THE MAGIC FLUTE

(German title: Die Zauberflöte)

An Opera by W A Mozart

Opera in two acts by Mozart; words by Emanuel Schikaneder and Gieseke. Produced, September 30,
1791, in Vienna, in the Theatre auf der Wieden; Paris, 1801, as "Les Mystères d'Isis"; London, King’s
Theatre, June 6, 1811 (Italian); Covent Garden, May 27, 1833 (German); Drury Lane, March 10, 1838
(English); New York, Park Theatre, April 17, 1833 (English). The role of Astrofiammante, Queen of
the Night, has been sung here by Carlotta Patti, Ilma di Murska, Gerster, Sembrich, and Hempel.

CHARACTERS

SARASTRO, High Priest of Isis……………………….Bass

TAMINO, an Egyptian Prince…………………………Tenor
PAPAGENO, a bird-catcher…………………………..Baritone
ASTROFIAMMANTE, Queen of the Night………….Soprano
PAMINA, her daughter……………………………….Soprano
MONOSTATOS, a Moor, chief slave of the temple….Baritone
PAPAGENA………………………………………….Soprano
Three Ladies-in-Waiting to the Queen; Three Youths of the Temple; Priests, Priestesses, Slaves, etc.

Time: Egypt, about the reign of Rameses I.

Place: Near and at the Temple of Isis, Memphis.

The libretto to "The Magic Flute" is considered such a jumble of nonsense that it is as well to
endeavour to extract some sense from it.

Emanuel Johann Schikaneder, who wrote it with the aid of a chorister named Gieseke, was a friend of
Mozart and a member of the same Masonic Lodge. He also was the manager of a theatrical company
and had persuaded Mozart to compose the music to a puppet show for him. He had selected for this
show the story of "Lulu" by Liebeskind, which had appeared in a volume of Oriental tales brought out
by Wieland under the title of "Dschinnistan." In the original tale a wicked sorcerer has stolen the
daughter of the Queen of Night, who is restored by a Prince by means of magic. While Schikaneder
was busy on his libretto, a fairy story by Perinet, music by Wenzel Müller, and treating of the same
subject, was given at another Viennese theatre. Its great success interfered with Schikaneder’s
original plan.

At that time, however, freemasonry was a much discussed subject. It had been interdicted by Maria
Theresa and armed forces were employed to break up the lodges. As a practical man Schikaneder
saw his chance to exploit the interdicted rites on the stage. Out of the wicked sorcerer he made
Sarastro, the sage priest of Isis. The ordeals of Tamino and Pamina became copies of the
ceremonials of freemasonry. He also laid the scene of the opera in Egypt, where freemansory
believes its rites to have originated. In addition to all this Mozart’s beautiful music ennobled the
libretto even in its dull and unpoetical passages, and lent to the whole a touch of the mysterious and
sacred. "The muse of Mozart lightly bears her century of existence," writes a French authority, of this
score.

Because of its supposed relation to freemasonry, commentators have identified the vengeful Queen
of the Night with Maria Theresa, and Tamino with the Emperor. Pamina, Papageno, and Papagena
are set down as types of the people, and Monostatos as the fugleman of monasticism.
Mozart wrote on "The Magic Flute" from March until July and on September 30, 1791, two months
before his death, the first performance was given.

In the overture to "The Magic Flute" the heavy reiterated chords represent, it has been suggested, the
knocking at the door of the lodge room, especially as they are heard again in the temple scene, when
the novitiate of Tamino is about to begin. The brilliancy of the fugued allegro often has been
commented on as well as the resemblance of its theme to that of Clementi’s sonata in B-flat.

The story of "The Magic Flute" opens Act I, with Tamino endeavouring to escape from a huge snake.
He trips in running and falls unconscious. Hearing his cries for help, three black-garbed Ladies-in-
Waiting of the Queen of the Night appear and kill the snake with their spears. Quite unwillingly they
leave the handsome youth, who, on recovering consciousness, see dancing towards him an odd-
looking man entirely covered with feathers. It is Papageno, a bird-catcher. He tells the astonished
Tamino that this is the realm of the Queen of the Night. Nor, seeing that the snake is dead, does he
hesitate to boast that it was he who killed the monster. For this lie he is immediately punished. The
three Ladies-in-waiting reappear and place a padlock on his mouth. Then they show Tamino the
miniature of a maiden, whose magical beauty at once fills his heart with ardent love. Enter the Queen
of the Night. She tells Tamino the portrait is that of her daughter, Pamina, who has been taken from
her by a wicked sorcerer, Sarastro. She has chosen Tamino to deliver the maiden and as a reward he
will receive her hand in marriage. The queen then disappears and the three Ladies-in-waiting come
back. They take the padlock from Papageno’s mouth, give him a set of chimes and Tamino a golden
flute. By the aid of these magical instruments they will be able to escape the perils of their journey, on
which they will be accompanied by three youths or genii.

