Almost half a million verses...
Welcome to the Hans-Sachs play
Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg on November 5, 1494, studied “Grammatica and Musica” in the Latin school, began an apprenticeship with a shoemaker at the age of 15 and embarked on a journey through Germany after two years.
Through clever observation of people and things, he tried to perfect himself on this journey, especially in the art of noble master songs. In 1516, he returned to Nuremberg, finished his masterpiece, married, founded a singing school and diligently filled his leisure time with studying and writing. In the course of his unusually long life, Hans Sachs wrote over 4,000 master songs, about 2,000 poems (including hundreds of stories), over 120 tragedies and comedies, 85 carnival plays and seven prose dialogues. This tremendous proliferation, which produced almost half a million verses, was only feasible with incessant receptiveness, tireless creativity and in the calm and sedate life of a well-founded community center.
The world of the Hans Sachsens, is the world that is reflected through the souls of each simple citizen of that time. In his eyes there was no difference in between clergymen, farmers, mercenaries, noble lords, doctors, servants, women or maidservants.
Above all, hovers the bright glow of a coarse humor, which, especially at the end, has a fondness for teaching, since almost every comical story ends with a usage as surely as with the rhyme in its name. His carnival plays have become particularly well known. Here he understands, with good-natured and forgiving humor, that we can look within ourselves and smile at our own foolishness.
Image credits: Willi Pfitzinger – Thank you very much for providing the images.