DISAPPOINTED and suffering, Mozart returned to Vienna in the middle of
September. While his wife again repaired to Baden, he divided his time
between the labours involved in the completion and scenic arrangements
of the "Zauberflöte" (620 K.) and the Requiem. The chorus "O Isis und
Osiris," Papageno's song, which Schikaneder had stipulated for, and
the second finale, must have been written after September 12;[1] on
September 28 he completed the overture and the march which formed
the introduction to the second act. After many rehearsals under the
conductorship of the Kapellmeister Henneberg, then still a very
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young man, the first performance took place on September 30. Mozart
conducted at the piano, and Süssmayr turned over for him. The playbill
ran as follows:[2]--[See Page Image]
This day, Friday, September 30, 1791, the Company of the Imperial
Theatre auf der Wieden have the honour of performing for the first time
Die Zauberflöte.
Grand Opera in Two Acts, by Emanuel Schikaneder.
The music is by Herr Wolfgang Amade Mozart, Capellmeister and Imperial
Chamber Composer. Esteem for an appreciative public and friendship
for the author of the work have induced Herr Mozart to consent on this
occasion to conduct the orchestra in person.[3]
Books of the opera, with two copper-plate engravings, representing
Herr Schikaneder in his actual costume as Papageno, may be had at the
box-office, price thirty kreutzers.
The scenery and stage accessories have been intrusted to Herr Gayl and
Herr Nessthaler, who flatter themselves that they have performed their
task with all due regard to the artistic requirements of the piece.
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
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The success was not at first so great as had been expected, and after
the first act Mozart rushed, pale and excited, behind the scenes to
Schikaneder, who endeavoured to console him. In the course of the second
act the audience recovered from the first shock of surprise, and at the
close of the opera Mozart was recalled. He had hidden himself, and when
he was found could with difficulty be persuaded to appear before the
audience, not certainly from bashfulness, for he was used by this time
to brilliant successes, but because he was not satisfied with the way in
which his music had been received. The story that Haydn consoled Mozart
by his approbation is untrue,[4] for he was in London at the time. But
Schenck relates in his manuscript autobiography that he had a place in
the orchestra at the first performance, and that after the overture,
unable to contain his delight, he crept along to the conductor's stool,
seized Mozart's hand and kissed it; Mozart, still beating time with his
right hand, looked at him with a smile, and stroked his cheek. At
the second performance on the following day he again conducted, but
afterwards resigned the conductorship to Henneberg. On October 9 notice
was sent to Berlin:--
The new spectacular drama, "Die Zauberflöte," with music by our
kapellmeister, Mozart, has been performed at great expense and with much
magnificence of scenery, &c.; but it has not attained the success
hoped for, owing to the inferiority of the subject and diction of the
piece.[5]
Schikaneder, however, persevered, and with every repetition the applause
increased; Mozart's pleasure thereat, and more especially at the
approbation expressed by Salieri and Cavalieri, may be gathered from his
letters to his wife. The "Zauberflöte" soon became the most popular of
operas. It was performed twenty-four times in October; on November 23,
1792, Schikaneder announced the hundredth, and on October 22,1795, the
two hundredth performance of the opera.[6]
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
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Schikaneder[7] had long varied his favourite farcical pieces by the
production of operas, either adaptations of earlier ones or works
expressly composed for him,[8] and in 1791 he had achieved a great
success with the romantic-comic opera "Oberon, König der Elfen," adapted
by Gieseke from Wieland, and composed by Wranitzky (1756-1808).[9]
The brilliant appointments of scenery, costume, and machinery, and the
satisfaction with which the dramatisation of Wie-land's universally
popular poem was viewed by the public, heightened the interest in the
opera to a degree far beyond the deserts of the light and popular music.
It was first performed in Frankfort during the coronation festivities
in 1790, and, rapidly spreading over the whole German stage, shared, and
for a short time rivalled, the popularity of the "Zauberflöte."[10] In
order to assure himself of a repetition of this success, Schikaneder
selected as a subject for his new opera the tale of Lulu, oder die
Zauberflöte, from Wieland's Dschinnistan.[11] The story is briefly as
follows:--
In the kingdom of Chorassan there dwelt in an old magician's castle
the good fairy Perifirime, called the "radiant fairy." Hunting in the
neighbourhood, Prince Lulu, son of the King of Chorassan, enters the
usually avoided castle, and the fairy, appearing to him in her full
radiance, promises him rich reward if he will obey her behests. She
discloses to him that the wicked magician Dilsenghuin, with the help of
her faithless
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(306)
attendant Barsine, has deprived her of her precious talisman, a golden
fire-steel, which is obeyed by the spirits of the elements and of all
earthly regions, every spark struck from it becoming a powerful spirit,
subject to the possessor; none but a youth whose heart is as yet
untouched by love can regain the talisman for her by stratagem. She
designates Lulu as her deliverer, and promises him the best gift that
she has if he will undertake the task. This is none other than the
beautiful Sidi, daughter of Perifirime and Sabalem, King of Cashmere,
whom the magician keeps in his power, making tender advances to her
which she is only able to resist owing to her magic power of repelling
attacks so long as her heart is untouched by love. The fairy dispatches
Lulu with two magic gifts--a flute which has the power of winning all
hearts, and of exciting and appeasing every passion at will; and a ring,
by turning which the wearer can assume any form, and by throwing it away
can summon the fairy herself to his aid.
Thus provided, Lulu approaches the magician's stronghold in the form of
an old man, and by his flute-playing entices first the forest beasts,
and then the magician, who takes him into the fortress to try his art
upon the obdurate beauty. Lulu gains the confidence of the magician and
his son, with Barsine and the dwarf Barka; the love of the beautiful
Sidi is also soon his. He succeeds in throwing the magician and his
companions into a deep sleep during a banquet, and possesses himself of
the talisman. By the aid of the genü now subject to him, and finally by
the appearance of the fairy, he overcomes all the dangers and obstacles
prepared for him by the magician, who is finally changed into an owi,
and flies away with his son, similarly transformed. The fairy
destroys the fortress and carries the lovers to her castle upon her
cloud-chariot; there the Kings of Chorassan and Cashmere bless their
union.[12]
This story was treated as follows in Schikaneder's opera:--
The "Japanese" Prince, Tamino, while hunting, is pursued by a great
serpent, and falls in a swoon; three ladies of the Queen of Night slay
the monster.. On the awaking of the Prince there enters the bird-catcher
Papageno, the comic character of the opera, contrasting in the
traditional manner with the grave heroic lover (who does not,
however, display any great daring here). Papageno is a good-tempered,
pleasure-loving, loquacious poltroon, whose feather costume is a sort
of reminiscence of Schikaneder's bird comedies. He gives himself out to
Tamino as the slayer of the dragon, but is punished for his boasting by
the veiled ladies, who reappear and fasten up his mouth with a padlock,
at the same time presenting the Prince with the portrait of a beautiful
damsel, of whom he instantly becomes deeply enamoured. Hearing that the
original of the portrait is Pamina, daughter of the Queen of
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Night, and that she has been carried away by a wicked demon, he swears
to free her from the power of the enemy, whereupon the Queen herself
appears and promises him the hand of her daughter as the reward of his
success. The ladies then command Papageno, from whose mouth they remove
the padlock, to accompany Tamino to the castle of the magician Sarastro,
which he is reluctantly obliged to do. They provide Tamino with a magic
flute, Papageno with a chime of bells, and promise that "three boys,
young, beautiful, pure, and wise," shall hover round them as guides.[13]
In Sarastro's castle Pamina, who has endeavoured by flight to escape
the hated advances of her jailer and tormentor, the Moor Monostatos, has
been recaptured and is kept in bondage. Papageno makes good his entry;
he and the Moor are mutually alarmed at each other's appearance, and run
away in opposite directions. Papageno, venturing in again, finds Pamina
alone, and acquainting her with Prince Tamino's commission from her
mother to liberate her, they hasten to seek for him together.
So far the original story has been followed in its essential parts. The
modifications which have been made in the characters and situations to
enhance the dramatic interest are such as would occur naturally in the
development of the story. But when Schikaneder had proceeded thus far
in his adaptation he learnt that an opera founded on the same story was
finished and about to be produced at the Leopold-stàdter Theatre, which
often placed itself in competition with his.
It was in 1781 that Marinelli opened his newly erected theatre in the
Leopoldstadt.[14] He produced operas, among which the "Sonnenfest der
Braminen" had a great run, and after the brief span of popularity which
German opera had enjoyed at the National Theatre, the suburban theatre
became a formidable and finally a successful rival. But the proper
element of this theatre was in popular farces. The comic actor Laroche
had created the part of Kasperl, the direct descendant of Hanswurst,
and the people were never tired of seeing him play his coarse tricks and
antics in the most widely different situations. It had been the custom
to bring Hanswurst into contact with witches and magicians,
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(308)
and Kasperl was consequently introduced to the same society, with some
differences in colouring, due to French taste and to the Eastern fairy
tales disseminated mainly by Wieland. Popular songs played their part in
these "Kasperliads," and out of modest vaudevilles, such as "Kasperl's
Ehrentag," a fairy tale by Hensler (1789), in which the music was
confined to some short choruses and an accompaniment to the supernatural
apparitions, arose gradually comic magic operas. The Leopoldstàdter
Theatre had possessed since 1786 a fruitful composer in Wenzel
Müller,[15] whose place as a comic popular musician was somewhat
similar to that of Laroche as an actor. On May 3, 1791, "Kasper der
Vogelkràmer," by Hensler, was performed with his music, followed on
June 8 by "Kasper der Fagottist, oder die Zauberzither," a vaudeville in
three acts, the words adapted from "Lulu" by Joach. Permet.[16] The piece
follows the plot of the original pretty closely, and the dialogue is as
far as possible verbally transcribed; nevertheless the whole effect is
that of a travesty, and the text of the "Zauberflöte" displays a decided
superiority in comparison with it:--
Prince Armidoro, attended by Kaspar Bita, loses himself in the chase,
and comes upon the fairy Perifirime, who despatches them to the magician
Bosphoro, bestowing on the prince a guitar with the same virtues as
the magic flute, and on Kaspar (through the little sprite Pizichi,
who frequently reappears in time of need) a magic bassoon, which gives
occasion to some very questionable pleasantry. The magic power of the
ring, which enables the Prince to assume at will the form of an old man
or of a youth, is very naively employed, the fancy of the audience
being alone called in to represent the metamorphosis. The magician has a
swaggering boon companion, Zumio, who guards the damsels and is in love
with Palmire, playmate of the beautiful Sidi, afterwards in a similar
relation with Kaspar. Having conciliated Bosphoro and Zumio by means of
their magic instruments, and gained entrance into the castle, they
win the love of the damsels, but not without exciting the mistrust
and jealousy of the magician and his companion, who seek to possess
themselves of the instruments. They are saved by Perifirime from a storm
raised by the spirits subject to Bosphoro; an attempt to poison them
fails through Pizichi's warning; finally they are all put to sleep at
{KASPAR DER FAGOTTIST.}
(309)
supper by the magic instruments, and Armidoro possesses himself of the
talisman which makes the spirits subject to him. Perifirime appears,
punishes Bosphoro, and carries the lovers back to her palace.
Apart from Kaspar's broad jokes, the opera is not wanting in effective
situations, both dramatic and comic, and now and then the music takes
a more ambitious flight. Thus, the opera opens with a grand hunting
chorus, and the first act closes with the sprites tormenting the
followers of the Prince, who are in search of him; the spinning song,
the boat scene with the storm, and the sprites playing at ball with
Zumio, all form good musical situations. The composer rises above the
level of the librettist. In some of the songs and dances he has caught
the popular tone very well, but has failed in the fresh humour which he
elsewhere displays. In spite of all defects, or rather in great
measure because of them, the opera, the music, and the _mise en scène_
completely hit the popular taste, and 125 representations took place in
the course of a very few years. As a consequence of this success
there appeared in 1792 "Pizichi," or the continuation of "Kaspar der
Fagottist," by Perinet and Wenzel Müller, which had an equally brilliant
reception, and was dedicated by the author "To the illustrious public,
as a token of gratitude." Schikaneder could not hope to rival such a
success as this with an opera on the same subject. He resolved therefore
to transform the piece as much as possible, while utilising what had
already been done on it, and to turn the wicked magician into a noble
philosopher who wins Tamino to be his disciple, guides him to higher
wisdom and virtue, and rewards him with the hand of Pamina. The idea was
capable also of being turned to account in the interests of Freemasonry.
