Mozart’s final completed masterpiece, the singspiel (a German opera with spoken text as well as sung numbers) “Die Zauberflöte,” or “The Magic Flute,” is a study in sharp contrasts. The libretto, written by Mozart’s lodge buddy Emanuel Schikaneder, pits benevolence against vengeance, truth against falsehood, and beauty against ugliness.
Mozart’s score musicalizes these extremes in various ways. The opera’s hero, Tamino, sings generously long phrases of melody as he pours his heart out for the beloved Pamina, while the darkly lustful Monostatos can only express himself in short, choppy measures that scurry like rats. Act I’s three ladies sing music laced with seduction as they incant over the sleeping Tamino, but when a trio of spirits replace them as Tamino’s guides, the music is a simple hymn sung by the pure voices of three boys.
