New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-06
RELICS OF TIE VEHITABIiE MAsTnRSlN"f'f'
-How HANS SACHS SANG-THE CHURCH
OF ST. CATNllHlN +,

OF ST. CATHERINE
rvRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE rR'BO
Nuremberg August J.?
Whether or not the musical or h'ri''H wv
hunter will feel repaid by visit 7" Nur'",'"ts
depends very much upon his disposition anu ''
nnrnoses which he has in view. -Four years a3''
I, ,h PILGRIM for ,hc first time und"r'ook
some researches in connection with me h'S'"N y,
.ho Guild of NastcrsingcrS, which once h""f'sneu
bcrc be was ncliucd 10 look upon the f''"''S ~
d;san,ointinr In the Gcrmanic Museum II"
fonnd relics Of many of the old guilds oi u" 'oM"'
bnt none of the nlastcrsnGeis, eNccp' '.'"''
which had hung on me "''S VI
GATHERINGS Church and been remover ~ '"'
,ruscu1n for safckccpinc. Til" chHr'h' iH'''"' -
st;u in existence hut lis use by the hiS"IH''|'lS
never brought il fame until AFTER """il'' o'n'''
a,or, had bccn written, and now doubt whether
n hundred residents of NUREMBERG asi"c ii',''
thosc who live in the immediate viclnity' c"ui"
- .u o yis;tor ,yhcrc 70 find il. For more
chan y ccntnrv il has been put - secular uses anu
rotbino of the interior remains I" lndIra'" WHAT
!, looked like in the time Of Hans Sachs except
the walls All the furniture ald decorations "cF'
long aro removed Tor II Has "''.i
PAINTERS academy, drawing sch''',
military hospital. warehouse, pubhc h'h ana
perhaps dozen other things sluce II ceased I"
hr a place of public worship Just now IL II 'iH
naint-sbop of the Municipal Theatre, II is small,
unprctcn,iols building, absolutely innocent Oh
architectural beauty, hidden away i'll the middle
of n block of lowy buildings used rs DWELLINGS,
carnntcrslops and the like. | got the KEYS
from sort of police supervisor OF the district
and inspcctcd the interior four years ago. Inc
;anitor knew nothing about its history beyond
his own memory and that composed only por-
tion of its career q sort Of municipal ln'l"cI-
room 1t was built in the last half-dc'a'c OF 'Ie
thirteenth century and on it's watcr->'Hln'u Walls
can be seen faint hits of the trcscoes when once
adorned il and We're painted III the 1"Nr''ch'"'
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; hnf 'h'H are
ruined beyond recognition or hope OF r's''f"''oh'
I went TO the director Of the GcrmanIc Museum !"
learn what had become of thf OFT chnr'h A''-
niturc lie dill not know.
Have YOU seen the tablet or 'N' -HtS'ci'
.;rrers which we have ups,airs?7 ne asked.
Yes"
well that is all that We have in TIE way of
Mastcrsinccr relics If you have seen thai and n"
church YOU have seen all and VII hav" I" COM
nose the rest Of The picturc-draw on your
imacination or hire an artist Ia DO II for y"n.
The tablet is really more interesting relic
than tho church. It is small afail
Of wood. with two Dogs. and WAS painted
by certain Franz Helm in ~. ON
the doors are portraits of four DISTINGUISHED
members of the guild. Nv" Mr'"r'N
occupy the middle panel. N" uplrr. with u
charmincly naf disregard If chronology si""in1
King David PRAYING before cru"lh\ the lower
n meeting Of Mls'ersinrcrs with sic"r IrT'A'i
in hoX-likc pulpit. or pulpi'-lu" h"\-i d'N
know which, Over tho heads OF Ito a"NHn'hI'~'
is a representation Of tie chain AMI nr'!.lii"n
with which the victor In a singing contest uSei
70 he decorated. Sachs gave ole or Ties" "rNa-
ments TO the guild. and il was used for hNn!fci
years BY that time. however. II had '"'"h' 80
worn that Johann Christ"ph WaH"ns'l' pro
fcssor of Oriental languages AZ H." nl"''SNy OF
Altdorf TO whose book, entitled DE Sl"rl E"n.