The change in the political views of the government under Leopold II.
had been unfavourable to Freemasonry, which began to be regarded with
much distrust as the organ of political and religious liberalism. A
glorification of the order upon the stage, by a performance which would
place its symbolical ceremonies in a favourable light and justify its
moral tendency, would be sure to be well received as a liberal party
demonstration compromising neither the order as a body nor
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(310)
its individual members. The effect was heightened by the consciousness
of a secret understanding among the initiated, while the uninitiated
could not fail to suspect a deeper meaning behind the brilliant
display of spectacular effects.[17] Whether Schikaneder, himself a
Freemason,[18] was the author of this idea, or whether it was suggested
by the order, we have no means of ascertaining; the execution of it
was principally due to Joh. Georg Karl Ludw. Gieseke. He was born
in Braunschweig, studied at the university of Halle, and joined
Schikaneder's troupe to earn his living as an actor and a chorus-singer.
He had tried his hand already as an author, having prepared the text for
Wranitzky's "Oberon," and enriched Schikaneder's repertory with a number
of pieces in part translated and in part original. Schikaneder, never
averse to accepting foreign aid,[19] made use of Gieseke's labours as
a groundwork, which he altered to suit his purpose, inserting, for
instance, the characters of Papageno and Papagena, and giving
himself out as the sole author of the piece.[20] We have no means of
ascertaining how far this alteration in the plan of the opera affected
the first part; points here and there may have been retouched, but no
important corrections were made, or some very striking contradictions
would certainly have been removed. With the first finale we find
ourselves in an altogether new new world:--
The three boys lead Tamino into a thicket, where stands the temple of
wisdom, knowledge, and nature, exhort him to be steadfast, enduring,
and silent, and leave him alone. He learns from a priest that Sarastro
reigns in the temple of wisdom, and that Pamina has been taken from
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(311)
her mother for certain good reasons, which must remain concealed from
him until all shall be revealed--
"Sobald dich fuhrt der
Freundschaft Hand
Ins Heilightum zum ew' gen Band."
After being encouraged by invisible voices, and assured that Pamina
still lives, he joyfully seizes his magic flute, whose tones have power
to draw all living beings to him. At Papageno's signal he hastens
in search of him. Papageno enters with Pamina; they are surprised by
Monostatos and his slaves; Papageno has recourse to his bells, which set
all who hear them singing and dancing. Scarcely are they free from the
intruders when Sarastro is heard returning from the chase in his chariot
drawn by six lions, and accompanied by a solemn march and chorus.
Pamina, kneeling, informs him that she seeks to escape the love advances
of the Moor, and implores him to allow her to return to her mother; this
Sarastro refuses, but pardons her with the aphorism:--
"Ein Mann muss eure Herzen leiten,
Denn ohne ihn pflegt jedes
Weib Aus ihrem Wirkungskreis zu schreiten."
In the meantime Monostatos enters, having captured Tamino; as soon
as the latter perceives Pamina, he rushes to her, and they embrace
tenderly. The Moor, to his consternation, is rewarded by Sarastro
with "seventy-seven strokes of the bastinado," and the strangers are
conducted into the temple of expiation, that their heads may be covered
and they may be purified.
Here we may still trace the original design, for the magic instruments,
the wicked Moor, and the chariot drawn by lions, have little affinity
with the temple of wisdom; but with the second act we set forth on
altogether fresh ground:--
In the assembly of the eighteen (3x6) attendants dedicated to the great
gods Isis and Osiris,[21] Sarastro announces that the virtuous Prince
Tamino stands at the gate of the temple, seeking permission to gaze
on the "great lights" of the sanctuary; questioned by the devotees, he
assures them of the Prince's virtue, discretion, and benevolence; and,
on the assembly giving their consent with a thrice-repeated blast of
trumpets, he thanks them with emotion in the name of humanity. For,
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(312)
when Tamino, united with Pamina, shall become one of the devotees of
wisdom, he will destroy the empire of the Queen of Night,[22] who by
superstition and imposture seeks to undermine their power; and virtue
shall triumph at the overthrow of vice. The Orator warns him of the
severity of the probation that he must pass through--but he is a prince,
"nay more, he is a man"; he is able to endure all, "and once devoted
to Osiris and Isis, he will feel the joys of the gods sooner than we."
Tamino and Papageno are to be led into the antechamber of the temple,
and there the Orator, in virtue of his "holy office" as "dispenser of
wisdom," shall acquaint them both with the duty of man and the power
of the gods. A solemn appeal to Isis and Osiris to endow the pair with
wisdom, and to strengthen and protect them in the hour of trial closes
this scene, which bears the impress of Freemasonry throughout.
The tests begin, after Tamino has declared that, impelled by love, he is
ready for any trial to acquire wisdom and gain Pamina, and Papageno has
agreed to make the attempt to win the love of Papagena, a pretty little
woman, just suited to him. The impression here intended to be conveyed
is evidently that of the higher nature and strivings of man in Tamino
and of the limited and purely sensual side of his nature in Papageno.
The first trial is that of silence. They are scarcely left alone in the
darkness when the three Jadies of the Queen of Night enter and strive to
excite their terrors, which is easily accomplished as far as Papageno is
concerned, the steadfast Tamino with difficulty restraining his cries.
The ladies disappear upon the summons of the priest; the Orator praises
Tamino, and again covers his head that he may continue his "pilgrimage."
Monostatos finds Pamina asleep in the garden, and is on the point of
kissing her, when the Queen of Night appears, gives Pamina a dagger, and
commands her to avenge her wrongs on Sarastro, to whom Pamina's father
had bequeathed the omnipotent talisman which she had hoped to possess;
by Sarastro's death Pamina will gain her freedom, Tamino's life, and
her mother's love. Monostatos, who has overheard, takes the dagger from
Pamina, and threatens to betray her unless she will grant him her love;
on her refusal, he tries to kill her, when Sarastro enters, liberates
Pamina, and promises to wreak a noble vengeance on her mother by
securing her daughter's happiness.
Tamino and Papageno are conducted into a hall, to remain there in
{THE LIBRETTO.}
(313)
silence until they hear a trumpet sound. Papageno cannot refrain from
chattering to an old woman who brings him a glass of water and, to his
horror, claims him as her lover; a fearful thunder-clap terrifies him,
and he only recovers when the three boys bring him a richly furnished
table, and, reiterating the warning to silence, restore the magic
instruments. While they are eating, Pamina enters, and construes
Tamino's silence into a proof of his want of love for her; not even
her lamentations, however, can tempt him to speak. After this proof of
steadfastness, he is conducted to the assembly, and informed by Sarastro
that two paths of danger still remain to be trodden; Pamina is brought
in to bid him farewell, and, to her despair, he still refuses to utter a
word to her.
Papageno is informed by the Orator that he shall be excused the
punishment for his loquacity, but that he is never to feel "the divine
joys of the initiated." He declares himself quite content, and only
wishes for a cup of wine and "ein Mädchen oder Weibchen"; the old woman
appears, and is changed into the youthful Papagena, but only to vanish
again the same instant.
Pamina, plunged in deep melancholy by Tamino's apparent aversion, is on
the point of stabbing herself, but is restrained by the three boys, who
promise to restore Tamino to her. Tamino is just then conducted to the
gates of horror by two men in armour, with the injunction--
"Der welcher wandelt diese Strasse voll Beschwerden,
Wird rein durch Wasser, Feuer, Luft und Erden;
Wenn er des Todes Schrecken überwinden kann,
Schwingt er sich aus der Erde himmelan.
Erleuchtet wird er dann im Stande sein,
Sich den Mysterien der Isis ganz zu weihn"--
and left to tread the path of danger through fire and water, when Pamina
rushes in, resolved to endure this trial in company with him. They
sustain it happily to the sound of the magic flute, and are received
with solemn rejoicings by the assembly in the temple. Papageno, in
despair at the loss of his Papagena, whom he calls in vain to return, is
about to hang himself, when the three boys appear, and remind him of
his bells: at the sound of them Papagena returns, and his happiness
is complete. In the meantime the Queen of Night, with her ladies, has
gained admittance into the sanctuary by the help of Monostatos, and
promises him her daughter's hand, if he aids her to victory; but a
fearful storm drives them back, and Tamino and Pamina are united with
priestly pomp by Sarastro in the circle of the temple votaries:--
"Die Strahlen der Sonne vertreiben die Nacht,
Zernichten der Heuchler erschlichene Macht."
It would be superfluous to criticise this libretto. The small interest
of the plot, the contradictions and improbabilities in the characters
and in the situations, are clear
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(314)
to all; the dialogue is trivial, and the versified portions wretched
doggerel, incapable of improvement by mere alteration. Nevertheless, a
certain amount of stage dexterity is not to be denied to it. Schikaneder
knew how to excite and sustain the interest of his audience by
theatrical effects of combination and alteration. On this point the
testimony of Goethe[23] is added to the lasting and wide-spread
approval of the public; he declares that the "Zauberflöte" is "full of
improbabilities and of jokes that it is not easy to appreciate or to
enjoy; but it must be allowed that the author has thoroughly grasped
the idea of contrast and of producing grand theatrical effects"; he
undertook a translation of the piece, and was for some time seriously
occupied with it.[24] Undeniable as it is that the opera owes to
Mozart's music the charm that it exercises over young and old,
cultivated and uncultivated, it must be acknowledged that the piece,[25]
poor from a dramatic point of view, affords many and good opportunities
for the production of musical effects.[26] Whether
{THE OVERTURE.}
(315)
we think much or little of the Masonic views which are here seen
embodied in the mysteries of Isis,[27] Mozart at any rate was inspired
by the zeal of a partisan in giving them utterance.
The dignity and grandeur with which the music reveals the symbolism of
these mysteries certainly have their root in his intense devotion to the
Masonic idea.
A clear indication of this devotion was given to the initiated in the
overture,[28] but in a way that showed how well he distinguished Masonic
symbolism from artistic impulse. It opens with a short adagio,
whose solemn accents raise the expectation of an apparition of grave
importance, The trumpets, which are added to the full choir of wind
instruments, give a fulness and brilliancy to the chords which had not
at that time been heard before. The allegro; begins with a regular fugue
on the theme--[See Page Image] the first bars reminding us of dementi's
sonata, played before the Emperor Joseph (Vol. II., p. 199):--
The reminiscence may have been conscious or unconscious.
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(316)
But the first glance at the subject of an overture to J. H. Collo's
cantata, "Lazarus Auferstehung" (Leipzig, 1779)--[See Page Image] shows
a considerable similarity to the motif of the overture before us,[29]
with which it cannot have had anything to do, since Mozart in all
probability never knew the cantata.
After the regular fourth entry of the whole motif, a free fantasia
begins with the separate parts of it and the counter motif, in the
most varied shades of expression, with an ease and elegance which lets
nothing appear of the technicalities of counterpoint, and displays an
animation and liveliness of truly sparkling brilliancy. After the close
of the movement on the dominant with a marvellous crescendo, there
follow three chords three times repeated, with pauses between, given out
by the wind instruments alone, with powerful effect of climax:[30]--[See
Page Image]
They are the same that occur in the temple assembly as a sign that
Tamino is accepted and appointed to undergo the itests, and were
suggested by the knocking or other rhythmical sounds to which members
were admitted to be initiated in the mysteries of the Masonic lodge.