Change of scene. A richly furnished apartment in Sarastro’s palace is disclosed. A brutal Moor,
Monastatos, is pursuing Pamina with unwelcome attentions. The appearance of Papageno puts him
to flight. The bird-catcher recognizes Pamina as the daughter of the Queen of the Night, and assures
her that she will soon be rescued. In the meantime the Three Youths guide Tamino to a grove where
three temples stand. He is driven away from the doors of two, but at the third there appears a priest
who informs him that Sarastro is no tyrant, no wicked sorcerer as the Queen had warned him, but a
man of wisdom and of noble character.

The sound of Papageno’s voice arouses Tamino from the meditations inspired by the words of the
priest. He hastens forth and seeks to call his companion by playing on his flute. Papageno is not
alone. He is trying to escape with Pamina, but is prevented by the appearance of Monostatos and
some slaves, who endeavour to seize them. But Papageno sets the Moor and his slaves dancing by
playing on his magic chimes.

Trumpet blasts announce the coming of Sarastro. Pamina falls at the feet of the High Priest and
explains that she was trying to escape the unwelcome attentions of the Moor. The latter now drags
Tamino in, but instead of the reward he expects, receives a sound flogging. By the command of
Sarastro, Tamino and Pamina are brought into the Temple of Ordeals, where they must prove that
they are worthy of the higher happiness.

Act II. In the Palm Grove. Sarastro informs the priests of the plans which he has laid. The gods have
decided that Pamina shall become the wife of the noble youth Tamino. Tamino, however, must prove,
by his own power, that he is worthy of admission to the Temple. Therefore Sarastro has taken under
his protection Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, to whom is due all darkness and
superstition. But the couple must go through severe ordeals in order to be worthy of entering the
Temple of Light, and thus of thwarting the sinister machinations of the Queen.
In the succeeding scenes we see these fabulous ordeals, which Tamino, with the assistance of his
magic flute and his own purity of purpose, finally overcomes in company with Pamina. Darkness is
banished and the young couple enter into the light of the Temple of the Sun. Papageno also fares
well, for he receives Papageno for wife.

There is much nonsense and even buffoonery in "The Magic Flute"; and, in spite of real nobility in the
role and music of Sarastro, Mr. Krehbiel’s comment that the piece should be regarded as somewhat
in the same category as a Christmas pantomine is by no means far-fetched. It lends itself to elaborate
production, and spectacular performances of it have been given at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Its representation requires for the role of Astrofiammante, Queen of the Night, a soprano of
extraordinarily high range and agility of voice, as each of the two great airs of this vengeful lady
extends to high F and are so brilliant in style that one associates with them almost anything but the
dire outpouring of threats their text is intended to convey. They were composed because Mozart’s
sister-in-law, Josepha Weber (Mme. Hofer) was in the cast of the first performance and her voice was
such as has been described above. The Queen has an air in Act I and another in Act II. A quotation
from the second, the so-called "Vengeance aria," will show the range and brilliancy of voice required
of a singer in the role of Astrofiammante.

One is surprised to learn that this tour de force of brilliant vocalization is set to words beginning:
"Vengeance of hell is boiling in my bosom"; for by no means does it boil with a vengeance.

Papageno in his dress of feathers is an amusing character. His first song, "A fowler bold in me you
see," with interludes on his pipes, is jovial; and after his mouth has been padlocked his inarticulate
and oft-repeated "Hm!" can always be made provocative of laughter. With Pamina he has a charming
duet "The manly heart that love desires." The chimes with which he causes Monostatos and his
slaves to dance willy-nilly, are delightful and so is his duet with Papageno, near the end of the opera.
Tamino, with the magic flute, charms the wild beasts. They come forth from their lairs and lie at his
feet. "Thy magic tones shall speak for me," is his principal air. The concerted number for Pamina and
trio of female voices (the Three Youths or genii) is of exceeding grace. The two Men in Armour, who
in one of the scenes of the ordeals guard the portal to a subterranean cavern and announce to
Tamino the awards that await him, do so to the vocal strains of an old German sacred melody with
much admired counter-point in the orchestra.

Next, however, in significance to the music for Astrofiammante, indeed, of far nobler character than
the airs for the Queen of the Night, are the invocation of Isis by Sarastro, "O, Isis and Osiris," with its
interluding chant of the priests, and his air, "Within this hallowed dwelling." Not only the solemnity of
the vocal score but the beauty of the orchestral accompaniment, so rich, yet so restrained, justly
cause these two numbers to rank with Mozart’s finest achievements.

"Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute) was its composer’s swan-song in opera and perhaps his greatest
popular success. Yet he is said to have made little or nothing out of it, having reserved as his
compensation the right to dispose of copies of the score to other theatres. Copies, however, were
procured surreptitiously; his last illness set in; and, poor business man that he was, others reaped the
rewards of his genius.