The Magic Flute Study Guide - Manitoba Opera

Romani wrote some 90 texts which were set by 34 different composers. Scribe’s productivity was
higher still, both men becoming better known and better
recompensed than many of the lesser composers who set
their words to music. As early as the 1820s, Scribe was
living in an elegant country estate and was probably the
richest playwright in Europe.
Some opera librettists were important authors in their
own right; Boito, who wrote the texts of Verdi’s Otello and
Falstaff, was also an opera composer. Others are scarcely
remembered, and some (e.g., Solera and Piave, early
collaborators with Verdi) ended their lives in poverty.
Wagner, more than any other composer, was determined
to mastermind all aspects of his works. That included
writing his own texts.
20 th Century Librettists
The most fruitful 20 th century collaboration between composer and librettist was probably that
between Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal; together, they created Elektra, Der
Rosenkavalier and other operas. The poet W.H. Auden (with Chester Kallman) wrote the texts of
operas for Britten, Stravinsky and Henze.
Five Facts about The Magic Flute
1. Mozart's last opera, The Magic Flute premiered on September 30, 1791 - roughly three
months before Mozart died. Mozart himself conducted the orchestra, while the librettist,
Emanuel Schikaneder, sang the role of Papageno.
2. Mozart's opera is widely known as a Masonic allegory. Mozart, as well as the librettist, was
a Freemason. Throughout the opera, the symbolism is easily apparent, especially during the
trials in the Temple of Wisdom.
3. When Mozart wrote this opera, many of the vocal passages were written specifically for the
singers that would premier his work. Mozart accommodated the less experienced performers
by doubling their parts in the orchestra.
4. The Queen of the Night's aria, "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" is one of the most
well-known opera arias of all time. Taking place in the second act, this difficult aria demands a
two-range octave and and a lyric soprano voice dramatic enough to convey the emotional
brevity of the scene.
5. The author of 50 libretti, including The Magic Flute, Emanuel Schikaneder ranked among
the most talented comic singer-actors of his day. His 1780 meeting with Mozart, was
fortuitous as some years later Schikaneder sank deep in debt, but was saved from financial
ruin by the success of The Magic Flute.
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