he composer, and
followed the "Cosi fan tutte," which was given in January, 1791. In
1780 Mozart had made the acquaintance of Schickaneder at Salzburg. He
was a reckless, dissipated theatre manager, and at the time of the
composition of the "Magic Flute" was running a small theatre in
Vienna. The competition of the larger theatres had nearly beggared
him, and in the midst of his perplexities he applied to Mozart to
write him an opera, and intimated that he had discovered an admirable
subject for a fairy composition. Mozart at first objected; but
Schickaneder, like himself, was a Freemason; he had been his companion
in dissipation, and exercised a great influence over him. Mozart at
last consented. A compact was made, and Schickaneder set to work on
the libretto. As he was a popular buffoon, he invented the part of
Papageno, the bird-catcher, for himself, and arranged that it should
be dressed in a costume of feathers. It is a trivial part, but
Schickaneder intended to tickle the fancy of the public, and
succeeded. The first act was finished, when it was found that the same
subject had been chosen by a rival theatre, the Leopold Stadt, which
speedily announced the opera of "Kaspar der Fagottist, oder die
Zauber-Zither," by a popular composer, Wenzel Mueller. The piece had a
successful run, and in order to prevent a duplication, Schickaneder
reversed the point of his story, and changed the evil magician, who
stole the daughter of the Queen of Night, into a great philosopher and
friend of man. It is owing to this change that we have the magnificent
character of Sarastro, with its impressive music.

The scene of the opera is laid in Egypt. Sarastro, the high-priest of
Isis, has induced Pamina to leave her mother, Astrifiamenti, the Queen
of Night, who represents the spirit of evil, and come to his temple,
where she may be trained in the ways of virtue and wisdom. At the
opening of the opera the dark Queen is trying to discover some plan of
recovering her daughter and punishing Sarastro. In the first act
appears Tamino, an Egyptian prince, who has lost his way, and is
attacked by a huge serpent, from which he is rescued by the three
attendants of the Queen. The latter accosts him, tells him her
daughter's story, and demands that, as the cost of his deliverance, he
shall rescue her. He consents. She gives him a magic flute, and with
his companion Papageno, a rollicking bird-catcher, who is also
presented with a magical chime