This beloved operatic work combines profound emotion and great comedy to tell the tale of a young knight and his struggle to become a Mastersinger. Wagner"s only comedy, for which he wrote both the words and the music, offers an extraordinarily adept coupling of libretto and musical score.This Dover edition is a reprint of an authoritative and accessible German score from the turn of the twentieth century. It contains the vocal parts as well as the full orchestral score for the three-act opera. English translations cover the introduction and cast lists; the rest of the text is in the original German. Durable but inexpensive, this edition features a sturdy binding that allows pages to remain open on music stands for years of use and enjoyment.