The Magic Flute

¶ … Magic Flute

The music in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operatic odyssey is nothing short of miraculous, as is the plot. From the melodic "folk songs of the two young men who are the heroes of the opera, who save their ladies from a terrible fate and learn about good and evil, to the magnificent arias of the Queen of the Night and the God of the Sun, it employs the best of a master of composition. The Magic Flute shows Mozart's genius in his perfect matching of character and song throughout the opera.

There is a philosophy which has been connected strongly to this work which has created controversy and dismay on the part of those who become aware of its influence. The opera was already created when Mozart was asked to make it into an allegory of Freemasonry. As Mozart was a Freemason and part of a strong group of Freemasons active during the eighteenth century, as was the librettist, he agreed, especially since his patron wished him to do so. For that reason, the Magic Flute has been called "The Freemason's Opera" by critics. Masonic symbols permeate the plot and the music. The opera begins and ends with the same 3 chords. Three is a number which is repeated throughout the plot. There are three Ladies who encounter and save Tamino as he as about to be eaten by a serpent. There are three boys who guide the heroes to the palace of the Sun King and advise them later on. There are three doors by which to enter the Sun Temple. The Freemasons also tended to favor Egyptian symbolism and religion, and utilized the pyramid and other emblems of Egyptian history and religion in their rites. Therefore, the opera takes place in Egypt.

The Magic Flute also exalts the Freemason virtues of Truth and Virtue and the Sun Priests continue to hold Reason, Virtue and Truth up to the heroes, Tamino and Papageno for them to seek and find.

There were rumors after Mozart died that the Freemasons had murdered him for using the Freemason symbols in this opera, but admittedly they supported his wife and children after his death, which seems to disprove this theory.

The characters in the opera are Tamino, a foreign prince (Tenor), the Three Ladies (the Queen's servants, 2 sopranos and an alto), Papageno, a bird catcher (Bass), the Queen of the Night (soprano), the Three Boys (messenger spirits who are Sopranos), Monostatos (Tenor), Sarastro (Bass) Priest of the Sun, Pamina (Soprano) the Queen's Daughter, a Speaker, and Papagena (Soprano).

Act I

The Overture begins with haunting, anticipatory, mysterious introductory measures, but then continues happily, with lots of trills and arpeggios, showing us that what will follow will be an exciting adventure. We hear something like flute melodies and are also treated to "war-like" music, in which full orchestral measures, along with drums and basses allude to danger and fighting (Peters, ed. 1985).

The story takes place in ancient Egypt. We are introduced to Tamino, who is a tenor and sings with Diedrei Damen, a soprano. As the opening scene progresses, when the pursuit and death of the serpent happen there are a lot of crescendos and bass notes, indicating the fear and trauma of the events. When the three Ladies enter they sing about themselves and about saving Tamino. They are servants of the Queen of the Night (Nachricht). Their song uses harmony appropriate to their parts, with two of the Ladies singing close harmony and the third singing alto in intricate runs, weaving her melody in and out of the two other Ladies' close harmony. The result sounds like talking, or even arguing about who is going to go and who is going to stay with Tamino, who has fainted. In some arias the Ladies are all singing harmony, in other sections, they take turns singing the lead, while the other two sing harmony with the lead.

In the second scene of Act I, as Papageno enters, he sings his carefree song and comes upon the scene of Tamino asleep and the dead serpent as Tamino awakes, mistakes him for his savior and happy Papageno allows him to praise him. Papageno, of course, has a separate and carefree song. His character, as disclosed by the music, is distinct from Tamino's, who has just suffered a terrible fright, but now is happy that he has been rescued, supposedly, by Papageno. Papageno almost comes to believe he has done the wonderful deed and sings of it. Just then the three Ladies return and hear his boasting. Their punishment is to put a padlock on Papageno's mouth and then they explain to Tamino what has happened in a descriptive song that everyone joins in on. The music in this section reflects the varying degrees of emotion which appear, carefree happiness, thrill in being rescued, praise and then exultation of self, the Ladies join in and sing a scolding song, using their discussion and argumentative type of harmony and shared leads.

When the Queen of the Night appears she is interested in Tamino as a possible way to get her daughter back. Her aria is beautiful, and is usually sung by a mature soprano. Her voice and song are listing and full of intricate "tricks" of composition and melodic strains. (Sometimes the opera is cast with Pamina and her mother, the Queen of the Night, being sung by the same soprano, which is quite demanding.) at the end of the Queen's "interview" with Tamino, he is given a Magic Flute and Papageno is given a case of Magic Bells to assist them in rescuing Pamina. They are also given the guidance of three boys to lead them to the realm of the God of the Sun, Sarastro.

In the next scene, taking place in Sarastro's Palace, Monostato and Pamina sing a duet for this scene, entitled Eifter Auftritt in which Monostatos is trying to win the favors of Pamina. The score starts out happily enough, with flute, oboe, cornet, violins, and viola. Pamina sings the soprano part, Monostatos sings a tenor part and Papageno enters to sing his part below Monostatos. The music is rapid, with runs and trills in it. It depicts the attempt to win Pamina's love by Monostatos, while showing her utter disregard of him. As Papageno enters and sings his discourse, Monostatos enters and they are mutually frightened of each other.

Tamino begins his quest to find and rescue Pamino with a chorus of three boys accompanying him. They approach the temple where Pamino will try each of the three doors in an effort to find a way to Pamina. The doors represent Nature, Reason and Wisdom, and upon opening each door, the music changes, describing for the listener a musical picture of what is behind each door. Tamino, however, cannot enter and, despairing, he finally tries the third door, which opens upon a priest. The priest gives Tamino wise counsel in the form of a song warning him to be careful of his hatred of Sarastro and to not have any assumptions. Afraid Pamina is dead, Tamino sings a sad song, but the priest in a beautiful echo from the temple, tells him she is alive. He then takes up the Magic Flute and plays a haunting melody which attracts all kinds of animals to him. This piece is most beloved by children as the stage is filled with dancing bears, flying birds and other animals.

Papageno plays his bells when confronted by Monostatos and the slaves, and the Sun Priests help him find Pamina, who begs to be forgiven for trying to escape. All of this is done in music, of course, in which voices and blended and are also in solos. The piece where Papageno plays the bells, accompanying the rich baritone voice, is remarkable and beautiful in its contrast of tiny, high notes with the lower and more profound male voice. The instrumentalization is important in this piece, as the bells of Papageno find their voice. Monostatos is punished by Sarastro and taken away and Tamino is told he has to undergo some tests to win Pamina back. He and Papageno are then led away with hoods over their heads to prepare for the tests.

Act II

In the second and final act, much happens. Isis and Osiris protect Tamino and Pamina as they undergo the trials of Silence, Fire and Water. Papageno also finds a lover, Papagena, who he wins, even though he has a hard time undergoing the trial of Silence. All this is depicted in the music and in the final scene, as Pamina decides to kill herself, but is stopped by three boys, who sing a song about the coming of the day and tell her she is about to meet her love. Papageno also despairs of ever seeing Papagena again and is saved by the three boys by playing his magic bells. The trial of Fire and Water is undergone by Tamino (accompanied by Pamina) and Papageno and the two men face Sarastro to be blessed and to be able to live their lives with their beloveds.

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.