How peaceful the scene on which the curtain rises. _Sachs_ is sitting in an armchair in his sunny workshop, reading in a large folio. The Illusion Motive has not yet died away in the prelude, so that it seems to reflect the thoughts awakened in _Sachs_ by what he is reading. _David_, dressed for the festival, enters just as the prelude ends. There is a scene full of charming _bonhomie_ between _Sachs_ and his 'prentice, which is followed, when the latter has withdrawn, by _Sachs's_ monologue: "Wahn! Wahn! Ueberall Wahn!" (Illusion, everywhere illusion.)
While the Illusion Motive seems to weave a poetic atmosphere about him, _Sachs_, buried in thought, rests his head upon his arm over the folio. The Illusion Motive is followed by the Spring Motive, which in turn yields to the Nuremburg Motive as _Sachs_ sings the praises of the stately old town. At his reference to the tumult of the night before there are in the score corresponding allusions to the music of that episode. "A glowworm could not find its mate," he sings, referring to _Walther_ and _Eva_. The Midsummer Festival, Lyric, and Nuremburg motives in union foreshadow the triumph of true art through love on Nuremburg soil, and thus bring the monologue to a stately conclusion.
_Walther_ now enters from the chamber, which opens upon a gallery, and, descending into the workshop, is heartily greeted by _Sachs_ with the Sachs Motive, which dominates the immediately ensuing scene. Very beautiful is the theme in which _Sachs_ protests against _Walther's_ derision of the masters; for they are, in spite of their many old-fogyish notions, the conservators of much that is true and beautiful in art.
_Walther_ tells _Sachs_ of a song which came to him in a dream during the night, and sings two stanzas of this "Prize Song," _Sachs_ making friendly critical comments as he writes down the words. The Nuremburg Motive in sonorous and festive instrumentation closes this melodious episode.
When _Sachs_ and _Walther_ have retired _Beckmesser_ is seen peeping into the shop. Observing that it is empty he enters hastily. He is ridiculously overdressed for the approaching festival, limps, and occasionally rubs his muscles as if he were still stiff and sore from his drubbing. By chance his glance falls on the manuscript of the "Prize Song" in _Sachs's_ handwriting on the table, when he breaks forth in wrathful exclamations, thinking now that he has in the popular master a rival for _Eva's_ hand. Hearing the chamber door opening he hastily grabs the manuscript and thrusts it into his pocket. _Sachs_ enters. Observing that the manuscript is no longer on the table, he realizes that _Beckmesser_ has stolen it, and conceives the idea of allowing him to keep it, knowing that the marker will fail most wretchedly in attempting to give musical expression to _Walther's_ inspiration.