sign in sign up
<<
Home , Requiem (Mozart)

THE MAGIC FLUTE

(German title: Die Zauberflöte)

Teacher study guide Music by Wolfgang Mozart Libretto by Presented by Bay Shore Lyric Opera Company Children’s Opera Production

Bay Shore Lyric Opera Children’s Production Company is proud to present as part of our Children’s Opera Season. We are striving to give children from pre‐school to 8th grade the opportunity to experience opera in a theater as a fully staged production. The production was developed by Bay Shore Lyric Opera Company to introduce children to opera while educating them in the classics. We are very excited to perform at the beautiful Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and hope that your class will walk away with a melody in the pocket and more love for music in the heart.

Jennifer Studley Liliane Cromer Co‐Producers

Characters in the Opera

Tamino handsome prince, in love with Pamina, Papageno Queen’s bird catcher, dressed in plumage, Baritone Pamina Sarastro’s prisoner, The Queen of the Night beautiful evil queen, Pamina’s mother, Soprano Sarastro wise priest of Isis and Osiris, Three Ladies servants of Queen of the Night, and Mezzo Monostatos servant of Sarastro, in love with Pamina, Tenor Three Spirits will lead the way for Tamino and Papageno Speaker of the Temple priest Papagena beautiful bird‐woman, Soprano Friends, women

When Mozart composed The Magic Flute in 1791 he did so in German to appeal to a wider audience. Mozart composed this work in the style of the (Sing Play). In this form, spoken dialogue is interspersed among traditional arias or ensembles. With the spoken dialogue, the comical aspect of the libretto was much better served. The audiences wanted to laugh and be entertained; needless to say the Opera was a great success. The story, fairy‐tale like tells of a prince, a queen and an evil sorcerer (who in fact is not evil nor a sorcerer), a bird‐ catcher and a few other comic characters, and their battle up to the ultimate triumph of good over evil.

Synopsis

A C T 1 Scene 1: Forest Tamino, a prince from a foreign land, finds himself pursued by a serpent and fears for his life. He is so afraid of the serpent that he faints. Three Ladies, servants of the Queen of the Night, enter and slay the serpent. Tamino being unconscious does not realize that the three ladies saved his life. When he awakens he is alone and rather unsure of what happened. He hears the sound of a panpipe in the distance and soon realizes it is Papageno, the silly bird‐catcher. For some reason Tamino comes to believe that Papageno has slain the serpent. Papageno, not shy at all, takes gladly credit for the kill. The Three Ladies return and punish Papageno for the lie. They inform Tamino that it was them who killed the beast and hand him a portrait of the Queen’s daughter, Pamina, and promise him fortune, honor, and glory. Tamino falls in love with the image of Pamina. Tamino was informed that Pamina was captured and held prisoner by the evil sorcerer Sarastro. Now Tamino meets the Queen of the night who promises Pamina’s hand in marriage if he rescues her. Tamino accepts the mission and is given a magic flute; Papageno is given a set of magic bells and ordered to accompany Tamino. They depart led by three spirits to guide him. Sarastro is away from his fortress and has left Pamina in the care of his servant, Monostatos, who mistreats Pamina. Papageno has gone ahead of Tamino and, at the fortress, sees Pamina. Once he has frightened Monostatos away, he tells Pamina of her mother, the prince, and the mission. Tamino is led by the Three Spirits in his journey to find Pamina. He is told that Pamina lives and he expresses his joy by playing the magic flute. Papageno’s answer on his panpipe ad soon they will meet again. When Sarastro returns from his journey he meets Pamina who pleads mercy for her escape, explaining Monastatos’ abuse. Sarastro orders Monastatos punished for his wickedness. Tamino and Pamina embrace then are veiled and led into Sarasto’s temple.

A C T 2 Before Tamino can be united with his beloved bride, Sarastro impose his three trials that will test both Tamino and Papageno. They will be tested for their willpower, patience, and trust. Papageno, upon succeeding will be awarded with a wife, Papagena! As their first test, Papageno and Tamino are sworn to silence under the temptation of women and left alone in the dark. This test reveals especially difficult for Papageno who loves to chatter. When they meet an old woman Papageno chatters away until thunder quiets him down. Meanwhile Monostatos, desperate for feminine attention, wants to steal a kiss from Pamina who is asleep in the palace. He is interrupted by the Queen of the Night who chases him away. She then turns to Pamina hands her a dagger and orders her to kill Sarastro. Once left alone, Pamina cries, she can’t kill a man! Let alone Sarastro. Sarastro who has witnessed the scene comforts her and reassures her that all will be fine once he has taken care of her mother, the Queen of the Night. Pamina hears the sound of Tamino’s flute and rushes toward it. She talks to him but receives nothing but sighs in reply. She is dumbstruck by his silence and desperate for a response but runs off in dismay. The old woman that appeared before Papageno and claimed to be his wife returns as a beautiful bird‐woman named Papagena. She vanishes quickly and Papageno too is miserable. When Tamino embarks on his final trial, Pamina rushes to join him in his journey and urges him to play upon his magic flute. The flute protects Pamina and Tamino, as they pass‐through the cave of water and the cave of fire. Papageno believes he will never be worthy of Papagena when the three spirits suggest he play the magic bells. Papagena appears and agrees to marry. Sarastro unites the lovers. Tamino and Pamina live happily ever after, the Queen and her follower succumb to Sarastro goodness and join him.

Biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on 27 January 1756 – and died 5 December 1791 in Salzburg as well. He was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as masterworks of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers.

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and , he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty; at 17 he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, Austria, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best‐ known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and the . The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons. His influence on subsequent Western art music is profound. Beethoven wrote his own early compositions in the shadow of Mozart.

Activity: Show your student a map of Europe and all countries Mozart visited when he was a child prodigy.

What is OPERA

An Opera is a dramatic story told through song. It the most complete art form, combining all of the elements of art, words, music, drama, and dance. The uniqueness in opera is the use of music to convey an entire story/plot. All the forms merge to become this fascinating art. So many artist work on actually making an opera, it is really a team effort from the start. Opera takes any type of dramatic story and tries to make it more exciting and more believable with the help of music. Many famous stories have been made into operas, including Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Romeo and Juliette

Who works on making an opera?

Step 1. Initial step The librettist: writes the story or takes an original literary work and rewrites it. The composer*: composes the music to the text The publisher: publishes the work

Step 2. The people who put on an opera The opera director: chooses to put the opera on the season schedule The casting director: hires the singers to perform in the opera The orchestra manager: hires the musicians to play in the opera The chorus master: hires the chorus to sing in the opera The stage director: stages the opera and works with the technical staff The stage manager: calls all cues when the show is up and running The rehearsal pianist: plays all rehearsals before the orchestra sitz probe

Step 3. Behind the stage The crew: handles all the details back stage, scene changes etc... The prop master: makes sure all the props are ready on stage and back stage The prompter: Prompts the singers in case they forget a word The supertitle technician: projects the translation of the text above the stage The Lighting technician: works the lighting board

Step 4. Below the stage The costume designer: designs the costumes and accessories The costumer: sows and fits the costumes for the artists The wig master: prepares the wigs and fits the artists The makeup artist: does the makeup for the artists

Step 5. On stage and in the pit The singers: sing the roles The chorus: sings in the ensembles The dancers: dance in the opera, if needed The conductor: conduct the orchestra The musicians: in the orchestra pit, play the music

Step 6. In the opera house The administration: people who advertise, promote, look for sponsor The ticket office: people who sell the ticket The audience: that would be you who appreciate the arts and come to support it.

*Some composers in the 19th and 20th Century have written their own text to their opera, as well as annotated the score with all stage directions.

THE ORCHESTRA

An orchestra is a large ensemble of musicians led by a conductor. The orchestra can be divided into 4 main groups: The Strings: The Woodwinds: Violin I Flutes Violin II Piccolo ‐Double Bassoon Double Basses Oboes Harp English Horn

The Brass: The Percussion: Horn Kettel drums Cymbals Glockenspiel Tuba triangle

Glosssary:

Aria Composition for solo voice, usually with instrumental accompaniment from an opera, , or . Baritone The male voice lying below the tenor and above the bass. Bass The lowest sounding male voice lying below the baritone. The string instrument below the and above the string bass. Chorus A body of singers who perform together, either in unison or in parts. Coloratura Ornamentation or vocal melodies with rapid passages, runs trills. Very popular in the 19th century vocal music, demonstrating the singers agility. The lowest female voice lying well below the mezzo soprano range. Coro Chorus in Italian, a group of people who produce choral music usually in four part harmony that appear in an opera. Duet A composition for two performers with or without accompaniment. Finale In opera, a concluding number in an Act, especially ensemble for principal characters and chorus. Libretto Italian word, refers to the written text in the opera Lyrics Means the words Mezzo Female voice that lies below the soprano Opera A drama that is primarily sung, accompanied by instuments, presented theatrically. Highly complex, involves many different arts, vocal music, instrumental music, poetry, drama, acting, dance, stage design, costuming, lighting. Opera Singer As seen under voice range we have three female voice categories and three male voice categories. These categories can be further divided depending on the timbre, color, character of the voice. For example Dramatic Soprano is a fuller more powerful voice than the lyric soprano, which is more lyric while the coloratura soprano is the lightest of the three, characterized by great agility. The Mezzo‐soprano voice is categories into the same division as the Soprano having the Dramatic, Lyric and Coloratura as voice types. The tenor voice is categorized into three divisions that being the Robusto, Lyric, and Heldentenor.The Bass voice is categorized into the Profondo, Cantante, and Buffo Profondo being solemn and heavy, cantante a lyric voice and Buffo the comical voice. Score The written music used by the musicians Singspiel Operatic composition with spoken dialogue interspersed between musical numbers Sitz Probe German for sitting rehearsal, first rehearsal for singers with orchestra, the singers just sing at that rehearsal and do not do their staging. Song A composition for voice and accompaniment Soprano The highest female voice Tenor High male voice Voice Range In general the human voice can be divided into six categories; three female voices being Soprano, Mezzo‐soprano, Contralto and three male voices being Tenor, Baritone, Bass. (see opera singers for further classification).

