What does The Magic Flute have to do with Freemasonry?
premiered in Vienna, Austria, on September 30, 1791. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premier performance of the opera he had composed to the German libretto written by Emanuel Schikaneder. Written in the form of a singspiel, the work has inspired a ballet, films and books. Both Mozart and Schikaneder were Freemasons, and there are numerous Masonic elements in the opera. For example, the number three is very significant in Freemasonry, and Mozart uses three-part harmony in his piece, as well as a reference in the piece’s overture to the three raps at the door that signify the initiation of a new member to the organization. Mozart died just two months after the opera’s premiere.
