Name: 【TED-Ed】The secrets of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” - Joshua Borths
Uploaded: 2017-07-06T03:36:38.000Z
Duration: 5 min 48 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

A boy named Prince Tamino runs through a dark wood

and slay the dragon  with their fierce battle cry.

So begins Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte,"

a type of folk opera with music and dialogue,

Though it may seem  like a childish fairytale,

this intricate opera is full of subversive symbolism,

and it's now regarded as one of the most influential operas in history.

Tamino's run in with the dragon is only the start of his journey.

The three women summon their leader, the Queen of the Night.

She, in turn, sends Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter Pamina

And to help him on his journey, she gives him the titular magic flute.

Tamino eventually finds Pamina at Sarastro's temple,

Tamino and Pamina learn  that they're on the wrong side.

The Queen of Night actually wants to plunge the world into darkness.

Everything Tamino thought he knew was wrong,

So, a new quest begins for Tamino and Pamina.

and only then can the day  vanquish the night.

the two youths overcome these trials and the Queen's attempts to sabotage them.

They're finally initiated into the temple having restored balance to the kingdom.

were inspired by Mozart's involvement  in Freemasonry,

a network of fraternal organizations throughout Europe.

Much of their history, symbolism, and ritual came from the Middle Ages.

were also influenced  by 18th century European ideals -

rationalism, humanism, and skepticism towards traditional authorities,

The symbols of Freemasonry  and these ideals of the Enlightenment

If this sounds like a conspiracy theory, that's because it sort of was at the time,

and has been the subject of considerable scholarly publication.

For example, some Mozart scholars believe the Queen of the Night

symbolizes Maria Theresa, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire

who opposed Freemasonry and banned it in Austria.

While there continues to be debate as to the specific meaning,

and location of these masonic references,

scholars agree that they're there and are fully intentional.

One of these symbols is the number three,

which represented balance and order to Freemasons.

Now the number three is, of course, easy to find in any work of storytelling,

but it's particularly prominent in "The Magic Flute":

much of the music  is written in E-flat major,

which has three flats  in its key signature,

and historically, masonic rituals began with three knocks.

The opera references them by opening with three majestic chords

Those chords, which reoccur  throughout the opera,

They capture the dramatic  arc of the opera in miniature.

The first chord, E-flat major, is in its most natural root position,

who, in his naiveté, accepts everything the Queen and her ladies say

a sour sonority that mirrors Tamino's  sadness and doubt

That's when his world and notions of good and evil get turned on their heads.

And good and evil are just two of the opera's extreme opposites.

It features some of the highest and lowest notes in opera,

simple hummable melodies and complicated forward-looking music.

The opera's central theme concerns balancing these extremes

the final chord in the opening restores musical order.

It returns to the triumphant E-flat major,

the same chord it started with but inverted,

meaning Mozart moved the bottom note to the top.

Although it retains its original harmony, the chord sounds higher,

who in passing his trials restores balance to the kingdom

while growing stronger, wiser, and more complete.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

【TED-Ed】The secrets of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” - Joshua Borths

debate

journey

ritual

pursue