This does away with the frequent suggestion that the second and third
chords are
{THE OVERTURE.}
(317)
intended to baboimd,[31] indeed André declares in the preface! to his
edition that this solemn introduction, "uncomprehended of a profane
public," to the mystic work which follows would be quite spoilt by the
binding of these chords! Winter has accentuated the rhythm still more
sharply in the "Labyrinth," the second part of the "Zauberflöte," the
overture of which begins with the chords--[See Page Image] which are
repeated several times. The chords suggest to the musical mind only the
solemn warning sound calling attention to what is to follow, but to the
initiated they recall the probation which must be undergone by those who
engage in the search for a higher light. In the allegro which follows
the first theme is taken up again, not in regular fugal form, but
working out the different motifs with unusually elaborate contrapuntal
treatment, for the most part in the stretto. The very form of thematic
treatment gives an impression of force, but of force opposed by many
obstacles and hard to overcome; this is strengthened by the use of the
minor key and by the startling harmonic progressions which intensify the
character of gloom, until it amounts to horror. Serenity returns only
with the recurrence of the principal key, and gradually rises to a
glorious radiance, troubled only towards the close by a few startling
chords, and shining out again with all the purer beauty, till one seems
to float in a very sea of light.[32] Let the contrapuntist admire in this
inimitable masterpiece of German instrumental music the science and
intellectual mastery which it displays; let the Freemason delight in the
refinement with which his mystical ideas are clothed in a musical dress;
the true triumph of genius consists in having created a work which,
quite apart from
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(318)
scholarship or hidden meaning, produces by its perfection an effect
on the musical mind which is quite irresistible, animating it to
more active endeavour, and lifting it to an atmosphere of purest
serenity.[33]
The belief that Mozart selected the severer musical forms for his
overture in order to prefigure the serious mood in which he approached
the opera, obtains confirmation from his employment of them again at the
solemn moment of trial. The entrance of the men in armour, who fortify
Tamino with the words quoted above, before he proceeds on his dangerous
voyage through the elements, is announced by an imitative passage for
the strings--[See Page Imge] following a few solemn introductory bars,
and retained in the subsequent working-out as a figured accompaniment to
the song of the two men. The Cantus firmus, however, which they sing in
unison, in octave, supported by flutes, oboes, bassoons, and trombones,
is the old chorale "Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein,"[34] unaltered
except in the division of the crotchets into quavers, where the words
{ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL.}
(319)
require it, and in the closing line added by Mozart.[35] He learnt the
melody no doubt from Kirnberger, who often made use of it as an example,
and twice worked it into a Cantus firmus.[36] This may be gathered from
the fact that Kirnberger as well as Mozart raised the second line by
a third, and that a motif interwoven with it by Mozart is an evident
reminiscence[37] of one employed by Kirnberger in the working out of the
chorale "Es woll uns Gott genàdig sein":--[See Page Image]
The attraction which the melody had for him as a Cantus firmus for
contrapuntal elaboration is proved by a sketch preserved in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, which contains the beginning of another four-part
elaboration of the theme, adhering still more closely to Kirnberger.
According to Al. Fuchs,[38] this was the first of Mozart's drafts for
the opera, to which it can only be said that in that case he made use
of an earlier contrapuntal study. In the autograph score the movement
is written continuously in connection with the whole finale, but the
handwriting, at first neat, afterwards more and more hasty, shows
clearly that it was copied from an earlier sketch.[39] Even those who
are incapable of appreciating the contrapuntal art with which this
movement is worked
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(320)
out,[40] and who have no suspicion that they are listening to an old
church melody,[41] will receive an impression of mystery and solemnity
admirably expressive of the dramatic situation to which Mozart strove to
give effect.
Mozart has throughout the opera given to the music which touched on the
mysteries and the initiation into them a peculiarly solemn character,
and this is consistently maintained through every shade of feeling, from
mild gravity to inspired ecstasy. To this sphere belong the three boys,
who, although emissaries of the Queen of Night, are represented in
the course of the plot as the visible genü of the secret bond. In the
quintet (6) the announcement of the guidance they offer to Tamino and
Papageno is accompanied by a peculiar fexpression in the music, produced
by a change in the harmonic and rhythmic construction[42] and in the
instrumentation. The marchlike movement to which they lead Tamino to the
gates of the sanctuary fulfils to admiration the expectation which has
been raised. The sound-effects also are very uncommon. The clear boys'
voices, supported by the stringed instruments without the double-bass,
are sustained by the full, lightly touched chords of the trombones and
muted trumpets and drums; and a long-sustained G for the flutes and
clarinets sheds a mild radiance like a nimbus over the whole. The
thrice-repeated warning "Sei standhaft, duldsam und verschwiegen," taken
up by the firm tones of the wind instruments, raises the march whose
solemn course it interrupts to a higher dignity and force; the few bars
sung by Tamino throw into greater prominence the unusual character of
the apparition, and the repetition of the boys' song strengthens the
impression which has been given of the higher world to which we now have
access. Such an introduction as this was essential to give the right
tone and
{TAMINO.}
(321)
groundwork for the long recitative which follows, in which Tamino,
prejudiced against Sarastro's wisdom and virtue, is gradually confounded
and half-convinced by one of the priests of the temple. In liveliness
of dramatic expression and successful rendering of the contrasts of
animated conversation, combined with the seriousness proper to the
surroundings and to the dignity of the priest, this recitative stands
alone. The climax of the scene is reached in the consolatory assurance
of the priest that all shall be made plain--[See Page Image] which is
twice repeated by invisible male voices, accompanied by trumpet chords.
A solemn expression, in which emotion and exaltation are united,
betokens the announcement of an oracle. The requirements of musical
climax, of dramatic effect, and of mystic symbolism are here again at
one.
Meanwhile we are conducted to the temple portals; Tamino is consoled and
reanimated by the intelligence that Pamina still lives, and, still far
from having attained the philosophic calm of the votaries, he has no
thought but for his love. As soon as he begins to express this purely
personal and human emotion, the music becomes freer and lighter, and
solemn seriousness gives place to cheerful geniality. The part taken
at this juncture by the magic flute in assembling the listening animals
round Tamino has no connection with the situation nor with the symbolism
of the piece; it is a relic of the old fable. It was probably owing
to Mozart's aversion to the flute (Vol. I., p. 385), as well as to the
moderate proficiency of the tenor Schack, who played it himself, that
the flute is brought so little forward as a solo instrument; another
reason being that, as Tamino played it himself, it could only be
inserted in the pauses of his songs. In this place it is a ballad-like
cantilene to which the flute supplies the prelude and interlude;
afterwards, during the visit to the dark cave, Mozart has left the flute
part to the fancy of the flautist. During the fire and water ordeal, the
flute has the melody of a slow march, and the peculiar accompaniment of
low chords for the trombones,
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(322)
horns, trumpets and drums give it a curious, weirdlike character.[43]
The three boys, or genü, in accordance with the numerical symbolism
pervading the whole, appear three times. After acting as guides to
Tamino, they appear to him and Papageno as they wait in silence within
the gloomy cavern, and bring them for their consolation meat and drink,
as well as the magic flute and bells. The musical characterisation is
therefore lighter and more cheerful. Mozart, hopeless of making
anything out of the nonsensical words, has kept to the delineation of
an attractive ethereal apparition, and has created a short movement of
marvellous grace and charm (17) endowed, as it were, with wings by the
lovely violin passage which accompanies it.
The third appearance is again of a solemn character. The boys announce
that soon "superstition shall disappear and wisdom shall triumph."
The character of the melody and rhythm approaches that of the first
movement, the instrumentation, as befits the situation, being less
brilliant, although the tone-colouring of the combined clarinets, horns,
and bassoons has a significance all its own.[44] The object here is to
restrain Pamina from suicide and to offer her consolation; thus, while
the boys are interwoven in the plot, they stand necessarily outside of
the narrow circle of allegorical personages, and become, as it were,
human; besides this, the exigences of the music require that they should
be subordinate to Pamina. In the course of this scene, therefore, they
lay aside their proper character to some extent, and become more pliant
and less reserved. Mozart has rightly avoided too close an adherence to
any external characterisation of the boys, and has adopted such means
of expression as were best suited to each situation, not forgetting,
however, to assert their individualities at every appropriate point.
Pamina, on her side, is brought
{CHORUSES.}
(323)
into closer contact with the boys from the moment when she yields to
their persuasions, and thus the ensemble with which the scene closes is
endowed with a nobler, more exalted expression than that of the purely
subjective emotion of Pamina's longing for her lost lover. A solemnity
of a more exalted order belongs to those scenes in which Sarastro and
the temple priests take part. This is at once manifest in the first
finale, which has an altogether exoteric character. The march and chorus
with which Sarastro is received, the closing chorus which celebrates his
virtue and justice, combine force and dignity with a perfect radiance
of beauty; they correspond to the choruses at the end of the opera when
Tamino and Pamina, having withstood every ordeal, are welcomed within
the temple and crowned with glory and wisdom. They are distinguished
above the ordinary operatic choruses of the day as much by their dignity
of expression as by their construction and mode of treatment; and the
wealth of the instrumentation, more especially the introduction of the
trumpets, gives a character of solemnity and magnificence then unknown
in operatic music. Nevertheless they do not obtrude beyond the natural
framework of the opera, and the limits of a work of art are never
exceeded in the effort to express a higher meaning in the music. The
analogy of the choruses with those in "König Thamos" has already been
pointed out (Vol. II., p. 111). There they are treated very elaborately
as independent pieces of music, while here the greater concentration of
musical forces and the maturer, more elevated forms of beauty, display
the mastery of a finished artist.
The esoteric character of the mysteries is brought to view in the second
act. A solemn, slow march (10) introduces. the assembly of the priests
in the most appropriate manner. It is said that in answer to the
accusation of a friend that he had stolen this march from Gluck's
"Alceste" (Act I., sc. 3), Mozart laughingly replied that that was
impossible, as it still stood there. It was perhaps the best answer to
such an impertinence. The similarity to Gluck's march, as well as to
the last march in "Idomeneo" (25), consists entirely in the fitting
expression of closely related moods.
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(324)
But the special points in the conception are altogether new and
original. A presageful mood, tinged with a gentle melancholy, rising to
greater energy towards the close, transfuses this wonderful movement,
the very tone-colouring of which is affecting. The soft muted tones of
the basset-horn and bassoons are made clearer and purer by the addition
of a flute, while the full chords of horns and trombones and the
stringed instruments bind these elements into unity. The same
tone-colouring, only several shades deeper (the flute being omitted, and
of the strings only violas and violoncelli retained), is continued
in the prayer (11) which follows, addressed to Isis and Osiris in a
mysterious twilight, from which the simple impressive melody for
the bass voice sounds forth with majestic and soothing effect. The
repetition of the closing passage by the male chorus is of quite
indescribable effect, when Sarastro's characteristic passage--[See Page
Image] is given an octave higher. The earnest religious conception which
underlies this prayer shows the spirit in which the symbols and rites of
Freemasonry were approached by Mozart, who once thanked God that
through Freemasonry he had learnt to look upon death as the gate of true
happiness (Vol. II., p. 323).
The duet for the two priests (12)--a warning against feminine
malice--does not come up to the same high standard, and only becomes at
all imposing at the closing bars, "Tod und Verzweiflung war sein Lohn."
The words could not be delivered with gravity without producing too
comic an effect; Mozart has therefore treated them as a piece of
friendly counsel, not as a priestly admonition, The second chorus of
priests (19), which greets Tamino at the successful issue of his first
trial, has, on the other hand, quite the dignity and solemnity of the
first; although doubt and anxiety are for the present at an end, there
is as yet none of the jubilant delight with which the victor is hailed
at the final victory. A character of purity and elevation is expressed
with a manly confidence differing from the
{SARASTRO--AIR--TERZET.}
(324)
intense sympathy of the first chorus, and the instrumentation is
modified accordingly. Trombones and horns give an imposing tone,
lightened by trumpets, flutes and oboes, instead of basset-horns, while
the prevailing low position of the stringed instruments supplies force
and gravity to the movement. The moderate length of this chorus, as of
all the movements which have the same solemn and mystic tone, is a fresh
proof of Mozart's sure insight. The powerful impression is made, the
excited mood is appeased, without fatiguing the mind or dulling the
charm of the unusual characterisation.
