November 5 - Hans Sachs (The Musical Birthday Series)

Hans Sachs (5 November 1494 – 19 January 1576) was a German Meistersinger,  poet, and shoemaker, now mostly remembered from Wagner's opera of which he is the title character. 

Die heil'ge deutsche Kunst

Die heil’ge deutsche Kunst

Die heil’ge deutsche Kunst

Die heil’ge deutsche Kunst

Die heil’ge deutsche Kunst

The shop that Hans Sachs cobbled in

  Was in a German square,

And anyone that hobbled in

  Would hear him singing there.

A kindly, wise and loving soul,

  Much sought for his advice.

He advocated self-control.

  And always thinking twice.

And thus, there wasn’t gossip, though

   He always seemed to save a

Chair besides the fire’s glow

  For Pogner’s daughter Eva.

Hans Sans, he ran a singing club

   Which youngsters could enroll in,

And gain instruction not to flub

   At Abgesang and Stollen.

He judged their songs with Lutheran zeal,

  And hammered out the measure.

He taught them that they should appeal

  To higher goals than pleasure.

Their songs re-echoed, strength on strength,

  Off Nuremberg’s church towers,

And sensibly they shunned the length

  Of Wagner’s weary hours.


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