"A plot so hopeless that, after the first few scenes, we give it up in despair ; an atmosphere of magic which is merely an excuse for absurdities; a set of characters who are as ineffectual in action as they are unaccountable in motive; a bird-catcher dressed in feathers with a padlock on his lips; a goddess from the machine who cuts every knot which stupidity could tie: such was the harlequinade which Schickaneder handed over and which Mozart has turned into a living, breathing masterpiece. As we listen to the music, the doggerel verses cease to annoy us, and, most wonderful of all, the characters grow into distinct being and personality. The magic of Tamino's flute has passed into the hands of the composer himself and before it all, criticism lies powerless and spellbound. Indeed, if we want a ready measure of Mozart's genius, we have but to read this libretto and remem ber that, after witnessing a performance of the opera, Goethe seriously proposed to supplement it with a second part." This is the verdict of Hadow on "The Magic Flute," a ver dict which the rest of the world has come to endorse.
The overture to this opera is one of Mozart's finest instrumental compositions. Other greatly admired numbers are Papageno's song introducing himself, " Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja " (" The catcher of birds am I ") ; Tamino's song, " Dies Bildness ist bezaubernd schon " (" This likeness is most wondrous fair ") ; the first aria of the Queen of Night, " 0 zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn " (" 0 falter not, my dearest son ") ; the padlock quintet, in which Papageno, who has been punished for fibbing and prating, hums the melody with a padlock on his lips ; the duet of Pamina and Papageno, " Bei Manner welche liebe fiihlen " (" By all who know the joys of love "), which appears in the hymnal to the words, "Serene I laid me down." In the second act Saras
tro's stately invocation in the temple, " 0 Isis and Osiris " (" 0 Isis and Osiris ") ; the great aria of the Queen of Night, " Der Hone Rache kocht " (" 'Tis Vengeance I now seek "), a florid passage of intense difficulty; Sarastro's song, " In diesen heil'gen Hallen " (" Within these sacred temples ") ; Papageno's song, in which he accompanies him self with his chime of bells, " EM Madchen oder Weibchen " (" A Maiden or a Wife ") ; and the nonsense duet of Papa geno and his new partner, " Papapapageno," are the most striking numbers.