Sarastro never descends altogether from his high priestly eminence, but
he shows a genial side to his character, and sometimes, as on his first
appearance in the finale, a fatherly one. This more genial nature is
expressed in the air (16),
"In diesen heiligen Hallen," which, as with so many other pieces
from the "Zauberflöte," we have first to forget having so often heard
maltreated before we can realise the original impression made by it. The
simple instrumentation and the easy treatment of the cavatina shows at
once that the priestly character is not meant to be maintained here:
it is the paternal friend speaking words of comfort to the maiden who
confides in him.[45] Mozart, convinced that Freemasonry is the key to
true philanthropy and friendship, has not contented himself with merely
setting the trivial words before him to music, but has given expression
with all the warmth and intensity of his nature to the highest and
noblest feelings of the human heart. The beautiful terzet (20) gives a
peculiarly elevated calm to Sarastro's sympathy in a situation which is
more dramatic and musical than almost any other in the opera. Pamina
is led in to bid farewell to Tamino before he sets forth for his final
ordeal. This in itself is a test of his fortitude, for he is constrained
to oppose reserve to her excitement, and to endure her reproaches
for his apparent want of tenderness in silence. Between them stands
Sarastro, consoling and
{DIE ZAUBERFLöTE.}
(326)
exhorting them, like a higher power holding the fate of them both in his
hand.[46]
It was Mozart's task to blend into one these conflicting elements of
passionate grief, of deep emotion restrained by an inflexible will,
and of unyielding earnest exhortation. It was comparatively easy
to accentuate the contrasts. Pamina and Sarastro are in absolute
opposition, and Tamino, joining issue now with one, now with the other,
forms a natural middle point. It is fortunate, from a musical point of
view, that the arrangement of the parts falls in with these conditions,
land that the natural course of the emotions depicted lends itself to a
musical climax. The simplicity of the orchestral means here made use
of by Mozart shows how much he was able to accomplish with very little,
especially in the accompaniment passage, which renders so marvellously
the agitation of the situation.[47] It may at first sight appear
fcommonplace; but the unusually low position of the violas, violoncelli,
and bassoons gives it a striking expression of power and of breathless
urgency.[48]
The part of Sarastro taxed all the resources of a deep bass voice, such
as that for which Franz Gerl, the original supporter of the part, was
celebrated.[49] It was in another way as original a conception as that
of Osmin. The latter may be said to have had a predecessor in the buffo
of the Italian opera, but Sarastro is the first of his kind, and can
as little be compared to the regulation bass parts of Italian opera as
Almaviva and Don Giovanni to the baritones. The dignity and calm of
the philosopher to whom passion is unknown would have afforded little
opportunity for musical characterisation had not Mozart's genuinely
German nature gone down to the intellectual depths of the character. For
{TAMINO.}
(327)
Sarastro's good temper and amiability, which might so easily do violence
to the idealism of the conception, show their German origin unaffected
by the symbolism around them. Mozart sought and found in the powerful
sonorous tones of the bass voice the musical organ for the expression of
a nature passionless indeed, but open to all that is good and noble,
and possessing the benevolence and truthfulness of a mind matured in the
graver experiences of humanity.
The intrusion of Masonic mysteries into the plot has had a bad effect
upon the treatment of the characters, Tamino especially being injured by
it. At first he scarcely presents an heroic appearance--rather that of
a susceptible and generous youth longing to meet danger and strife that
the right and his love may prevail. The original course of the plot
leads him into dangers which he has to overcome by strength and courage;
here, for some incomprehensible reason, he is to be converted to a
belief in Sarastro. The fact of his probation taking place for the most
part in silence is of disadvantage to him, both as a tenor and a
lover; the dark cave and the wandering through fire and water are
not particularly terrifying to the spectators, and his praiseworthy
endeavours after virtue are too abstract to be interesting. And yet
Mozart has filled in this colourless outline with the warm tints of
youthful enthusiasm for all that is noble in life and in love. The first
air (4) strikes the tone which is to prevail throughout. We may trust
the word of the poet, that the sight of a lovely woman is sufficient to
inspire the heart with a love that is irresistible, and to rouse it to
a new and blissful life; but the musician alone has the power of so
realising the miracle to the mind of the hearer that he feels it working
in himself; and such a musician is Mozart. After a twice-repeated sort
of sigh from the orchestra, there streams forth from an overflowing
heart:--[See Page Image]
More agitated feelings follow this first glad expression of love,
and the development of strong emotion is expressed by the form of the
musical representation which follows every
{DIE ZAUBERFLöTE.}
(328)
turn of thought, breaking off the threads and joining them again without
any connected flow of melody. The whole piece is a well-constructed
cantilene, formed from separate symmetrical phrases, and recurring at
the close with the words, "und ewig ware sie dann mein," to the same
melody which followed the first exclamation with "mein Herz mit neuer
Regung füllt."
Stormy passion and fierce longing are the proper accompaniments to all
youthful love, and the moderation with which Tamino keeps them in check
gives at once the keynote to his character. His enthusiasm for an
ideal, and his noble and intelligent mind, are opened to us in the fine
recitative, and the calmer expression of love which follows completes
the picture of character.
Benedict Schack, the original Tamino (b. 1758) was both musically and
intellectually a cultivated man. He was a good flautist, and composed
several operas for Schikaneder's company, which he joined as a vocalist
in 1784. He had become very intimate with Mozart in Vienna. When the
latter called for him, as he often did, to take a walk, he used, while
Schack was dressing, to seat himself at his writing-table and compose
little bits of the opera which lay there. Schack was equally famed for
his flexible and metallically pure tenor voice and his artistic and
refined execution, but he.was a very inferior actor.[50]
As the piece proceeds the love intrigue takes a peculiar tone from its
association with the mysteries and with the ordeals belonging to them.
Many allusions are made to the dignity of marriage as the consummation
of righteous love, and this is apparently the sense intended to be
conveyed by the oft-quoted ludicrous doggerel:--
Ihr (der Liebe) Zweck zeigt deutlich an,
Nichts edlers sei als Weib und Mann;
Mann und Weib, und Weib und Mann,
Reichen an die Gotter an.
The main points, how Tamino is to win Pamina by his
{PAMINA.}
(329)
initiation into the mysteries, and how Pamina comes to share his ordeals
with him, are not made clear, since the love intrigue has originally
nothing to do with them. Pamina,[51] at first contrasting with Papagena
only as a gay, lively young girl whose higher nature has had no
opportunity for development, shows herself in her true proportions when
she approaches Sarastro with the pride and self-possession which denote
her as his equal in dignity and sentiment. It is but for one short
moment that the lovers first see each other, and by an irresistible
impulse rush into each other's arms. This outbreak of passion falls so
naturally into the rest of the movement, essentially different as it is
in tone, that one is amazed that such simple notes can give so powerful
an impression of jubilant emotion. Tamino and Pamina are separated at
once, and are not reunited until near the end of the opera.
If Tamino may be said to be the expression of the enthusiasm of love
as it awakes in the bosom of youth, Pamina may, on the other hand, be
considered as the embodiment of the torment excited in a loving heart
by doubt of the loved one's constancy. The spark which is kindled in her
bosom by the sight of Tamino rises into an inextinguishable flame, and
when his obstinate silence causes her to doubt his love, every hope of
joy vanishes from her breast. It is not a difficult task for music to
render the anguish of a broken heart, and the keener the pangs to be
conveyed the easier it becomes. But to express with the utmost truth
and intensity the deep grief of a maiden who has learnt to know her own
heart by the first mighty pulsation of love, at the very moment when her
hope is to be rudely dashed to the ground--this is the work of such a
master only as the composer of the air (18) "Ach ich fühls."[52] Bitter
pain
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(330)
speaks here--pain without hope of solace; the memory of a vanished
happiness has not yet softened into regretful melancholy, nor is it
sharpened by the lingering pangs of conflict and torment overcome; it is
a pain as yet unconscious of its own force and intensity. All feelings
are swallowed up in the one: "He loves me not, and happiness is flown!"
When to this open and truthful expression of the anguish endured by
an innocent heart is united the charm of budding maidenhood, we feel
ourselves in the presence of a beauty which moves our inmost being, and
which Mozart alone of all musicians is capable of rendering in song. The
form and means of effect employed are of the simplest kind. The music
follows the course of the emotions in a continuous flow, without
allowing any definite motif to predominate. It is a very delicate touch
which makes the same expressive phrase occurring in the major to the
words, "nimmer kehrt ihr Wonnestunden meinem Herzen mehr zurück," recur
in the minor at the close to the words, "so wird Ruh im Tode sein." The
voice part is put very prominently forward, the stringed instruments
maintaining the harmonies and the rhythm in the simplest manner, while
different wind instruments (flutes, oboes, bassoons) give a sharper
accent here and there. The orchestra becomes independent only in the
closing symphony, expressing deep sorrow very effectively by means of
its syncopated rhythm and chromatic passages. This air forms a decided
contrast to the garden air in "Figaro" (Vol. III., p. 91), and yet there
is a deep-seated relationship apparent in them. In "Figaro" we have the
purest expression of happy love, flowing from a human heart without a
disturbing thought. Here it is the unmingled expression of sorrow for
departed love. The one has the soft warm glow of a fragrant summer
night; the other is like moonlight shining on rippling waters; but
in truth, purity, and beauty of musical rendering, the two songs
unmistakably betray the mind and hand of one and the same musician.
Before the painful impression has had time to die away there follows the
brief interview of the lovers in presence of Sarastro and the Initiated,
as represented in the terzet (20).
{PAMINA--TERZET.}
(331)
Pamina, in her anxiety and doubt as to whether Tamino's love will stand
the test imposed upon it, gives the tone to the whole piece. Her concern
is not appeased by Sarastro and Tamino's consoling assurances, and not
until the time for farewell has really arrived do the two lovers' parts
unite and contrast with that of Sarastro. Then the expression of emotion
is raised and purified, and indicated by touches of extraordinary
delicacy and depth, as when Pamina's passionate outbreak--[See Page
Image]
deprives Tamino of self-control, and he too gives vent to the anguish
of parting, while she appeals to him in mingled joy and sorrow, and
Sarastro remains inexorable; or when at the inimitably beautiful passage
at the close the hearts as well as the voices of the lovers seem to
mingle and flow into one. Here again we may admire the skill with which
the ordinary resources of musical representation are employed to produce
extraordinary effects.[53] Instead of feeling her anxiety set at rest by
this interview, Pamina is more violently agitated than before. She now
no longer doubts that Tamino has ceased to love her, and, deprived of
all hope, she seizes the dagger which her mother has given to her to
murder Sarastro, and prepares to plunge it in her own bosom. Thus, at
the beginning of the second finale, we find her "half-frantic" under the
protection of the three boys. Their presence has a moderating effect on
her passion of despair, and Mozart has carefully refrained from giving
to the thoughts of suicide excited in a maiden's breast by her first
disappointment in love the same kind of expression as would belong to
one who, exhausted by long strife with the world, had resolved to rid
himself of life and his sorrows
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(332)
together. Thus, bold and energetic as the musical expression is, it
never causes any distortion in the picture of a charming innocent girl,
and this has a more tranquillising effect on the minds of the audience
than the support of the three boys. In accordance with the situation
the movement of the voices is quite free, generally declamatory, the
interjections of the three boys holding the whole movement firmly in
its groove. Pamina gives ready ear to the reassurance of the three boys,
but, instead of breaking into loud exultation, her mind recurs lovingly
to Tamino, and the music gains that soft pathetic tone which belongs
to modern music. The supernatural element of the scene idealises it, and
prepares the way for the solemn ordeal which is immediately to follow.
Tamino, who has determined to tread the path of danger, but has believed
he was to tread it alone, is agreeably surprised to find Pamina at his
side. The reunion of the lovers is deprived, in face of the dangers
which they are to overcome together, of every trace of sensual passion.
Not until they are initiated into the mysteries for which they are
undergoing probation can their love be justified or its enjoyment
assured. The tone of the scene therefore is a serious one, rendered even
solemn by the participation of the grave guardians of the sanctuary,
who have just enunciated its ordinances. But the human emotion which
irresistibly breaks forth adds a pathos to the solemnity and a charm
to the youthful pair, filling us with renewed admiration for the genius
which blends all these diverse elements into a living and harmonious
whole.
Such a pair of lovers as this, so ideal, so sentimental (schwarmerisch)
in their feelings and mode of expression, betray at once their German
origin and character; there is nothing analogous in Mozart's Italian
operas; even Belmont and Constanze, though of the same type, display
more human passion. To the representatives of noble humanity, Sarastro,
Tamino, and Pamina, stands opposed the antagonistic and vindictive
principle, in the person of the Queen of Night. The manner of her
representation leaves distinct traces visible of the different part she
was originally intended to fill. At the beginning, when she appears as
the
{THE QUEEN OF NIGHT.}
(333)
deeply injured mother, with all the magnificence of her regal state,
there is nothing in the musical characterisation to indicate her
gloomy and vindictive nature, which is thus proved to have been an
afterthought. A solemn introduction, rising into a powerful crescendo,
announces the coming of the Queen, while "the mountains are cleft
asunder." It has been pointed out[54] that this ritornello has
considerable resemblance to the passage in Benda's "Ariadne," which
accompanies the setting of the sun:--[See Page Image]
Mozart knew and admired Benda's "Ariadne," and this passage may have
been in his mind; but it is scarcely to be imagined that he consciously
imitated it, and in any case he has rendered it far more effectively.
