:34,980 --> 00:28:37,920
diminution or twice as quickly combined

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00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:39,840
with the original blue maestro zinger

374
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,180
theme and the Green theme from the prize

375
00:28:42,180 --> 00:28:45,660
song eventually the red theme drops out

376
00:28:45,660 --> 00:28:48,390
replaced by the yellow derision motif to

377
00:28:48,390 --> 00:28:50,520
continue the complicated three-part

378
00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,730
counterpoint the turquoise transformed

379
00:28:53,730 --> 00:28:56,580
theme also enters the fray combined with

380
00:28:56,580 --> 00:28:58,590
this figure that I'm highlighting green

381
00:28:58,590 --> 00:29:00,390
just because I don't know what else to

382
00:29:00,390 --> 00:29:02,760
do with it I don't think it's part of

383
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:04,650
the prize song and I can't find it

384
00:29:04,650 --> 00:29:06,810
anywhere else in the Opera but since it

385
00:29:06,810 --> 00:29:08,640
seems like a continuation of what the

386
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,620
first violins were playing previously

387
00:29:10,620 --> 00:29:13,670
I'm highlighting it the same green color

388
00:29:13,670 --> 00:29:16,500
the spectacular culmination of this

389
00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:18,960
section is this passage during which

390
00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,120
this new green figure is combined with

391
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,010
various stret O's involving the

392
00:29:23,010 --> 00:29:25,230
turquoise theme and rhythmic diminution

393
00:29:25,230 --> 00:29:27,870
of both the turquoise theme and the blue

394
00:29:27,870 --> 00:29:31,200
theme I tried to separate blue from

395
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,750
turquoise as logically as possible but

396
00:29:33,750 --> 00:29:35,460
in some cases the distinction is

397
00:29:35,460 --> 00:29:37,050
meaningless because of how closely

398
00:29:37,050 --> 00:29:40,470
related they are this extremely

399
00:29:40,470 --> 00:29:42,630
complicated passage now ends with the

400
00:29:42,630 --> 00:29:44,610
return of the red Meistersinger March

401
00:29:44,610 --> 00:29:48,480
this time at its normal speed it's

402
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,820
interesting to speculate about vogner's

403
00:29:50,820 --> 00:29:53,160
motives for including such complex

404
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:56,010
counterpoint in this prelude I don't

405
00:29:56,010 --> 00:29:58,080
think he composed it purely for the sake

406
00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,480
of counterpoint itself which can be said

407
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,010
of a movement like the finale of

408
00:30:02,010 --> 00:30:03,870
Brittany's fifth symphony that I

409
00:30:03,870 --> 00:30:07,230
analyzed in a prior video I also don't

410
00:30:07,230 --> 00:30:09,540
think as some have suggested that he was

411
00:30:09,540 --> 00:30:11,580
trying to prove to his critics that he

412
00:30:11,580 --> 00:30:13,470
was capable of composing this kind of

413
00:30:13,470 --> 00:30:15,510
complicated counterpoint which might

414
00:30:15,510 --> 00:30:17,340
have been true for a movement like the

415
00:30:17,340 --> 00:30:19,560
Rondo burlesque of Mahler's 9th symphony

416
00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,820
that i also analyzed in a prior video to

417
00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:25,860
me the obvious explanation is that

418
00:30:25,860 --> 00:30:28,140
vogner wanted to musically illustrate

419
00:30:28,140 --> 00:30:28,960
the Phyllis

420
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,750
subject matter of the Opera itself with

421
00:30:31,750 --> 00:30:33,850
this passage acting as a nod to the

422
00:30:33,850 --> 00:30:35,260
traditions of the past

423
00:30:35,260 --> 00:30:37,860
combined with the artistry of the future

424
00:30:37,860 --> 00:30:42,610
now listen to this astonishing passage

425
00:30:42,610 --> 00:32:08,060
[Music]

426
00:32:08,060 --> 00:32:13,740
as the prelude comes to an end we now

427
00:32:13,740 --> 00:32:15,690
hear one last statement of the red

428
00:32:15,690 --> 00:32:17,970
Meistersinger March at its normal speed

429
00:32:17,970 --> 00:32:19,980
combined with variants of the yellow

430
00:32:19,980 --> 00:32:22,890
theme and with these brisk 32nd note

431
00:32:22,890 --> 00:32:26,370
passages in the strings this leads to a

432
00:32:26,370 --> 00:32:28,560
fragment of the turquoise theme with its

433
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,810
original counter subject that strangely

434
00:32:30,810 --> 00:32:32,610
becomes the melody in the next measure

435
00:32:32,610 --> 00:32:35,280
and finally after another flurry of

436
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,770
trills the main blue Meister zinger

437
00:32:37,770 --> 00:32:40,020
theme is played triumphantly one last

438
00:32:40,020 --> 00:32:42,630
time followed by a drawn-out two final

439
00:32:42,630 --> 00:32:45,120
play goal cadence featuring entries of

440
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:46,800
the yellow theme and a prominent

441
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,950
triangle part this reminds me of the

442
00:32:49,950 --> 00:32:52,410
very similar conclusion of bronzes

443
00:32:52,410 --> 00:32:55,080
academic festival overture that also

444
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,660
features a final play goal cadence brisk

445
00:32:57,660 --> 00:33:00,090
thirty-second notes in the strings and a

446
00:33:00,090 --> 00:33:03,330
prominent triangle part I'll play this

447
00:33:03,330 --> 00:33:05,130
Brahms ending first so we can

448
00:33:05,130 --> 00:33:07,170
appropriately finish the video with

449
00:33:07,170 --> 00:33:09,680
vogner

450
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,920
[Music]

451
00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:30,860
[Music]

452
00:33:33,270 --> 00:33:45,909
[Music]

453
00:33:45,909 --> 00:33:50,990
and now we'll finally conclude with the

454
00:33:50,990 --> 00:33:53,570
last bars of the masterful Meistersinger

455
00:33:53,570 --> 00:33:56,049
Prelude

456
00:33:57,250 --> 00:34:24,409
[Music]

457
00:34:24,409 --> 00:34:24,820
[Applause]

458
00:34:24,820 --> 00:35:04,500
[Music]

459
00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:07,699
[Applause]

460
00:35:07,950 --> 00:35:41,669
[Music]

461
00:35:42,230 --> 00:35:44,290
you

462
00:35:44,370 --> 00:35:44,900
[Music]

463
00:35:44,900 --> 00:00:00,000
[Applause]