Saskatoon Opera in Schools
presents
The Magic Flute
by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
adapted by
Charlie Peters
Story
The Magic Flute is one of the world’s best-known operas. It tells the story of Prince Tamino
who is sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the Queen’s
enemy Sarastro. Accompanied by the happy-go-lucky Papageno, and aided by the power of
the Magic Flute, Tamino goes to Sarastro’s temple but soon discovers that all is not what it
seems to be. Tamino meets Pamina but is tested to see if he is worthy of her love. Papageno
also feels the power of love and longs for a girlfriend, the elusive Papagena. In the end, the
forces of evil are defeated and everyone hails the enlightened ones, Tamino and Pamina.
The Cast and Crew
This production of The Magic Flute is approximately 50 minutes long, adapted from the
original opera, which is about three hours in length. The Magic Flute has a large cast but
because this adaptation uses only six singers, they play multiple roles.
Jamilynn Gubbe
Danika Loren
Alicia Woynarski
Philip Klaassen
Josh Whelan
Robert Grier
Lady 1 / Queen of the Night / Armoured Person 1
Lady 2 / Pamina
Lady 3 / Priest/ Papagena/ Armoured Person 2
Tamino
Papageno
Priest/ Sarastro
Karen Reynaud
Piano
Stage Director
Set Design &
Properties
Tour &
Stage Manager
Charlie Peters
Audra Balion
Stefan Montalbetti
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, acknowledged to be one of the greatest composers of all time,
was a prodigy who started writing music at the age of five. He only lived to the age of 35
but there have only been a few composers of such genius; his greatness encompassed all
compositional forms. He composed over six hundred works including many that are among
the best of their genre ever written: symphonies, concertos, chamber music and operas.
His operas were unlike any that had gone before: he was the first composer to write operas
about real people in real situations with music of such beauty and dramatic truth that his
operas are still universally enjoyed by opera-goers and music lovers alike.
Mozart wrote operas in different styles. His earliest operas are about historical or
legendary heroes. His mature operas like The Marriage of Figaro and Cosi fan Tutte are
Italian opera buffa, and The Magic Flute is a ‘Singspiel,’ literally, ‘sung play’ with dialogue
instead of recitatives (sung conversations).
Mozart was a great influence on all successive composers, particularly his contemporaries
Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Josef Haydn. In fact, when Haydn, who was esteemed as
the greatest composer of his era, met Mozart’s father, he is reported to have said, “I say to
you before God, as an honest man, that your son is greatest composer I know, personally or
by name.”
Mozart’s Memory
In Mozart’s time, part of the service used in the Pope’s chapel at Rome was sacredly
guarded and kept with great care in the archives of the chapel. Any singer found tampering
with the piece, “Miserere” by Allegri, or giving a note of it to an outsider, would be
excommunicated. Only three copies of this service existed and all were guarded closely.
However, there was one copy that was made without the Pope’s orders. When his father
took Mozart to Rome at the age of fourteen, they went to St. Peter’s and heard the
impressive service. His father noticed how his son was fascinated by the music. That night
while his father slept, Mozart wrote out the whole of the “Miserere.” The Pope’s locks, bars
and excommunication were no safety measure against the memory of Mozart!
The Music of The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute contains some of Mozart’s most memorable music. The Queen of the
Night’s vengeance aria, Papagano and Papagena’s love duet, Pamina’s sorrowful aria,
Papageno’s songs and the overture are all well-known. For this opera he wrote music in a
variety of forms: simple, folk-like songs, elaborate arias, arioso recitative, ensembles,
chorale, choruses, etc. but the score has a unity of national sound from the German
language, key relationships and symbolic motifs like the ‘threefold chord.’
Mozart and the Popular Theatre
The Magic Flute was Mozart’s last dramatic composition. Mozart wanted to create a truly
German opera expressing his artistic ideals and belief in the nobility of the ‘common’ man.
He was intrigued by the idea of collaborating with theatre impresario/actor, Emmanuel
Schikaneder, whose Theater auf der Wieden was located just outside the city walls of
Vienna and performed popular Singspiele and plays for working-class people. Schikaneder,
who also created the role of Papageno, wrote the libretto for The Magic Flute, combining
everything from low comedy to solemnity, childish fairy tales to sublime human aspiration.
The libretto is amusing and even moving, but it is also confusing – at one point the “good”
character of the Queen becomes “bad” and the plot reverses. In any case, throughout the
piece, Mozart’s music transforms the stock characters, investing them with humanity and
the plot into a journey towards true enlightenment.