A short recitative is followed by an air in two movements (5), the only
one so
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(334)
elaborate in form of the whole opera, the result doubtless of the
traditional conception of the character of the Queen. The first movement
expresses a mother's grief simply and pathetically, but without any
tinge of the supernatural to characterise her either as the good fairy
or as the Queen of Night. The allegro is far weaker, going off after
a few energetic bars into long runs and passages quite instrumental in
character, with nothing striking in them but the presupposition of an
extraordinary soprano voice in the high--[See Page Image]
to which they rise. This is apparently another concession made by Mozart
to the "voluble throat" of his eldest sister-in-law, Madame Hofer (Vol.
II., p. 330). There can be no difficulty in accrediting a sister of
Aloysia Weber with the possession of a fabulously high voice; but it is
remarkable that Schroder, who saw her in the same year (1791) as Oberon,
should have said of her (Meyer, L. Schroder, II., 1, p. 85): "A very
unpleasing singer; her voice is not high enough for the part, and she
squeaks it, besides which she opens her mouth with a gape like the elder
Stephanie." Nevertheless, she set no small store on herself, and must
have been admired by a portion of the public; Mozart has made a still
greater sacrifice to her in the second air, in which the Queen of Night
commands her daughter to wreak vengeance on Sarastro. In design it is
free and bold, in passionate expression of resentment very powerful; the
two chief parts are both musically and dramatically striking, the close
is genuinely pathetic, and the uniformly high position of the voice
in conjunction with the forcible and somewhat shrilly toned
instrumentation, is of very singular effect. All this notwithstanding,
Mozart has allowed himself to be persuaded to ruin an aria which
might have been a model of pathetic declamation by two long ornamental
passages inserted between the parts of the air, which are not only
destructive of proper effect, but also unnatural, and wanting in taste
themselves. The Queen is attended by three ladies, who, however, have
none of the vindictive qualities which distinguish her. Not
{THE THREE LADIES.}
(335)
only do we find unmistakable proofs of their original conception as good
fairies, but the way in which they are treated in the opera has a spice
of the drollery of Musäus or Wieland, although without their grace and
refinement; the merit which they possess is entirely due to Mozart.
They show themselves in their true colours from the first introduction.
Tamino enters in terrified flight from a serpent,[55] which is
well-expressed by the orchestra; at the moment when he is falling into a
swoon, the three ladies appear and slay the monster. As they gaze on the
beautiful youth, tender promptings fill their breasts; each wishes to
remain with him and to send her companions with tidings to the Queen;
a dispute arises which ends by their all three going, after a tender
farewell to the insensible Tamino. The situation is represented with
vivacity and humour in three well worked-out and varying movements, and
although the ladies never display any lofty emotions, they move with
so much natural grace that the not very refined situation makes an
impression of unclouded cheerfulness. A long cadenza for the three
voices, with which the movement originally closed, was judiciously
struck out by Mozart himself.[56]
The ladies express themselves in similar fashion, though not quite so
openly, seeing that they are not alone, in the quintet (6) when they
deliver Papageno from his padlock, present him and Tamino with the flute
and bells, and promise the companionship of the three boys. Here
too, they are benevolent beings, bringing miraculous gifts, but not
displaying any higher nature except when they mention the three boys,
and even then the mysterious tone adopted belongs rather to the latter
and the mysteries connected with them. Indeed, the teasing familiarity
of the ladies to Papageno, and their coquettish politeness to Tamino,
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(336)
give them quite a _bourgeois_ character, supported by the genial, jovial
tone of the music, which is fresh, natural, and full of euphonious
charm.
In the second quintet (13) the same ladies appear as opponents of the
initiated, but their character has been already so clearly indicated
that they cannot consistently turn into vindictive furies. They have
the appropriate feminine task of inveigling Tamino and Papageno into
breaking the silence which has been imposed on them, and, while easily
accomplishing this, as far as Papageno is concerned, they find that
Tamino is inflexible himself, and recalls Papageno to his duty. The
object of the music, therefore, is not to bring a dismal or gloomy
image before the mind, but to emphasise, without exaggerating, the comic
element of the situation. The central point of interest is of course
Papageno, who displays all the cowardice and loquacity of his nature to
the ladies, and is only kept within bounds by his respect for Tamino;
the ladies treat the interview almost as a joke, and even Tamino's
steadfast determination acquires from its surroundings an involuntarily
comic tone. The whole quintet is light and pleasing, destitute of any
higher feeling, such as that of the first quartet; all the more striking
is the effect of the powerful closing chords, to which the ladies,
pursued by the initiated, depart with a cry of terror, while Papageno
falls to the ground. The peculiar musical effect of this piece depends
mainly upon the skill with which the female voices are employed;[57]
where the male voices come in they are made to add to the combinations
partly in contrast and partly in union with the female voices. The
instrumentation is for the most part easy; in order to afford a firm
foundation the two violins frequently go with the third voice instead
of the bass, while wind instruments support the upper voices, which
produces a clear, light, and yet powerful tone-colouring. The allegretto
(6-8) in the introduction, in comparison with the two other movements of
the
{THE MOOR--PAPAGENO.}
(337)
same, or the passages in the first quintet, "bekamen doch die
Lügner allé," "O so eine Flöte," "Silberglöckchen," and finally the
announcement of the three boys may serve as examples of the union of
orchestra and voices to produce a climax of novel and melodious effect.
The Moor Monostatos may also be considered as a follower of the Queen of
Night, only left in attendance on Sarastro through the inconsistency
of the adaptation, and made a renegade in order that the figure of a
traitor to the order might not be omitted. He is never brought to the
front, neither in the terzet, where he threatens Pamina and then runs
away from Papageno, nor in the first finale, where he is made to dance
by Papageno, and then bastinadoed by order of Sarastro. But in the
second act, when he surprises Pamina asleep, he has a little song to
sing (14) which is a miniature masterpiece of psychological dramatic
characterisation.[58]
The kingdom of Night is most strikingly characterised when the Queen and
her ladies are introduced into the sanctuary by Monostatos to plot their
revenge. The motif on which the movement rests--[See Page Image]
is graphically descriptive of the stealthy entry; the summons to the
Queen of Night takes an expression of gloomy solemnity which stands in
characteristic contrast to the dignified gravity of the priests.
Papageno adds a third element to the temple priests and the kingdom of
Night. Even the inevitable character of the comic servant received
a novel colouring from the introduction of Masonic relations. The
qualities of sensuality, cowardice, and loquacity, on which the comic
effect depends, are here made typical of the natural man, who, destitute
of the nobler and more refined impulses of the initiated, aspires to
nothing beyond mere sensual gratification. This it maybe which causes
Papageno to appear far less vulgar and offensive
{DIE ZAUBERFLöTE}
(338)
than most of his fellows. It is true that his wit is destitute of
refinement or humour, but his jokes, though silly, are healthy and
natural to one side of the German character, which explains the fact
of Papageno having become the favourite of a large part of the public.
Although Schikaneder had doubtless a share in this popularity (he made
the part to his own liking, and when he built his new theatre with the
proceeds of the "Zauberflöte," he had himself painted on the drop-scene
as Papageno), all the essential merit of it is Mozart's own. To whatever
extent Schikaneder may have helped him to the melodies, that he came to
the aid of Mozart's inventive powers will be imagined by none, least of
all by those who know that the simplest song requires science for its
perfection, and that truth and beauty are made popular, not by debasing,
but by simplifying them.
Papageno's songs are genuine specimens of German national music--gay and
good-humoured, full of enjoyment of life and its pleasures. The first
song (3), "Der Vogel-fänger bin ich ja," is unusually simple, with an
extremely happy, sympathetic melody; the addition of horns, with
the tones and passages natural to them, gives a freshness to the
accompaniment; and the by-play on the reed-pipe (ever since called
Papageno's flute)--[See Page Image]
with the answer of the orchestra, has a really funny effect. The second
song (21) is in two parts, differing in time and measure, but resembles
the first in the tone of merry content which lies at the root of its
popularity. Schikaneder may have given just the suggestion to the
musical conception (Vol. III., p. 284), but the precise and well-rounded
working-out is due to Mozart alone. Papageno's bells give a peculiar
tone to the accompaniment, "eine Maschine wie ein holzemes Gelàchter,"
they are called in the libretto, and "istromento d' acciajo" by Mozart
in the score; they were brought in for the ritornellos and interludes
with easy variations in the different verses. The celebrated double-bass
player Pischl-berger or, according to Treitschke, Kapellmeister
{PAPAGENO.}
(339)
Henneberg "hammered" the instrument behind the scenes. Mozart wrote to
his wife at Baden how he had once played the bells himself behind the
scenes:--
I amused myself by playing an arpeggio when Schikaneder came to a pause.
He was startled, looked round, and saw me. The second time the pause
occurred I did the same; then he stopped and would not go on; I guessed
what he was after, and made another chord, upon which he tapped the
bells and said: "Hold your tongue!" ("Halts Maul!"), whereupon everybody
laughed. I fancy this was the first intimation to many people that he
did not play the instrument himself.
The instrument occurs first in the first finale, when Papageno makes the
slaves of Monostatos dance and sing to it.
Here it is brought prominently forward, supporting the melody alone,
accompanied only _pizzicato_ by the stringed instruments, and in a
measure by the chorus; the whole is most innocently simple, and of
charming effect.[59] The bells exercise their power a third time (the
magic flute is also; played three times) in the last finale, where the
magic instrument aids the despairing Papageno to recall his Papagena,
and is treated simply as befits its nature.[60]
Papageno's chief scene is in the last finale, when he resolves to die
for the love of his lost Papagena, and it forms a counterpart to the
pathetic scene of Pamina's despair. An expression of good-humour and of
true, if not very elevated, feeling prevents the comic situation from
becoming farcical.
{DIE ZAUBERFLöTE.}
(340)
Papageno's grief is like that of a child, expressed in genuine earnest,
yet of a nature to raise a smile on the lips of grownup people.
This double nature is well expressed, for example, in the violin
passage--[See Page Image]nwhich has something comic in its very accents
of grief. The form of this lengthy scene is altogether free. Without
alteration of time or measure the music follows the various points of
the scene, declamatory passages interrupting the long-drawn threads of
melody sometimes with great effect, and descriptive phrases repeated
at suitable places to keep the whole together. Thus the characteristic
passage--occurs three times to the words: "Drum geschieht es mir schon
recht!" "Sterben macht der Lieb' ein End," and "Papageno frisch hinauf,
en.de deinen Lebenslauf!" At the close, when he seems really on the
point of hanging himself, the time becomes slower, and a minor key
serves to express the gloom of despair. But the three boys appear and
remind him of his bells; at once his courage rises, and as he tinkles
the bells he calls upon his sweetheart to appear with all the confidence
and joy of a child. At the command of the boys he looks round, sees her,
and the two feather-clothed beings contemplate each other with amazement
and delight, approaching nearer and nearer, until at last they fall
into each other's arms. The comic point of the stammering "Pa-pa-pa-,"
uttered by them both, slowly at first, then with increasing rapidity
until they embrace with the exclamation, Papageno!" and "Papagena!" was
due to Schickaneder's
{LOVE OF MAN AND WIFE.}
(341)
suggestion.[61] That the happiness they feel at their reunion should
find expression in anticipating the advent of numerous little
Papagenos and Papagenas is not only intended as a trait of human nature
unrestrained and unrefined in thought and word, but serves to point
to the parental joys springing from wedlock as "the highest of all
emotions." The duet originally ended with the words (which Mozart did
not set to music):--
Wenn dann die Kleinen um sie spielen
Die Eltern gleiche Freude fühlen,
Sich ihres Ebenbildes freun
O, welch ein Gluck kann grosser sein?
The words with which the boys lead Papagena to Papageno--
Komm her, du holdes, liebes Weibchen!
Dem Mann sollst du dein Herzchen weihn.
