Learning Goal: I’m working on a music writing question and need a sample draft to help me learn.
Mozart’s The Magic Flute
This music drama is technically a ‘Singspiel’, which means it is partly sung, and partly spoken. Nevertheless, Mozart makes ample use of opera buffa’s conventions and affordances in this piece. Drawing on what you know about 18th c operaand in at least 700 wordswrite about how Mozart uses music to shape character and tell the story.
Choose at least three characters. What kind of music do they sing? How does this reflect the role they play in the story, and/or their relative status compared to other characters? What conclusions can we draw about how Mozart wants us to view these characters from their music?
The Libretto can be found here:
A recommended recording:
A recommended video production:
Another, more modern, production:
