Pen and ink, wash, white gouache.

16.5 x 11.7 inches. Private collection. 

"The notorious "Prügelfuge" is the horror of all conductors and directors of the Meistersinger. If one decides to have the chorus and extra chorus sing and fight at the same time, it almost always fails, both musically and in terms of performance. If the extra choir fights, the singers can concentrate on the delicate choral movement, but even trained actors often fail in the credible portrayal of brawlers and drunkards. If, therefore, instead of overenthusiastic amateurs, one relies, for example, on a professional movement ballet, one drives up the already immense costs of the production even further. In any case, the coordination between stage and orchestra pit requires the utmost concentration. [...]

If the doctrinal dialogue between Sachs and Stolzing forms something like the intellectual center of the Meistersinger, the scene that follows is its emotional and motivic powerhouse. Eva enters in her bridal robe and Saxon's new shoes. She sinuously explains that the shoe is pinching her. Stolzing appears in "shining knight's garb." Eva's "Ah!" and the orchestra emphasize that the oppressive shoe is a proverbial one. While Sachs tinkers a bit with its silken counterpart pro forma, Stolzing, inspired by Eva's sight, writes and sings the still missing "Abgesang" of his Werbelied. Actually, everything now fits perfectly."

(From: "The small Wagnerian", Enrik Lauer and Regine Müller, C.H. Beck Verlag)