On this date in 1791,The Magic Flute premièred in Vienna. 10 things you might not know:
The Opera was written in 1791, and premiered a couple of months before Mozart died at the age of 35.
The libretto was written by Emmanuel Schikaneder. His inspiration is thought to have been the medieval romance Yvain by Chrétien de Troyes, the novel Life of Sethos by Jean Terrasson, and the essay "On the mysteries of the Egyptians" by Ignaz von Born, and tales from folklore.
The plot does resemble a fairy tale with a prince called Tamino on a quest to rescue a princess, Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night. He is aided on his quest by the bird-catcher Papageno and they are gifted with musical instruments enhanced with magical powers to help them overcome the obstacles on the way.
Despite many references to Ancient Egypt and the fact that Tamino is specified as being Japanese, the setting is entirely fictional. It’s a magical land populated with monsters, magicians, and bird-people. This might have been to get around the censorship laws of the time.
Schikaneder and Mozart were both Freemasons. So was Ignaz Alberti, engraver and printer of the first libretto. Freemasonry was frowned upon by the Catholic church, so they couldn’t produce an openly Masonic themed work. However, their make-believe world could contain Masonic symbolism, while drawing on other sources, like folklore, as well. The Masonic symbols include repeated use of the number three: three trials, three ladies, three children, three doors to Sarastro’s palace, the balancing of the four elements, earth, Fire, air and Water. There’s also a nod to a Masonic initiation ceremony in Act II.
It was originally written in German and the title was Die Zauberflöte. It was written in the form of a Singspiel, a popular format of the time which included both spoken dialogue and musical numbers.
The premier took place at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden. The orchestra was conducted by Mozart himself and Emmanuel Schikaneder played the role of Papageno. Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer was cast as the Queen of the Night. Mozart may have written the part for her, so she could show off her vocal range, The Queen of the Night sings an aria called “The vengeance of hell boils in my heart” which calls for her to hit a high F several times, which isn’t easy, so even today it’s an opportunity for a soprano to show off her skill.
The overture was not finished until two days before the premiere, meaning the orchestra probably had to sight-read on opening night. This wasn’t uncommon for the time, and Mozart was known for leaving such things at the last minute.
Each character has a musical theme, so the audience can tell when a particular character is about to make an entrance. The priest Sarastro’s music is deep, low and slow, while the Queen of the Night’s music is fast and high.
The Magic Flute is scored for two flutes (one doubling on piccolo), two oboes, two Clarinets (doubling basset horns), two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones (alto, tenor, and bass), timpani and strings. It also requires a four-part chorus. In addition, Mozart called for a stromento d'acciaio (instrument of steel) to perform Papageno's magic bells. We don’t know what they used for that at the premier, though modern day scholars believe it was a keyed glockenspiel, with a celesta usually used in in modern-day performances.
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