Er wird dich lieben, süsses Weibchen,
Dein Vater, Freund und Brader sein
Sie dieses Mannes Eigenthum!
were also omitted by Mozart, because serious exhortations and moral
reflections would have been out of place here. He has instead succeeded
in producing so lively and natural an expression of childlike delight,
untouched by any taint of sensual desire, that the hearer feels his own
heart full of happiness for very sympathy. The companion piece to this
duet is that which Papageno sings with Pamina, after informing her that
Tamino, fired with love, is hastening to her release (8). There can be
no doubt that Mozart's wish has been to express the loftiest conception
of the love of man and wife as an image, however faint and imperfect, of
heavenly love; but here again Schikaneder has interposed, and insisted
on something popular. We cannot blame him, for Papageno's sphere is that
of natural, simple sentiment, not of enlightened morality, and Pamina is
an inexperienced girl, who follows her own feelings, and is ready enough
to fall into Papageno's vein.
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(342)
Mozart did not find it easy to satisfy Schikaneder, who called each
fresh attempt fine, but too learned; not until the third, or as some
say, the fifth version,[62] did Mozart hit on the simple tone of warm
feeling which Schikaneder believed would win every ear and every heart.
His judgment proved correct; at the first performance this was the
first piece applauded, and an angry critic complained in 1793 that the
"Mozartites" were passing all bounds, and that "at every concert the
ladies' heads went nodding like poppies in the field when the senseless
stuff was sung: 'Mann und Weib, und Weib und Mann (which makes four, by
the way), reichen an die Gottheit an.'"[63] According to Kapellmeister
Trüben-see, of Prague, who was engaged as oboist in Schikaneder's opera,
a rejected composition of this duet in the grand style was afterwards
made use of alternately with that now known, and indicated on the
playbill, "with the old duet" or "with the new duet."[64] At the first
performance of the "Zauberflöte" in the new Theater an der Wien in 1802,
Schikaneder' made the following announcement on the bill:--
Having been so fortunate as myself to possess the friendship of Mozart,
whose affection for me led him to set my work to music, I am in a
position to offer the audience on this occasion a gratifying surprise
in the form of two pieces of Mozart's composition, of which I am sole
possessor.[65]
One of them may have been the duet in question; what the other was we
cannot even conjecture.[66] An individuality such as Papageno's is
sure to impart some of its naïve good humour and joviality to the other
characters with whom he comes in contact, and the impression thus made
cannot
{ENSEMBLES.}
(343)
fail to appear in the music; whenever Papageno enters, whether he is
merry or whether he is sad, an irresistible tone of good humour takes
possession of the stage. Next to him in want of reserve and self-control
stands Pamina, who only gradually attains a consciousness of her higher
and nobler nature. Neither in the duet nor in the flight does her
expression of the feelings they are both experiencing differ in tone
from Papageno's; any marked distinction here would have marred the total
impression without assisting psychological truth. But on the approach
of Sarastro they draw apart; Pamina entrenches herself in proud reserve,
while Papageno gives vent to his terror with the same energy as in the
first quintet (6) when he is ordered to accompany Tamino to the castle.
In the second quintet (13) his fright is kept in check by Tamino's
presence, and his disgust at not daring to speak, and not being able
to keep silence, gains the upper hand and gives the tone to the whole
piece.
Such a consideration as we have given to the principal characters of the
"Zauberflöte," to its intellectual and musical conception, and to the
prevailing freedom of its form, serves to stamp its character as a
genuinely German opera. What was begun in the "Entführung," which
undertook to raise German vaudeville to the level of opera proper,
is carried further in the "Zauberflöte," which succeeds in gaining
recognition for the simplest expression of feeling, and for full freedom
of form of dramatic characterisation. The opera contains no airs of
the traditional stamp, except the two airs of the Queen of Night; and
a comparison of the way in which the aria form is treated in "Cosi fan
Tutte" and "Titus" will show an organic change in the airs, now that
they are developed from the simple Lied. This freedom of construction is
still more apparent in the ensembles, in the beautiful terzet (20), and
more especially in the first quintet (6). The second quintet (13) is
more precise in form, the ladies tempting Tamino and Papageno to break
silence forming the natural middle point of the musical construction.
But the freedom of movement strikes us most of all in the finales, which
are admirable examples of
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(344)
the art, so praised by Goethe, of producing effect by means of contrast.
In dramatic design they are inferior to the finales of "Figaro," "Don
Giovanni," or "Cosi fan Tutte." Instead of a plot proceeding from one
point, and developing as it proceeds, we have a succession of varied
scenes, lightly held together by the thread of events, and interesting
us more from their variety than their consistent development. In order
to follow this rapid movement great freedom of musical construction was
necessary; opportunities of carrying out a definite motif till it forms
a self-contained movement, which are so frequent in Italian finales,
occur here but seldom, one instance being the allegro of the first
finale, when Monostatos brings in Tamino, and the movement of the second
finale to which the Queen of Night enters. This essential difference of
treatment fills us with renewed admiration of Mozart's fertility in the
production of new suggestive and characteristic melodies, which seem
ready at command for every possible situation. Those who descend to
details will be amazed to find how seldom Mozart is satisfied with
a mere turn of expression, how lavish he is of original fully formed
musical subjects, and how all the details of his work are cemented into
a whole by his marvellous union of artistic qualities.
This leads us to the consideration of a second point in which the
"Zauberflöte" surpasses the "Entführung." The latter is confined to a
narrow circle of characters, situations, and moods, while the former has
a large and varied series of phenomena. The story from which the plot is
derived opens the realm of fairies and genü, personified in the Queen
of the Night and her ladies, and, as regards his outward appearance, in
Papageno. In addition to this there is the mystical element which
takes the first place both in the dramatic conception and the musical
characterisation of the opera. Mozart had no intention of representing
a fantastic fairy land, such as was called into existence by Weber and
Mendelssohn. The fabulous was not then identified with the fantastic,
but was often consciously made a mirror for the reflection of real life,
with its actual sentiments and views. Therefore the Queen of Night is
depicted as a queen,
{FANTASTIC AND MYSTIC ELEMENTS.}
(345)
as a sorrowing mother, as a revengeful woman; her ladies have their
share of coquetry and gossip, and these feminine qualities predominate
over the supernatural. The musical task of combining three soprano
voices into a connected whole, while preserving their individuality,
calls for great peculiarity of treatment, entailing further a special
turning to account of the orchestral forces at command, at the same time
that no special forms of expression are made to serve as typical of the
fairy element of the piece.
On the other hand the apparition of the three boys is accompanied by
every means of musical characterisation. They form the link with the
region of mysticism indicated awkwardly enough in the libretto. We
recognise something more than individual taste and inclination in
Mozart's efforts to invest them with a character of grave solemnity. A
universal and deep-rooted sympathy with Freemasonry was a characteristic
sign of the times, and the German mind and disposition are well
expressed in the efforts that were made to find in Freemasonry that
unity which intellectual cultivation and moral enlightenment alone could
bestow. Mozart was therefore at one in intention and aim with all that
was highest and noblest in the nation, and the more deeply his own
feelings were stirred the more sure he was to stamp his music with all
that was truly German in character. It was not without design that he
selected an old choral melody to mark a point of most solemn gravity, or
that he treated it in the way with which his fellow-countrymen were most
familiar. This passage is also significant as showing the marvellous
element in a symbolic light, and bringing the supernatural within the
domain of the human sphere. In this respect the representation of
the marvellous in the "Zauberflöte" differs widely from that in "Don
Giovanni." There the appearance of the ghost is a veritable miracle, a
fact which must be believed to be such, and rendered to the minds of
the spectators by means of the musical representation of terror in the
actors. In the "Zauberflöte," on the contrary, the marvellous element is
suggested only by the mystery hidden beneath it, and the mind is attuned
to a mood of awe-struck wonder.
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(346)
It cannot be denied that the deeply rooted symbolism of the opera has
dulled the edge of individual characterisation. Actions lose their
reality and become mere tests of virtue; the choruses of the priests
express generalities; neither the three ladies nor the three boys are
independent characters, but each group forms an individual, which
again represents an idea; even the principal characters, owing to the
concentration of all upon one idea, have more of a typical character
than is desirable in the interests of dramatic characterisation.[67]
In spite of these drawbacks Mozart has depicted both his situations and
characters naturally and vividly. No one will attempt to deny that both
the subjects and treatment of "Figaro" and "Don Giovanni," and in some
degree also of "Cosi fan Tutte," present far more occasions for the
expression of passion, for delicate detail, and for the emphasising of
special features, than is the case with the "Zauberflöte," where the
effect depends mainly on the general impression left by the whole work;
but that this is the case affords only another proof of Mozart's power
of grasping the strong points of every problem that was set before him.
"In Lessing's 'Nathan,'" says Strauss,[68] "we are as little disposed
to complain of the want of that powerful impression produced by his
more pungent pieces, as we are to wish the peaceful echoes of Mozart's
'Zauberflöte' exchanged for the varied characterisation and foaming
passion of the music of 'Don Juan.' In the last work of the musician, as
in that of the poet, wide apart as they stand in other respects, there
is revealed a perfected spirit at peace with itself, which having fought
and overcome all opposition from within, has no longer to dread that
which comes from without."
The fact that the words of the opera were in German had doubtless an
important influence on the musical expression. Wretched as the verses
are, so much so that it is difficult sometimes to find the sense
necessary for the proper understanding of Mozart's rendering of them,
they nevertheless
{THE ORCHESTRA.}
(347)
form the basis of the musical construction. Italian operatic poetry,
long since stereotyped in form, fettered the composer's fancy, while the
German verses, from their very want of finish, left him freer scope
for independent action. It is worthy of note that instrumental
tone-painting, so frequently employed in Italian opera as a means of
giving musical expression to the poetry, is but little resorted to in
the "Zauberflöte." Apart from the difference of poetical expression in
Italian and German, the sensuous sound of the Italian language was far
more provocative of musical expression; and the declamatory element of
correct accentuation and phrasing was at the root of the correct musical
expression of German words. In this respect also the "Zauberflöte" is
far superior to the "Entführung." A comparison of the text with the
music will show what pains Mozart has taken to declaim expressively
and forcibly. Sometimes the effort is too apparent, as in Sarastro's
well-known "Doch"; but as a rule Mozart's musical instinct prevents
the declamatory element from intruding itself to the detriment of the
melodious.
In the treatment of the orchestra also the "Zauberflöte" stands alone
among Mozart's operas. It is not, as in "Figaro" and "Don Giovanni,"
employed for delicate details of characterisation, nor is it, as in
"Cosi fan Tutte" replete with euphonious charm. It has here a double
part: in that portion of the opera which represents purely human emotion
the orchestra is free and independent in movement, but easy and simple
in construction; while for the mystic element of the story it has quite
another character: Unusual means, such as trombones and basset-horns,
are employed for the production of unusual and weird effects, while
through all the delicate gradations of light and shade, from melancholy
gravity to brilliant pomp, the impression of dignity and solemnity is.
maintained, and the hearer is transported to a sphere beyond all earthly
passion. Not only are the hitherto unsuspected forces of the orchestra
here brought into play, but its power of characterisation is for the
first time made _fully_ manifest, and the "Zauberflöte" is the point of
departure for all that modern music has achieved in this
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(348)
direction. It must not, however, be forgotten that instrumental
colouring is always to Mozart one means among many of interpreting
his artistic idea, and never aspires to be its sole exponent, or to
overshadow it altogether.
That which gives the "Zauberflöte" its peculiar position and importance
among Mozart's operas is the fact that in it for the first time all the
resources of cultivated art were brought to bear with the freedom of
genius upon a genuinely German opera.[69] In his Italian operas he had
adopted the traditions of a long period of development, and by virtue
of his original genius had, as it were, brought them to a climax and a
conclusion; in the "Zauberflöte" he stepped across the threshold of the
future, and unlocked the sanctuary of national art for his countrymen.
And they understood him; the "Zauberflöte" sank directly and deeply
into the hearts of the German people, and to this day it holds its place
there. The influence which it has exerted in the formation of German
music can be disregarded by no one who has an eye for the development of
art.
Evidence of the rapid popularity of the "Zauberflöte" is afforded by the
imitations of it which were produced at the theatres Auf der Wieden and
Leopoldstadt:--
Everything is turned to magic at these theatres; we have the magic
flute, the magic ring, the magic arrow, the magic mirror, the magic
crown, and many other wretched magic affairs. Words and music are
equally contemptible (except the "Zauberflöte"), so that one knows not
whether to award the palm of silliness to the poet or the composer.
