"The Magic Flute," an opera in two acts, with words by Emanuel Schickaneder, was first produced in Vienna, Italy, on Sept. 30, 1791, with the following cast:
"The Magic Flute" was the last great work of Mozart and followed "Cosi fan Tutti," which was given in January 1791.
In 1780, Mozart had made the acquaintance of Schickaneder at Salzburg. He was a reckless, self-indulgent theatre manager and at the time of the composition of "The Magic Flute" was running a small theatre in Vienna. The competition of the larger theatres had nearly beggared him, and in the midst of his perplexities he applied to Mozart to write him an opera and intimated that he had discovered an admirable subject for a fairy composition.
Mozart at first objected, but Schickaneder exercised a great influence over him, and Mozart, at last, consented. A pact was made, and Schickaneder set to work on the libretto. As he was a well-known joker, he invented the part of Papageno, the bird-catcher, for himself and arranged that it should be dressed in a costume of feathers. It is a trivial part, but Schickaneder intended to tickle the fancy of the public and succeeded.
The first act was finished, when it was found that the same subject had been chosen by a rival theatre, the Leopold Stadt, which speedily announced the opera of "Kaspar der Fagottist, oder die Zauber-Zither," which was written by a popular composer, Wenzel Mller. The piece had a successful run.
In order to prevent duplication, Schickaneder reversed the point of his story and changed the evil magician, who stole the daughter of the Queen of Night, into a great philosopher and friend of man. It is owing to this change that we have the magnificent character of Sarastro.
The scene of "The Magic Flute" is laid in Egypt. Sarastro, the high-priest of Isis, has induced Pamina to leave her mother, Astrifiamenti, the Queen of Night, who represents the spirit of evil, and come to his temple, where she may be trained in the ways of virtue and wisdom.
At the opening of the opera, the Queen of Night is trying to discover some plan of recovering her daughter and punishing Sarastro. In the first act appears Tamino, an Egyptian prince who has lost his way and is attacked by a huge serpent, from which he is rescued by the three attendants of the queen. The latter accosts him, tells him her daughter''s story and demands that, as the cost of his deliverance, he shall rescue her. He consents. She gives him a magic flute, and with his companion Papageno, a rollicking bird catcher who is also presented with a magical chime of bells, they set out for Sarastro''s temple.
Papageno arrives there first and in time to rescue Pamina from the persecutions of Monostatos, a slave, who flees when he beholds Papageno in his feather costume, fancying him the devil. Papageno and Pamina seek to make their escape but are intercepted. Tamino also is caught and all are brought before Sarastro.
Tamino consents to become a novitiate (a novice) in the sacred rites and to go through the various stages of probation and purification. Pamina again returns to her duties. They remain faithful to their vows, and the last ordeal, that of passing through a burning lake up to the altar of the temple, is triumphantly accomplished.
The Queen of Night, however, does not abandon her scheme of revenge. She appears to Pamina in her sleep, gives her a dagger and swears that unless she murders Sarastro she will cast her off forever. Pamina pays no heed to her oath but goes on with her sacred duties, trusting to Sarastro''s promise that if she endures all the ordeals she will be forever happy.
In the closing scene, Monostatos, who has been inflamed against Sarastro by the Queen of Night, seeks to kill Sarastro but is defeated by the might of the priest''s presence alone. The night of the ordeals is over. At a sign from Sarastro, the full sunlight pours in upon them. The evil spirits all vanish, and Tamino and Pamina are united amid the triumphant choruses of the priests and attendants.
Upton, George (1897). The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composersa Handbook. Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company.