Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte comes from the singspiel tradition that developed in Germany and Austria during the early 18th century. The singspiel was semi-operatic, with sung numbers and spoken dialogue. Subjects tended towards the mystical, the fantastic and the bizarre, giving ample opportunity for exotic music and spectacular stage effects. Fairy tales and myths were the normative source materials in order to appeal to a broad audience. The score to Zauberflöte, therefore, is a fascinating mixture of operatic and non-operatic forms. From the world of the opera seria or serious, tragic Italian operas of the time, we have the aria “O zittre nicht”, sung by the Queen of the Night. It is standard operatic fare from the period, with a recitative, slow movement and fast movement. It could not be more different from Papageno’s entrance aria, “Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja” which is like a German folksong with orchestral accompaniment. Similarly folk-like is the duet between Papageno and Pamina, “Bei männer, welche Liebe fühlen”. And what to make of the ensembles, “Hm, hm, hm” (quintet for the three ladies, Papageno and Tamino), the trio “Du feines Täubchen nur herein” (Pamina, Monastatos, Papageno) or “Pa-pa-pa”, the Papageno/Papagena duet in the finale? These all seem to be from a kind of ‘music hall’ or vaudeville tradition with that rare combination of wit and theatrical savvy not often found in the world of opera. (In fact, these are the pieces that bring Zauberflöte closer to the singspiel tradition than any of the other musical numbers).
The opera also has its philosophical, serious moments. With the introduction of Sarastro and the whole concept of the Brotherhood we enter a musical world where hymns, marches, fanfares and choruses are the rule. Combine these elements with the ensembles involving the Three Ladies, the Three Knaben (or ‘boys’) and the lyrical outpourings of Tamino (“Dies bildnis”) and Pamina (“Ach, ich fühls”) and you have something of a musical patchwork. Strangely, because of Mozart’s personality, the patchwork is wonderfully successful. The Masonic symbolism (emphasis on three’s: even the opening overture is in a key featuring three flats) helps unify the piece, and the comic numbers involving Papageno and the Three Ladies offer some relief. It helps to remember that this was meant by both the composer and his librettist Schikaneder to be a popular offering, and like every opera it was meant to communicate some kind of moral or lesson in order to uplift the audience. Understanding that, we can see Die Zauberflöte as a wonderful example of the operatic and theatrical traditions of the late-18th century German tradition into which has been poured the elegant music of the Salzburg master.