THE ELEMENTS OF OPERA

OVERTURE

Musical introduction played by the orchestra that often consists of melodies from the opera.

ACT 1

A group of scenes with a common theme, such as a specific time or place.

ARIA A piece sung by one person. Arias allow singers to “show off” CHORUS A passage sung by a group of people. The chorus may sing on or off stage. DUET A passage sung by two people. Like the Papageno and Papagena duet TRIO A piece sung by three people. RECITATIVE (ress‐it‐ta‐TEEV) Speech‐like singing that advances the plot and fills spaces between arias and choruses

INTERMISSION

ACT 2

After intermission, the show goes with yet a new act filled with arias, choruses, duets, trios and recitatives. In some operas, there are as many as 5 acts and 4 intermissions! Our Magic Flute will have two acts and no intermission since it is a shortened version

FINALE

The last piece of music performed in the opera. It is often sung by the entire cast and contains parts of arias already sung in the opera.

CURTAIN CALL

After the finale, the singers come back onto the stage and the orchestra players stand to take bows. The audience shows its appreciation by clapping and cheering “Bravo!”

TIMELINE

Major American Events during the life of Mozart

1756 French and Indian War between Britain and France 1762‐1773 Mozart tours Europe starting as a 6 year old prodigy 1775 American Revolution begins, George Washington is Commander‐in‐Chief 1776 Declaration of Independence signed 1773‐1777 Mozart at the Salzburg Court 1778 Mozart in Paris 1781 Mozart moves to Vienna Becomes the finest keyboard player in Vienna Marries Contanze Weber Writes concertos (pieces for solo instruments and orchestra) 1783 Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution 1786 Start of his Operatic era, composes two of his best known, Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni 1787 The constitution of the United States is signed 1789 Washington inaugurated as first president of the United States 1790 Washington D.C. founded as Capital of the United States 1791 First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution ratified 1791 The last and most productive Year The Magic Flute Requiem

A few things to remember when you go to the Opera! It is called Opera Etiquette

• An usher will greet you and provide you with a program, you find your seat. Be sure not to take any food and drink in the auditorium. • Please arrive at the theater before the announced curtain time. • When you enter the curtain is down and the house lights are up. When the lights dim the show is about to begin. • Usually Opera start with an overture, a non‐sung musical introduction to the opera, before the curtain rises. Our version, because it is shortened will start right away at Act 1, Scene 1. • Most operas have intermissions that provide the audience a chance to use the restrooms, have a drink, get some fresh air and talk while the stagehands change the set. However, since the performance of The Magic Flute that you will be seeing is only one hour in length, there is no intermission. • Show your enthusiasm by applause. It is important that you enjoy the show • Most of all enjoy the show!

MAGIC FLUTE WORD SEARCH Search horizontally, vertically and diagonally for the hidden words

PAPAGENO BELLS TAMINO QUEEN NIGHT ARIA BIRD SERPENT FLUTE SARASTRO BASS FIRE WATER SILENT TENOR BARITONE SILVER

Q F X U U M Q B D R A D G R S A R A D I R N R A D G S R S R I C A E F I I I A H A M U E W C L T W D R E T A W A V O R E Q U E E N L E N T F P S A J I A R E L O S S A B G Q Q U T E A C Y Y H G T A U R P E U D T E E J U I S A R A S T R O R F T E N O R A K O U Q A G B I R D N T J Y M E J G F E W R Q E I A T J G Q A D J H N W E A S I L E N T O Q P S E R P E N T A A T J R R S E T H P A N G D S L L E B

Since 1998 we have produced children’s Opera annually at prestigious venues such as Villa Montalvo and the Fox Theater in Redwood City, we have been fortunate to have entertained and enlightened over 10,000 children with the magic of Opera. As co‐founders of the Bay Shore Lyric Opera Children’s Production we truly believe every child should experience the beauty and grandeur of opera. We, as professional opera singers find it is our greatest joy to be able to perform for children as their fascination is an inspiration to our craft.

We hope you will support this most exciting organization and help us add a little magic for the child in your life! Watch for our upcoming productions.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Sincerely, Liliane Cromer and Jennifer Studley Co‐Producers