BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAGIC FLUTE A FAIRY-TALE OF SYMBOLS: BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emmanuel Schikaneder, premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791. Although the plot of The Magic Flute is often interpreted for stage in a fairy-tale setting, in truth it is filled with symbolism and meaning. The Magic Flute was written in the style of a Singspiel, a popular form of German musical theater and opera. Singspiels are defined by their inclusion of spoken dialogue, folk-like songs, a comedic or romantic plot, and the frequent inclusion of magic, fantasy creatures, and a blunt separation of good and bad characters. The Magic Flute is one of four singspiels written by Mozart, and is widely considered to be the most sophisticated of the set. He wrote the music for The Magic Flute to accompany a libretto already written by his dear friend Emmanuel Schikaneder, who owned, operated, and acted in his own theater company. Mozart composed the opera based on the abilities of the actors in Schikaneder’s company, resulting in a large variation of difficulty between the different roles. Schikaneder himself premiered the role of Papageno. This role, along with the role of Monostatos which was also played by an amateur singer, was written quite simply both vocally and melodically. The orchestra usually plays the melody either of these characters are about to sing before they must sing, so that they have something to listen to and imitate in performance. In contrast, the role of the Queen of the Night is notoriously difficult. This role was premiered by Josepha Hofer, Mozart’s sister-in-law and accomplished German soprano. Because of her ability, Mozart was able to make her role much more difficult, sitting unusually high in the voice and reaching all the way to the pitch of F above high C, a pitch rarely used in opera. It is said that Mozart originally wrote parts of the opera as much more difficult than what we are left with today, but had to edit them once he heard his cast attempt to sing it.
Emmanuel Schikaneder as Papageno
The complexity of The Magic Flute is hidden in its Masonic symbolism. Many things in the opera come in threes, which was a very important number to the Freemasons. There are three distinct opening chords to the opera before the overture begins, and almost all of the minor supporting characters come in threes: the three ladies, three spirits, three priests, three boys, and three slaves. Furthermore, the entire plot of the second act is driven by Tamino’s quest for enlightenment, which, in essence, is the purpose of the Freemasons. Tamino’s quest displays and idolizes the quest all Freemasons were on, glorifying their values and ideals for the audience. Lastly, the one dimensional good and bad characteristics of Sarastro and the Queen of the Night seem to be only a trope of singspiels on the surface, but could also be interpreted as an allusion to the Masonic theme of good versus evil, glorified as good does eventually triumph over evil. In Boston Lyric Opera’s production, there is an emphasis on another Masonic theme of attaining balance. The sun, representing goodness, triumphs over the moon, representing darkness, only temporarily. This is because both good and evil, light and darkness, and order and chaos are necessary to one another to achieve balance and harmony. For more about Masonic symbols, see The Enlightenment, Free Masonry, and Mozart. The Magic Flute is a fun, yet surprisingly complex opera that people of all ages have enjoyed since its premiere. Because the Masonic symbolism may not be as relevant to present day audiences, the opera is constantly being reimagined to connect to current audiences and keep the magic of The Magic Flute alive. Alice Verlet as the Queen of the Night, 1912
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