Added to this, these miserable productions are still more miserably
performed.[70]
Schikaneder's opera, "Babylons Pyramiden," the first act composed by
Gallus, the second by Winter, first produced October 23, 1797, bore a
striking resemblance to the
{PERFORMANCES AND IMITATIONS.}
(349)
"Zauberflöte."[71] In the following year appeared "Das Labyrinth,
oder der Kampf der Elemente," announced as a continuation of the
"Zauberflöte," by Schikaneder and Winter;[72] it was performed in Berlin
with great magnificence in 1806.[73] Goethe's design of continuing the
"Zauberflöte" has been already mentioned (Vol. III., p. 314, note). It
would be superfluous to enumerate the performances of the "Zauberflöte"
in Germany. It soon took possession of every stage in Vienna. In 1801 it
was given at the Karnthnerthortheater with new scenery by Sacchetti.[74]
Schikaneder was not mentioned, which gave rise to some coarse pamphlets
in doggerel verse.[75] Schikaneder's answer was a brilliantly appointed
performance of the "Zauberflöte" in his new theatre An der Wien, which
he recommended to the public in some doggerel lines as Papageno, not
failing also to parody the defective machinery of the other theatre.[76]
The run was extraordinary,[77] but he had taken so many liberties with
the work--omitting the quintet, for instance, and inserting an air
for Mdlle. Wittmann--that he did not escape criticism in more doggerel
verses.[78]
From Vienna the opera spread rapidly to every theatre in Germany, great
and small.[79] In Berlin it was first given on May 12,1794, with a
success[80] that testified to the preference for German rather than
Italian opera there;[81] the jubilee of this performance was celebrated
on May 12, 1844.[82]
{DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.}
(350)
At Hamburg "the long-expected 'Zauberflöte'" was first put on the stage
on November 12,1794, and soon usurped the popularity of "Oberon" and
"Sonnenfest der Braminen."[83] It may be mentioned as a curiosity
that the "Zauberflöte" was played in a French translation[84] at
Braunschweig* and in Italian at Dresden,[85] until the year 1818,[86]
when C. M. von Weber first produced it in German with great care, and
quite to his own satisfaction.[87]
The "Zauberflöte" rapidly gained popularity for Mozart's name,
especially in North Germany. How universal was the favour with which
it soon came to be regarded may be testified by Goethe, who makes his
Hermann, describing a visit to his neighbour in their little country
town, say:--
Minchen sass am Klavier; es war der Vater zugegen,
Hörte die Tochterchen singen, und war entzückt und in Laune.
Manches verstand ich nicht, was in den Liedern gesagt war;
Aber ich hörte viel von Pamina, viel von Tamino,
Und ich wollte doch auch nicht stumm sein! Sobald sie geendet,
Fragt' ich dem Texte nach, und nach den beiden Personen.
Aile schwiegen darauf und lächelten; aber der Vater
Sagte: nicht wahr, mein Freund, er kennt nur Adam und Eva?!!!
Even to this day Sarastro and Tamino are regular starring and trial
parts; unhappily, so is the Queen of Night for singers who possess the
high F; and though the novelty and splendour of the scenery and
stage accessories have been long since surpassed, and the interest in
Freemasonry has died away, yet the "Zauberflöte" is still popular in the
best sense of the word. It has been successfully performed in Dutch,[88]
Swedish,[89] Danish,[90] and Polish;[91] but, as might have been
expected, the "_musica scelerata_ without any melody" was even less to
the taste of the Italians than Mozart's
{PERFORMANCES AND IMITATIONS.}
(351)
other operas.[92] It is not surprising either that it was only
moderately successful in London, where it was first performed in
Italian[93] in 1811, then in English in 1837,[94] and in German by a
German company in 1840;[95] but the songs and other pieces of the opera
have always been well known and popular.[96]
The "Zauberflöte" was given in Paris in 1791 curiously transformed by
Lachnith under the title of "Jes Mystères d'Isis."[97] The piece was
irrecognisable; everything miraculous, including the magic flute itself,
and everything comic was omitted, Papageno being turned into the wise
shepherd Bochoris; this, of course, involved the parodying of a great
part of the music, and much was omitted even without this excuse. The
omissions were made good by the insertion of pieces out of other operas
by Mozart, e.g., the drinking-song from "Don Giovanni" arranged as a
duet, an air from "Titus," also as a duet, and more of the same kind.
Great liberties were taken with the music itself. The closing chorus,
with Sarastro's recitative, formed the beginning of the opera; then
followed the terzet "Seid uns zum zweiten-mal willkommen," sung by six
priestesses; then a chorus from "Titus" (15); and then the original
introduction. Monostatos' song was given to Papagena (Mona), the first
air of the Queen of Night to Pamina, and the duet "Bei Mannern" was
turned into a terzet. It can easily be imagined how distorted Mozart's
music was by all these additions, erasures, and alterations. The
performance called forth lively protests from the critics and
connoisseurs,[98] French as well as German;[99] its defence was
undertaken, curiously
{ILLNESS AND DEATH.}
(352)
enough, by Cramer.[100] The opera was nicknamed "Les Misères d'Ici," and
"l'opération" of the "dérangeur" Lachnith was discussed.[101] But all
were agreed as to the excellence of the scenery and ballet, of the
arrangement of particular scenes, and of the admirable performance
of the orchestra and chorus, which may account for the fact that this
deformity was one hundred and thirty times performed in Paris up to
1827.[102] On February 23, 1865, the unmutilated "Zauberflöte" was, for
the first time, placed on the stage of the Théätre-Lyrique, translated
by Nuitter and Beaumont, and had a brilliant success.[103]
FOOTNOTES OF CHAPTER XLIII.
[Footnote 1: Treitschke, Orpheus, 1841, p. 246. Monatsschr. f. Theat. u. Music,
1857, p. 445.]
[Footnote 2: Al. Fuchs, Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1842, p. 57. A. M. Z., XLIV., p. 366.]
[Footnote 3: The three Genü were played by Nanette Schikaneder, afterwards Madame
Eikof (Südd. Mus. Ztg., 1866, p. 191), Matth. Tuscher and Handlgruber,
but Frz. Maurer appeared instead of the second, the same who sang
Sarastro four years afterwards. The names in brackets rest on a
communication from Treitschke (Orph., p. 246); apparently these parts
were sometimes changed.]
[Footnote 4: Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1842, p. 58.]
[Footnote 5: Mus. Wochenbl., p. 79. This must have been the fault of the
performance; at least, in 1793, "Mozart's admirable music was so mangled
at Schikaneder's theatre, that one would fain have run away." (Berlin,
Mus. Ztg., 1793, p. 142).]
[Footnote 6: Treitschke (Orph., p. 248) remarks that, at the time he wrote, the
"Zauberflöte" had been performed for the hundred and thirty-fifth time.]
[Footnote 7: I have to thank my friend Dr. L. von Sonnleithner for much
information on these points.]
[Footnote 8: The new operas for Schikaneder's theatre were: 1789, "Una Cosa
rara," second part, music by B. Schack; "Das unvermuthete Seefest,"
music by J. Schenck; 1790, "Das Schlaraffenland," music by Schack
and Gerl; "Das Singspiel ohne Titel," music by J. Schenck; "Die
Wienerzeitung," music by Schack; 1791, "Oberon," music by Paul
Wranitzky; "Der Erndtekranz," music by Joh. Schenck; "Die Zauberflöte."]
[Footnote 9: Cf. Riehl, Mus. Charakterköpfe, I., p. 244.]
[Footnote 10: Schroder saw this opera during his tour in the spring of 1791, at
Frankfort, Mannheim, and Vienna; and it was given at Hamburg in October
(Meyer, L. Schröder, II., pp. 64, 76, 85, 97). In Berlin it was put
upon the stage in February, 1792, and was severely criticised (Mus.
Wochenbl., p. 157). It was sometimes performed later, and older
dilettanti preferred it to Weber's "Oberon" (A. M. Z., XXXI., p. 643).]
[Footnote 11: The third volume of this collection of tales appeared in 1789. The
preface declares the author of "Lulu" and the "Palmblatter" to be the
same, and consequently (since it cannot be Herder) Liebeskind.]
[Footnote 12: The tale was afterwards turned into a Danish opera, "Lulu," by
Güntel-berg, and composed by Kuhlau (A. M. Z., XXX., p. 540).]
[Footnote 13: These three helpful boys, with their aphorisms, are borrowed from
another tale in the third part of the Dschinnistan, "Die klugen Knaben."]
[Footnote 14: Devrient, Gesch. der deutschen Schauspielkunst, III., p. 141.]
[Footnote 15: Riehl, Musik. Charakterköpfe, I., p. 3.]
[Footnote 16: Castelli, Memoiren, I., p. 111.]
[Footnote 17: Goethe says of his "Helena" (Gespr. m. Eckermann, I., p. 317):
"Granted that the majority of spectators care for nothing but what meets
the eye, the initiated will not fail to grasp the higher meaning, as is
the case with the 'Zauberflöte' and some other works."]
[Footnote 18: Lewis, Gesch. d. Freimaur. in Oesterreich, p. 40.]
[Footnote 19: Pater Cantes is said to have composed the songs to Schikaneder's
operas from friendship (Monatsschr. f. Theat. u. Mus., III., p. 444).]
[Footnote 20: Gieseke himself told Cornet that he had the principal share in
the words of the "Zauberflöte" (Die Oper in Deutschl., p. 24. Illust.
Familienbuch des öst. Lloyd, II., p. 19); and Neukomm confirmed his
statement to me, having known Cornet as an actor at the Theater auf der
Wieden.]
[Footnote 21: The most important features of the ceremonial, the tests of secrecy
and silence, the wandering through fire and water, &c., are to be found
in Apuleius' account of the initiation of Lucius into the mysteries of
Isis (Met., IX., 21). It is well known that the origin of Freemasonry
has been found in the Egyptian mysteries, and various symbols have
thence made their way into some of the lodges (Cf. Born in the Journal
fur Freimaurer, 1784, I., 3. Berlioz, Litt. u. Theater-Zeitg., 1783, p.
741).]
[Footnote 22: The Masonic tendencies are visible in the frequent allusions to the
opposition between light and darkness, and in the subordinate
position of the women, who are "not to pry into mysteries which are
incomprehensible to the female mind," and which can only be solved under
the guidance of wise men. Cf. a "treatise on the uses of secrecy" read
at a lodge held for women, setting forth why the order was, and must
remain, closed to them (Teutsch. Mercur, 1786, III., p. 59).]
[Footnote 23: Eckerxnann, Gespräche mit Goethe, III., p. 17.]
[Footnote 24: Goethe made the following announcement on the subject to Wranitzky
(January 24, 1796): "The favour with which the 'Zauberflöte' has been
received, and the difficulty of writing a piece which could compete with
it, have suggested to me the idea of finding in itself the subject of
a new work, so as to meet the preference of the public half way, as it
were, and to simplify the performance of a new and complicated piece
both to the actors and the theatrical management. I believe I shall best
attain this object by writing a second part to the 'Zauberflöte' the
characters are all familiar, both to the public and to the actors, and
it will be possible, having the earlier piece before one, to heighten
the climax of the situations and events without exaggerating them, and
to give life and interest to the whole piece." He writes to Wranitzky,
further, that it will please him to be associated with so talented a
man, and that he has endeavoured to "open a wide field to the composer,
and to touch upon every department of poetry, from the most elevated
emotions to the lightest pleasantry" (Orpheus, 1841, p. 252. Cf. Briefw.
zw. Schiller u. Goethe, 468. Briefw. m. Zelter, I., p. 16; II., pp. 93,
166).]
[Footnote 25: Herder lays stress on the predominating idea of the struggle
between light and darkness as a main reason for the great success of the
"Zauberflöte" (Adrastea, II., p. 284).]
[Footnote 26: Reichardt writes to Tieck (March 17, 1812): "Thus numberless
mongrel and prodigious creations have taken form, round which music has
been developed and almost perfected. Mozart's highest performances owe
their existence to Schikaneder and Co. Without the 'Zauberflöte' and
'Don Juan,' one side of Mozart's genius would have remained unknown to
us" (Briefe an L. Tieck, III., p. no).]
[Footnote 27: An interpretation from the Masonic point of view is given by L. v.
