"My daughter, Frau von Bulow, writes to me that Wagner's new work "Die Meistersinger" is a marvel, and amongst other things she says:— "These 'Meistersinger' are, to Wagner's other conceptions, much the same as the 'Winter's Tale' is to Shakespeare's other works. Its phantasy is found in gaiety and drollery, and it has called up the Nuremberg of the Middle Ages, with its guilds, its poet- artisans, its pedants, its cavaliers, to draw forth the most fresh laughter in the midst of the highest, the most ideal, poetry. Exclusive of its sense and the destination of the work, one might compare the artistic work of it with that of the Sacraments-Hauschen of St. Lawrence (at Nuremberg). Equally with the sculptor, has the composer lighted upon the most graceful, most fantastic, most pure form,—boldness in perfection; and as at the bottom of the Sacraments-Hauschen there is Adam Kraft, holding it up with a grave and collected air, so in the 'Meistersinger' there is Hans Sachs, calm, profound, serene, who sustains and directs the action," etc."
Letter to To Dr. Franz Brendel: 1862
I have noticed, once again, companies selling copies of this through various outlets. If you do not know: these were first published over one hundred years ago and are thus in the public domain, the original texts were carefully restored and scanned by volunteers with the intention of making them freely available, they are, as I think the above quote would suggest, well translated and a mine of information and interest to anyone with an interest in Liszt, Cosima, others associated with Wagner or indeed Wagner himself.
Clicking either the Epub or Kindle link (you may need to right click and "save" in certain browsers) below will download an ebook in the format specified. Clicking the HTML link will open the book in your web browser. You are free to distribute this works, in electronic format, without profit and as outlined at the beginning of each work. If anyone is interested I will also provide the two volume Wagner/List letters shortly
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