Opera Terms
ACT: A portion of an opera designated by the compose, which has a dramatic structure of
its own
ARIA: A solo piece written for a main character, which focuses on the character’s emotion
BARITONE: The male singing voice that is higher than a bass but lower than a tenor
BRAVO: Literally, a form of applause when shouted by members of the audience at the end
of a particularly pleasing performance. Strictly speaking, “bravo” is for a single male
performer, “brava” for a female and “bravi” for a group of performers.
Mozart the Prodigy
From the age of six until his teenage years, Mozart and his sister, who was also a musical
prodigy, performed on tours throughout Europe. When he was six years old, the children
performed for empress Maria Theresa in Vienna. After the concert, the empress
complimented Wolfgang and he was so delighted that he jumped into her lap, put his arms
around her neck and kissed her. After being presented with gifts, the princesses played
with the Mozart children. When Wolfgang slipped, Marie Antoinette, the future Queen of
France, helped him get to his feet. Mozart declared, “She’s really nice and I’m going to
marry her.”
COLORATURA: Elaborate ornamentation of vocal music , with many fast notes, trills, etc. In
The Magic Flute, the Queen sings the famous vengeance aria, which is full of coloratura.
COMPOSER: A person who writes music
Two composers play a new composition
One day, while visiting the celebrated composer, Franz Josef Haydn, Mozart taunted Haydn
that he would never be able to play the piece, which Mozart had just written. Haydn sat
down at the keyboard and started to play from the manuscript, then stopped abruptly.
There was a note in the centre of the keyboard while the right hand was playing high on the
keyboard and low bass in the left hand.
“Nobody can play this with only two hands,” Haydn exclaimed.
“I can,” said Mozart. When he came to that part of the music, he bent over and struck the
central note with his nose.
“With a nose like yours,” Haydn conceded, “It becomes easier.”
CONDUCTOR: The leader of the orchestra, sometimes called maestro
CONTRALTO: The lowest female singing voice
DIVA: Literally, “goddess,” it refers to an important female opera star
DUET: An extended musical passage performed by two singers who may or may not sing
simultaneously. A famous duet in The Magic Flute is sung by Papageno and Papagena, the
bird catcher and his sweetheart.
ENSEMBLE: Two or more people singing at the same time, or the music written for such a
group. The Magic Flute has many ensembles, notably the two quintets (five singers).
FINALE: The last musical number of an opera or the last number of an act
LIBRETTO: The sung words of an opera
MAESTRO: Literally, “master,” used as a courtesy title for the conductor
MAGIC OPERA: An opera where there are many magical effects and often animals
appearing onstage. Often the plot of a magic opera will involve the rescue of one of the
major characters. In The Magic Flute, Pamina is rescued and animals appear onstage.
MEZZO-SOPRANO: the middle female voice, lower than the soprano but higher than the
contralto.
NUMBER OPERA: An opera composed of individual numbers such as arias, duets,
ensembles, etc. Between the numbers there is often a chance for applause.
OPERA: Italian for “work.” A libretto acted and sung by one or more singers to an
instrumental accompaniment.
OPERA BUFFA: An opera about ordinary people, usually, but not always comic, which first
developed in the 18th century.
PRIMA DONNA: Literally, “first lady,” the leading woman singer in an opera. Because of the
way some have behaved in the past, it often refers to someone who acts in a superior and
demanding fashion. The term for the leading man is primo uomo.
PROPERTIES: Small items carried or used by performers on stage.
REDUCTION: In a piano reduction, the orchestra parts are condensed into music which can
be played by one person on the piano.
SCORE: The written music of an opera or other musical work.
SET, SET DESIGNER: The background and furnishings on the stage and the person who
designs them.
SINGSPIEL: German opera with spoken dialogue and usually, but not necessarily, comic or
sentimental plot. The Magic Flute is a Singspiel.
SOPRANO: The highest female singing voice
STAGE DIRECTOR: The one responsible for deciding the interpretation of each character,
the movements of the singers on stage, and other things affecting the singers. Is in charge of
rehearsals.
STAGE MANAGER: The person in charge of the technical aspects of the entire opera,
including light changes, sound effects, entrances, and everything else that happens.
STROPHIC: Describes an aria in which the same music repeats for all verses of a text.
Papageno’s first song is a strophic aria.
TENOR: The highest common adult male singing voice. (Countertenors are uncommon).
See you at the opera!
We hope you have enjoyed learning about Mozart’s Magic Flute. We are looking forward to
seeing you at the opera!