Richard Wagner

Einzug der Meistersinger

For brass ensemble: Bb Picc. Tpt., 3Bb Tpt., 4 Hn., 2 Tbn., B. Tbn., Euph, Tba., Timp., Tr. + Cym.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1863-1867) is Richard Wagner's only comic opera among his mature music dramas. Set in 16th-century Nuremberg, the story describes a singing competition of the bourgeois master singer guild with the grand prize being Eva's hand, the goldsmith's daughter. The contest is won by a complete outsider, the knight Walther von Stoltzing. Hans Sachs, a historical figure, helps him to master the complicated rules of the guild in a short time, allowing him to take his beloved Eva as his bride. The music accompanying the master singers' entry forms a miniature version of the original overture and, with a few slight modifications, this short composition can serve perfectly well as a festive intrada for brass and percussion.

In the world of horn and brass ensemble music from the 18th and 19th centuries, original high-quality ensemble repertoire appears to be scarce. Additionally, students and advanced amateurs are rarely given the opportunity to perform important Romantic symphonic works by Bruckner, Mahler etc. and Wagner's great operas in their original versions. Orchestral part studies with only the original parts, and above all, a lot of rest are not always inspiring. For this reason, throughout his extensive career as a horn pedagogue, Herman Jeurissen wrote a considerable number of arrangements. These include shorter compositions by the great masters, allowing for an accessible introduction to their style and writing.