The Master-Singers of Nuremberg (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) is an opera in three acts, composed by Richard Wagner between 1862 and 1867, and first performed in 1868 with Hans von Bulow as conductor. The story revolves around the real-life 16th century guild of Master Singers, and it draws from their traditions, featuring music composition as a subject. This opera (or musical drama) is unique among Wagner mature operas, partly for its historical setting (opposed to Wagner's usual legendary settings), and also because it features many traditional elements that Wagner usually criticized in his essays and writings, such as ballet, arias, choruses, etc. It is also the only one of his mature operas with an entirely original story. An standard performance lasts about four hours, making it one of the longest operas that are still performed.