Batzko (Journ. d. Lux. u. d. Mod., 1794, p. 364). A ludicrous allusion
to the Revolution was imputed to the "Zauberflöte" by a pamphlet,
Geheime Gesch. d. Verschworungssy stems d. Jacobiner in d. österr.
Staaten, 1795.]
[Footnote 28: André has published the score of the overture, so that the
alterations and additions can be recognised as such. The autograph of
the opera is complete (N. Ztschr. fur Mus., XLV., p. 41).]
[Footnote 29: Cäcilia, XX., p. 132.]
[Footnote 30: Cf. Marx, Lehre v. d. mus. Kompos., IV., p. 181.]
[Footnote 31: Allg. Wiener Mus. Ztg., 1842, p. 521. Niederrh. Mus. Ztg., 1856,
pp. 68,89. N. Ztschr. f. Mus., XLV., p. 41.]
[Footnote 32: Ulibicheff, who has devoted careful study to this overture,
continually, and with justice, recurs to the idea of light and
brilliancy, which is irresistibly brought home to the hearer, as Mozart
no doubt fully intended.]
[Footnote 33: Koch, Journal der Tonkunst (1795, I., p. 103).]
[Footnote 34: The use made of the old choral melody was first remarked by
Rochlitz, but he calls the chorale, "Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir"
(A. M. Z., I., p. 148), while Gerber (N. Lex., III., p. 496) calls it,
"Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam," and Zelter (Briefw., III., p.
415; IV., p. 354), "Wenn wir in hochsten Nöthen"--variations which are
capable of explanation, and sometimes of justification (Càcilia, VIII.,
p. 134. A. M. Z., XLVIII., p. 481).]
[Footnote 35: The antiquated melody treated by Mozart is the song, "Ach Gott vom
Himmel sieh darein," in use from 1524 (Winterfeld, Evang. Kirchengesang,
I., Beil. 14; II., p. 7. Tucher, Schatz des evang. Kirchengesanges Mel.,
236).]
[Footnote 36: Kirnberger, Kunst d. reinen Satzes, I., p. 237.]
[Footnote 37: Kirnberger, I., p. 243. Cf. Stadler, Nachr., p. 12.]
[Footnote 38: Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1842, p. 58.]
[Footnote 39: Two choral melodies, "O Gottes Lamm," and "Als aus Egypten," with
partially figured bass, are written by Mozart upon one sheet (343 K.),
perhaps with a similar object.]
[Footnote 40: Cf. Marx, Lehre v. d. mus. Kompos., II., pp. 536, 568.]
[Footnote 41: Whether any special Masonic wisdom lurks in the choice of this song
I cannot say; it is worthy of remark that even in the Masonic funeral
music a figured Cantus firmus is made use of (Vol. II., p. 411).]
[Footnote 42: The resemblance traced by C. F. Becker (Hausmusik, p. 37) to a
passage from Joh. Kuhnau's "Frisch e Clavierfrüchte".(1696) has been
proved illusory by Faiszt (Cäcilia, XXV., p. 150).]
[Footnote 43: This curious combination recalls to mind the piece for trumpets and
flutes which Mozart formerly wrote in Salzburg (Vol. I., p. 308).]
[Footnote 44: It is not without purpose that they are made to accompany Tamino's
words, "Der Lieb' und Tugend Heiligthum" in the recitative of the
first finale where Mozart first selected flutes, but then changed to
clarinets, which only recur in this place.]
[Footnote 45: This is pointed out in an article on the characteristics of
different keys (A. M. ZM XXVII., p. 228).]
[Footnote 46: The last words which Mozart wrote to his wife at Baden contained
an allusion to this terzet: "Die Stunde schlägt--leb wohl--wir sehen uns
wieder."]
[Footnote 47: Mozart, as an ear-witness noted (A. M. Z., XVII., p. 571), accented
the first quaver of this figure, and took the tempo of the terzet almost
as quick as it has since been played, following the direction _andante
moderato_. In Mozart, as in other older composers, andante ("going") by
no means exclusively implies a slow tempo.]
[Footnote 48: Siebigke gives an elaborate analysis of this terzet (Mozart, p.
38).]
[Footnote 49: Meyer, L. Schroder, II.; I., p. 85.]
[Footnote 50: Lipowsky, Baier. Musik-Lex., p. 297. A. M. Z., XXIX., p. 519.
Meyer, L. Schroder, II.; I., p. 85.]
[Footnote 51: Anna Gottlieb, born in Vienna, 1774, sang Barberina in "Figaro"
in 1786, and was then engaged by Schikaneder; in 1792 she went as prima
donna to the Leopoldstadt Theater. She took part in the Mozart Festival
at Salzburg in 1842, and in the Jubilee of 1856, and died there soon
afterwards.]
[Footnote 52: G. Weber's remark (A. M. Z., XVII., p. 247) that the tempo of this
air is generally taken too slow, is confirmed by the contemporary of
Mozart already mentioned, with a reference to his own directions (Ibid.,
p. 571). Here again the direction andante was misleading.]
[Footnote 53: It is interesting to note how the rhythmic movement of the
beginning--[See Page Image] gives the impulse to the whole of the music.]
[Footnote 54: Cäcilia, XX., p. 133.]
[Footnote 55: The original words were: "Dem grimmigen Löwen zum Opfer
erkoren--schon nahet er sich." Mozart substituted the poisonous serpent
later. In the Fliegende Blatter fur Mus. (I., p. 441), the description
of this serpent is compared with that in Weber's "Euryanthe."]
[Footnote 56: The autograph score shows traces of abbreviation, the complete
cadenza having been made known by Al. Fuchs from an old copy (Allg.
Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1841, p. 244).]
[Footnote 57: The parts of the three boys are treated in similar fashion, only
that the working-out is appropriately much simpler.]
[Footnote 58: Marx, Kompositionslehre, IV., p. 541.]
[Footnote 59: In the Parisian travesty of the "Zauberflöte" the virtuous shepherd
Bochoris sings this song to induce the guard to liberate Pamina, and
by this means gradually works up the twelve Moorish slaves and the guard
into such a state of comic and exhilarated emotion that they form
round him during his song, and execute an exceedingly characteristic
pantomimic dance, expressive of curiosity and delight. Then the chorus
of the guard falls in, interspersed with Lais' lovely singing,
which continues until the chorus sink at his feet in delight. "It is
impossible," adds Reichardt, in describing this scene (Vertraute Briefe
aus Paris, I., p. 438), "to imagine anything more piquant or perfect.
It made such an impression that it had to be repeated, a thing which had
never happened there before" (A. M. Z., IV., p. 72). The rearrangement
of the music necessitated is described in A. M. Z., IV., Beil. I.]
[Footnote 60: At a performance of the "Zauberflöte" at Godesberg, in June, 1793,
a steel keyed instrument was substituted for the bells with good effect
(Berl. Mus. Ztg., 1793, p. 151).]
[Footnote 61: Castelli (111. Familienbuch, 1852, p. 119), quoting from the
bass-player Seb. Mayer.]
[Footnote 62: "Herr Schikaneder has made it his habit to dabble in all the operas
composed for him, altering the keys and sometimes striking out the
best-passages and substituting bad ones. Even Mozart had to submit to
his criticism in the composition of the 'Zauberflöte,' and underwent not
a little annoyance in consequence. For instance, the duet 'Bei Männern'
had to be composed five times before it pleased him" (A. M. Z., I., p.
448.)]
[Footnote 63: Berl. Mus. Ztg., 1793, p. 148.]
[Footnote 64: N. Ztschr. fur Mus., XLV., p. 43.]
[Footnote 65: Allg. Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1842, p. 58.]
[Footnote 66: A duet composed by Mozart (625 K.) for Schikaneder's "Stein der
Weisen," performed in 1792, is not known.]
[Footnote 67: Cf. Hotho, Vorstudien, p. 79.]
[Footnote 68: Strauss, Lessing's Nathan d. Weise, p. 77.]
[Footnote 69: Beethoven, according to Seyfried (Beethoven's Studien, Anhang, p.
21), declared the "Zauberflöte" to be Mozart's greatest work, for in it
he first shows himself as a _German_ composer. Schindler adds (Biogr.,
II., pp. 164, 322) that he thought so highly of it because it contained
every species of song, even to the chorale and the fugue. If we reflect
that this praise from Beethoven can only refer to the intellectual power
which succeeded in combining the most varied forms into an artistic
whole, born of one conception, we shall be convinced how deep was his
appreciation of that power.]
[Footnote 70: Berl. Mus. Ztg., 1793, p. 142.]
[Footnote 71: A. M. Z., I., pp. 73, 447.]
[Footnote 72: A. M. Z., II., p. 811.]
[Footnote 73: A. M. ZM V., pp. 778, 794. Zelter, Briefw., I., p. 74.]
[Footnote 74: A. M. Z., III., p. 484. Ztg. fur d. Eleg. Welt, 1801, No. 40, p.
315.]
[Footnote 75: Mozart und Schikaneder, ein theatralisches Gespräch uber die
Auffuhrung der Zauberflöte im Stadttheater, in Knittelversen von * *.
Wien, 1801 (Ztg. fur d. Eleg. Welt, 1801, No. 41, p. 326). Mozart's
Traum nach Anhörung seiner Oper die Zauberflöte im Stadttheater,
Jupitern und Schikanedem erzahlt im Olymp in Knittelversen von F. H. von
TZ. Wien, 1801.]
[Footnote 76: Treitschke, Orpheus, p. 248. A. M. Z., III., p. 484.]
[Footnote 77: Jupiter, Mozart und Schikaneder nach der ersten Vorstellung der
Zauberflöte im neun Theater an der Wien (Wien, 1802).]
[Footnote 78: A. M. Z., XII., p. 1057.]
[Footnote 79: A. M. Z., XIV., p. 558. Treitschke, Orpheus, p. 249.]
[Footnote 80: Reichardt, Vertr. Briefe aus Paris, I., p. 163.]
[Footnote 81: Schneider, Gesch. d. Oper, p. 63.]
[Footnote 82: A. M. Z., XLVI., p. 443. Rellstab, Ges. Schr., XX., p. 379.]
[Footnote 83: Meyer, L. Schroder, II., i, p. 115.]
[Footnote 84: A. M. Z., VII., p. 208.]
[Footnote 85: A. M. Z., I., p. 341.]
[Footnote 86: Treitschke, Orpheus, p. 250.]
[Footnote 87: A. M. Z., XX., p. 839. Cäcilia, VIII., p. 170.]
[Footnote 88: A. M. ZM XIV., p. 239.]
[Footnote 89: A. M. Z., XIV., pp. 593, 804, 864.]
[Footnote 90: A. M. Z., XXXI., p. 820.]
[Footnote 91: A. M. Z., XIV., p. 327.]
[Footnote 92: An attempt at Milan, in 1886, had a doubtful success (A. M. Z.,
XVIII., pp. 346, 485), and a second in Florence, 1818, was a decided
failure (A. M. Z., XXI., p. 42).]
[Footnote 93: Pohl, Mozart u. Haydn in London, p. 147.]
[Footnote 94: Hogarth, Mem. of the Opera, II., p. 193.]
[Footnote 95: A. M. Z., XLII., p. 736; XLIV., p. 610.]
[Footnote 96: A. M. Z., III., p. 335.]
[Footnote 97: A closer analysis by a German musician is to be found in A. M. Z.,
IV., p. 69.]
[Footnote 98: A. M. Z., IV., p. 47.]
[Footnote 99: Reichardt, Vertr. Briefe aus Paris, I., pp. 162, 457. Solger,
Nachgel.Schr., I., p. 69. Engel, Journal de Paris, 1801, No. 346.
Schlegel, Europa, II., I., p. 178.]
[Footnote 100: Cramer, Anecd. sur Mozart, p. 18. Cf. Ztg. f. d. eleg. Welt, 1801,
No. 101.]
[Footnote 101: Castil-Blaze, L'Acad. Imp. de Mus., II., p. 86.]
[Footnote 102: A. M. Z., XX., p. 858; XXXIII., pp. 82, 142. In the year 1829, the
German performance of the "Zauberflöte" was very successful in Paris.
(A. M. Z., XXXI., p. 466.)]
[Footnote 103: Niederrhein. Mus. Ztg., 1865, p. 68. Berl. Mus. Ztg., Echo, 1865,
p. 73. Henry Blaze de Bury, Revue des Deux Mondes, 1865, LVI., p. 412.]
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MOZART 44
BY DAVID WIDGER