As the two men enter the door to the last Trial, the music that is played is incredibly beautiful and celestial, as their ecstasy in coming to this point carries them onward. Much of the music in this act is dramatic and full of many voices and full orchestra. The music depicts glowingly the trials of the two men and their despair and longing as they search for their loves. Mozart is at his finest in these melodic arias, reminiscent of folk songs and very memorable as far as melodies go. The winner is the best and the strongest: es siegte die St. rke, says the line in the song, and this is the theme where two good young men use music (the flute and the bells) to win the hands of their beloveds and conquer the forces of evil.

The musical elements used in the work are full orchestra, including strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion and all ranges of voice, Bass (Overture), Tenor (as in Trombe, schu, le be wohl), Soprano (as in Erste Dame, Sweite Dame, Pamina), Soto voce (as Pamina and Papageno sing), and Alto (Sarastro, Trombe).

The musical drama characterized throughout this opera is remarkable, as the music carries the tone of what is happening in each scene perfectly, rising in dramatic overtones, or softening to display peaceful discussion or soothing words. There are many places where the drama is created solely by means of the score, which makes the opera a musical drama which can be appreciated without having to see the stage production.

The sections are developmental, as they progress in a symmetrical way toward climaxes and finishes. The formal depth of the pieces may be said to be overall complex, t hough in many pieces simple folk melodies are carried as themes throughout the composition.
8) the balance between music and drama is even. Many critics have said that the plot is weak and that the music carries the opera, but this does not appear to be true, as the plot is quite strong and engaging. It allows the viewer to "get into" the piece and have expectations, hopes and fears for the characters of the play. Even though the music is very strong in this opera, it may also be said the drama is also equally strong.

9) the balance between plot and music is one of the ways that this opera displays contrast. In addition, the characters contrast with each other. The Queen of the Night appears to be equal to the Sun Priest, Sorastro, and in the end, their roles are almost reversed, in that the Queen appears good in the beginning, but is evil at the end and the Sun Priest appears evil in the beginning, but is revealed to be the good element. Contrast is played in this way throughout the opera.

Works Cited

Peters, C.F. (Ed.) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Emanuel Schikaneder. The Magic Flute. Dover: Courier Dover Publications. 1985. (Score).