Jmpcrii Iihcra Civitat" N"rih"rcensi '"in'n"h''-
Ito" printed liz G91. ow" IL" -r1'"r l'ar' 81 "'
tnowlcdre Of the art and customs OF The Me SER
singer replaced il with another. lhr t'"h'
might offer suggestions 10 Nh" tAca' ri"a r"N'Nn"r
touching the dress Of TIE Most"rslne"TN. ava 1.''
the picture Of David and vi. harp Whi"h orn"-
n,cntc1 their banner: hTt old Nuremberg eos
tunes are familiar enoI.h and caH lr ~iH'."'
70 better PURPOSE elsewhere. only Of" f';'' 'i'
succes-s itself as worthy Of SPECIAL n'tlr' WI
the tablet the Masfrr,ingcls al APPEAR "''1I'-
the imnrnso ncck-rut Of Tie fh7''"'lah TI'''
As for the architectural Settings OF ia" stage III
the first act (which plays in the 'huT'' 81 -.
(othcrircl So far a. know -" attempt ~ '"'i' r.
ness has been made Icy scene p'ihf"r': nor
won1d if No possihl. :, reproduce pct Ivy" IT :"
church and still follow Wagner 5 STAGE "iI"'h"i :
Evidently tie poct-conIpos"r never '"'' We
trouble To visit tie Church Of 81 'a'hcIii"
have said that barring The cA"rHh Az" ''"''
,hcrc are. no relics Of The Old cud 10 b" i''nJ III
the Nuremberg Of to-day. lntl la'"N IL vs.
sunposcl that the Municipal Library cplthh"' i
number of an'ographic manuscripts by ll'hf
Sachs. hnt when | asked for them th"I WEE pro-
duccd with the statement HAT they ""0" 10
longer looked upon rs genuine. II rid n"' re-
Gui,c much invest cation 7" convince me 'H'' ''
claim long nnintaircd that tA"v W"i" a''h'H! Pms
Of the cGhbcr-poet rested wholly Oh pres 'hp'i'"'
Sachs autographs ar. extremely sra:cr The
Poval Library ut Berlin possesses Il N"IHn" "'
n,as,er>onrs known 80 be In Ia" LHAG"r''n- "'
Sachs tanning them is one hy Icc<rc>,rr. bit
when thc P;lcrm was in tie I'Iuss"n capital. 'il1
treasure wa, III Drcs,lc wi.it"l II bad been s'i.'
10 enable literary student I" N'iH/r II III 10"
prcpaIaton of book on S'""S. l"T'i'i
scholar whom found ~ work iii IL" NdI"m'"Ie
Library gathering material for 4 new biography
Of Sachs, informed ne that the greatest hu'nh'r
Of Sachs autographs. and Hoy nof many. hah been
found in Xwiciau. WHITTIER ti"N h'i been hI"H.hI
nv, some member of the Sacl.s family many Nc Is
ago There are then no manuscript relies "l lam
Who Was the cilici glory If IL" Nuremberg cAili II!
the old town. You may drink a glass OF WIZ" ~
the street corner where TRADITION sNs ~" "'i
poct cohhlcl and composed, hu' H." h"H>r - a
modern one. OF his companions III f!n rHnld !
found no manuscripts IN IA" library, ana h''
ore Of them let his mark III any WdI on We
town. But did find nInil"'r Of OBI iH'iHnH'!!p'
volume, dating back ~" hNnd:"i N";!N or more
which served Ia v!tIlizc III a peculiarly Interesting
manner the record which the learned ola Wagon
sell left behind him. and SOM" OF III" lri>"n;''rs
of WaCners comedy. Those who haF" taken u"
,rouIc IN investigate the source - winch Wagner
went for the people and customs ln'r"dn"1 III hls
Ncjs,crsiucrr won Nuremberg (Wa@ci-A'II book
know that the Names Of the tin'''i~in""rS va"