Notes on a lecture in German given at the Community Center of Congregation Habonim in New York City, entitled, "Die Oper Als Spiegel des Menschlichen Schiksals: Lebensweisheit in 'Der Rosenkavalier' und 'Die Meistersinger'." [Translation: "The Opera as Mirror of Human Destiny: Life Wisdom in 'Der Rosenkavalier' and 'Die Meistersinger'"]