It was this, no doubt, that compelled
Goethe's often expressed admiration, and even tempted him to write a
sequel to Schikaneder's libretto. 'Die Zauberfloete' is in form a
Singsgiel--that is to say, the music is interspersed with spoken
dialogue--but there the resemblance to Hiller's creations ceases. From
the magnificent fugue in the overture to the majestic choral finale, the
music is an astonishing combination of divinely beautiful melody with
marvels of contrapuntal skill. Perhaps the most surprising part of 'Die
Zauberfloete' is the extraordinary ease and certainty with which Mozart
manipulates what is practically a new form of art. Nursed as he had been
in the traditions of Italian opera, it would not have been strange if he
had not been able to shake off the influences of his youth. Yet 'Die
Zauberfloete' owes but little to any Italian predecessor. It is German to
the core. We may be able to point to passages which are a development of
something occurring in the composer's earlier works, such as 'Die
Entfuehrung,' but there is hardly anything in the score of 'Die
Zauberfloete' which suggests an external influence. Its position in the
world of music is ably summarised by Jahn: 'If in his Italian operas
Mozart assimilated the traditions of a long period of development and in
some sense put the finishing stroke to it, with "Die Zauberfloete" he
treads on the threshold of the future, and unlocks for his country the
sacred treasure of national art.
Pages:
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97