David Harbin <[log in to unmask]> said:

>2.  The finale of Die Meistersinger.  The racist sentiments here are
>extrordinarily vile.  Hans Sach's final monologue is simply grotesque.  His
>view of community is nakedly EXCLUSIVE not inclusive - beware the outsider
>etc etc and clearly aimed at Wagner's archetypal 'non Germans' the Jews.

It certainly is Xenophobic, though I'm not sure I'd call it racist nor that
it's "clearly" aimed at the Jews.  Interestingly, Wagner himself seems to
have reached similar conclusions.  He is said to have wanted to rewrite the
text or even remove much of the music because of its excessive jingoism
--but Cosima wouldn't let him!

Richard, whose web pages will be back soon at http://opuspocus.ca and
http://opuspocus.ca/richard