Die zauberflöte, masonic opera, and other fairy tales

Abstract

The term 'Masonic opera' is often applied to Mozart's Die Zauberfl?te to indicate per vasive Masonic content in the form of a hidden coherent allegory with a complex representation of the order's symbols and initiation rituals. This view has been influential in musicology and other scholarly writing,1 but a review of the primary sources reveals that it is speculative, with no compelling evidence to support its broad claims. Moreover, some evidence suggests that the 'Masonic opera' theory is an unlikely interpretation. Allegory and symbolism function somewhat differently in opera at this time and no eighteenth century singspiel is known to have communicated its meaning so indirectly, leaving essential and ubiquitous content to be deciphered by a small group possessing the code. The historical context for the opera, fairy-tale singspiel or M?rchenoper, has been ex plored only superficially; not a single scholarly study in the twentieth century has been devoted to this operatic tradition. Some modern writers have even derisively dismissed this aspect as unworthy of consideration. A review of fairy-tale opera will reveal that most musical and dramatic elements in Die Zauberfl?te are present in previous operas with no demonstrable Masonic content. These works situate Die Zauberfl?te in an ac curate theatrical context and provide much needed perspective on the question of Masonic symbolism. While the notion of a complex, coherent Masonic allegory does not withstand scrutiny, a few passages in the libretto appear to have been drawn from Masonic sources. Here I will suggest a plausible explanation for the presence of this material and review the reasons that one should not assume a more prevalent use of symbolic reference to Freemasonry. It might seem odd that some 210 years after the premiere of Die Zauberfl?te scholars continue to debate the most basic level of the opera's content. Unfortunately, distor