Editing The Magic Flute (section)

==Themes==
{{Main|Libretto of The Magic Flute{{!}}Libretto of ''The Magic Flute''}}
{{see also|Mozart and Freemasonry|}}

''The Magic Flute'' is noted for its prominent [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] elements,<ref>See, for instance, [[Julian Rushton]], "''Die Zauberflöte''" in ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', ed. [[Stanley Sadie]], 4 vols. (London and New York, 1992), Volume 4, pp. 1215–1218, and in "Mozart" in volume III of the same dictionary, pp. 489–503.</ref> although some scholars hold that the Masonic influence is exaggerated.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Macpherson|first1=Jay|title=''The Magic Flute'' and Freemasonry|journal=[[University of Toronto Quarterly]]|date=October 2007|volume=76|issue=4|pages=1080–1083|doi=10.3138/utq.76.4.1072}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Buch|first=David J.|author-link=David J. Buch|title=Fairy-Tale Literature and ''Die Zauberflöte''|journal=[[Acta Musicologica]]|date=January 1992|volume=64|issue=1|pages=32–36|doi=10.2307/932991|jstor=932991}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267333252|title=''Die Zauberflöte'', Masonic Opera, and Other Fairy Tales}} (PDF download available)</ref> Schikaneder and Mozart were Freemasons, as was [[Ignaz Alberti]], engraver and printer of the first libretto.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mozart2051.tripod.com/libretto_illustrations.htm|title=Libretto|website=mozart2051.tripod.com}}</ref> The opera is also influenced by [[Age of Enlightenment| Enlightenment]] philosophy and can be regarded as advocating [[enlightened absolutism]]. The Queen of the Night is seen by some to represent a dangerous form of [[obscurantism]], by others to represent Roman Catholic Empress [[Maria Theresa]],<ref>{{cite web
 |title      = Brother Mozart and ''The Magic Flute''
 |first      = Newcomb
 |last       = Condee
 |url        = http://www.masonmusic.org/mozart.html
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030814041513/http://www.masonmusic.org/mozart.html
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 14 August 2003
 |access-date = 18 December 2009
}}</ref> who banned Freemasonry from Austria.<ref>{{cite video|author=Joshua Borths|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iKd-P4Bcac&feature=youtu.be&t=179 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/8iKd-P4Bcac| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=The secrets of Mozart's ''Magic Flute''|date=November 22, 2016|website=YouTube|publisher=[[TED-Ed]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Still others see the Roman Catholic Church itself, which was and still is [[Papal ban of Freemasonry|strongly anti-Masonic]].<ref name="RefWordsworth">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eKiDsveTpBwC&q=empress+maria+theresa+freemason+catholic&pg=PA91|title=The Wordsworth Book of Opera|first1=Arthur|last1=Jacobs|first2=Stanley|last2=Sadie|author2-link=Stanley Sadie|date=21 October 1996|publisher=Wordsworth Editions|via=Google Books|isbn=9781853263705}}</ref> Likewise, the literature repeatedly addresses the fact that the central theme of the work is not only "love", but also becoming a better person by overcoming trials (similar to Wagner's ''[[Parsifal]]'' later on).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stark |first=Jonathan |date=2022-03-31 |title=Tamino, Who Are You? |url=https://starkconductor.com/tamino/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=starkconductor.com}}</ref>