Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived to only his mid 30s, but is
acknowledged to be one to the great minds of Western
civilization. There were three factors which made him what he
was. First, he was a genius. Modern analysis suggests that his IQ
was about 185. Second, he was a prodigy. By the age of six Mozart
had become an accomplished performer on the clavier, violin, and
organ and was highly skilled in sight-reading and improvisation.
Five short piano pieces composed by Mozart when he was six years
old are still frequently played. Third, his father pushed him as
hard as a parent could push a child.

The Magic Flute was first performed at the end of September,
1791. Mozart died two months later. In composing The Magic Flute,
Mozart was aided by 3 other Masons, among them, Emanuel
Schickeneder. Schickeneder owned a suburban theater, and had
prevailed upon Mozart to write an opera. At the time, Freemasonry
was threatened in Austria, so this opera was to show the Craft at
its best: morality and virtue abounded in it. In addition (at
least according to some sources), women were attempting to get
into the Craft. They had their own Rites of Adoption, i.e.,
"adopted" by Masonry, but they wanted still more secrets.
Therefore, in this opera, Mozart (and his collaborators)
demonstrated the virtues of Freemasonry and satirized women who
wanted to join the Craft.

The overture is in the Masonic key of E flat (3 flats). It begins
with 5 strong chords; then a choppy (profane sounding) section;
then 9 chords in 3s; then another choppy section; ending with 3
strong chords. In the first scene, the protagonist Tamino comes
in, wearing a Javanese hunting costume (he comes from the
mysterious East), carrying a bow but no arrows (he has not been
prepared), and is pursued by a serpent (temptation). He faints,
falling level on the stage, appearing to be dead. He is saved by
three women wearing veils (so they cannot see light), who use
silver spears (silver is a "female" metal inferior to gold, a
"male" metal). The "Three Ladies" argue over him, each
wanting to possess him, but finally go off to tell their
sovereign that Tamino may be able to help her with her problem.

After the three ladies run off, Tamino comes to and hears
Papageno coming down the path. Papageno's name comes from a
French word for parrot. He is dressed in feathers. He is a true
bird-brain, for he cares nothing for the greater mysteries of
life. He is a foil for the noble Tamino. Mozart wrote Papageno's
part for Emmanuel Schickeneder, the Mason who owned the theater
and begged Mozart to write this opera in the first place. Since
Schickeneder did not have much of a voice, the part is fairly
easy to sing (great for the shower!).

Papageno sings a famous song about catching birds and catching
women. Mozart wrote only 2 stanzas; one was added after his death
by an unknown writer. This 3rd stanza should not be in the opera,
but is sung today at every performance of The Magic Flute. After
Papageno sings, Tamino comes out, and the two men have a
prolonged conversation. This conversation is never presented
completely today. It begins by T. taking P. "by the hand." He
asks P. who he is; P. answers, "A man, like you." They carry on a
conversation which informs us that P. is an orphan who catches
birds for the Queen of the Night (the "Star-flaming Queen"). As
we will subsequently see, the good guys (the men of the Temple
[i.e., Masons]) rule over the sun, which of course provides real
light. The Queen rules over the stars, which provide very poor
light. ]

When T. asks P. if he killed the serpent, Papageno replies that
he did: "my hand is greater than a weapon." The Three Ladies
return and punish P. for lying. They place a golden lock on his
mouth. As you will recall, there were women in Austria in the
late 1700s who were trying to get into Masonry through the Rite
of Adoption. This Rite placed a golden padlock on the postulants
mouth as a symbol of silence. In the opera, this symbolizes
Papageno's weakness, as a woman is able to punish him. The Three
Ladies hand Tamino a portrait of the Queen's daughter and leave.
T. falls in love with the girl in the picture and sings a love
song.

The Three Ladies return and inform T. that the girl Pamina has
been kidnapped by a villain. Tamino resolves to rescue her. The
Queen of the Night appears on a throne and sings to him that he
will save her daughter ("You...you...you"). Tamino says he will.
Papageno tries to get Tamino to remove the lock, but T. states
that "I am too weak to help," meaning that has not been initiated
yet. The Three Ladies appear again and remove the lock, warning
P. never to lie again. At this point the 5 players turn to the
audience and moralize, as often happens in this opera: "If all
liars had such a lock on their mouth, instead of hatred, calumny
and black temper, love and brotherhood would endure."


Peter Kastl, WM
Albert Pike #376
New Orleans, LA