Series: Wagner/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg 30 - Act 2, Scene 3 - Part 1 - A Discussion on Leitmotifs

This time, we are talking about leitmotifs.
We will explore the leitmotifs (motives) related to Act 2, Scene 3, and its surrounding context.
I guarantee you will be surprised by the clever devices used here!
Please read along while referring to the musical examples.
You will be amazed at the craftsmanship!
Please read this while referring to the musical examples.

In the scene before entering Scene 3,
Eva, feeling anxious after hearing about Walther's failure,
is reassured after hearing Sachs's name from Magdalene.
The motive that appears for the first time here is the "Eva Motive."

It is a form of the modified tetrachord (diminished fourth)
in an ascending stepwise progression
with the third note removed.
It is a melodic shape that seems to express her feelings for Sachs.
It also appears in the dialogue scene with Sachs in Act 2, Scene 4.

Act 2, Scene 3 centers on Sachs's "Elder Monologue."
What is heard repeatedly during this piece is the "Spring Urging Motive."
The three notes at its beginning
are a rearrangement of the three notes of the Eva Motive.

And this motive originates from the "Impulse Motive (of Love),"
which also appeared in the Act 1 Prelude and Act 1, Scene 3.

(Past article on the Act 1, Scene 3 "Impulse Motive")

(Article on the Prelude's leitmotifs)

Since the "Spring Urging Motive" and the "Eva Motive"
are both derived from the "Impulse Motive,"
they are like relatives to each other.

By doing this, he musically demonstrates the connections between characters
and gives the work a sense of unity;
this is the brilliance of Wagner's "leitmotif" technique.

Now, there is another important motive derived from the "Impulse Motive."
The first three notes of the "Concern Motive" are the same as the "Eva Motive."
The first appearance of this motive is in Act 1, Scene 3, when Sachs says,
"Wait, everyone, don't be so hasty."
So, Wagner must have conceived this melodic shape with the motive development in Act 2 in mind.

The close relationship between the "Eva Motive" and the "Concern Motive"
shows excellent musical development in the dialogue scene between Eva and Magdalene in the second half of Act 2, Scene 4,
and in the dialogue scene between Sachs and David in Act 3, Scene 1.

The following musical example is from Act 2, Scene 4.

Eva: "It's fine, unless it's him; I wonder if he's coming yet."
Magdalene: "Didn't you see David?"
Eva: "How should I know?" (looks around)
Magdalene: "I was too hard on him. He must be angry."

The "Concern Motive" is in the upper voice and the "Eva Motive" is in the lower voice; a clever handling of the motives is applied due to their similarity.

The following musical example is the dialogue scene between Sachs and David in Act 3, Scene 1.

Sachs: "Thank you, keep that for yourself as an apprentice.
Today you must accompany me to the festival meadow.
Adorn yourself with those flowers and ribbons,
and I want you to perform your duty as a herald splendidly."

It is the "Concern Motive" that leads Sachs's words, but it can also be taken as the "Eva Motive."
It is not a scene where he is specifically thinking about Eva,
but while concerns about last night cross his mind,
he is also feeling a momentary, bright, and festive mood due to the flowers and ribbons his apprentice brought.
He uses a motive that can be interpreted as either to express this "ambiguous" psychological state.

That Wagner thought about the libretto and musical development with such future developments in mind,
is just too amazing!!!