Cultural Context of Mozart's Magic Flute Social, Aesthetic, Philosophical Vol. 1

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Pages:496
ISBN:0-7734-4602-8
Price:$279.95 + shipping
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Addresses problems of symbols and references in The Magic Flute by considering a broad cultural heritage, including the early 17th-century movement of the Rosicrucians, 17th and 18th-century educational, scientific, philosophical and religious developments, and late 18th-century social and political circumstances. The appendices that appear in Volume Two provide sources for further study not only for scholars but also opera companies and the Masonic communities.
Appendix I is a 3-part representation of the text of The Magic Flute: a photocopy of the original German libretto; a side-by-side English translation; and the German text that appears in Mozart's handwritten score of the opera which shows differences in words from the printed libretto and sometimes reveals a slightly different thinking of the characters' personalities and stage action.
Appendix II is a photo reproduction and translation of the complete article "Ueber die Mysterien der Aegyptier", written by the Master of one of the most important and active Masonic lodges in Vienna in the 1780's, Ignaz von Born. It is said to have inspired some of the plot and detail in The Magic Flute.

Reviews

". . . a critical study of much complexity that opens new horizons of understanding. . . .Professor Eckelmeyer's work not only breaks new ground in studies on The Magic Flute but is a first rate overview of the existing literature and a well-thought-out study of the pertinent primary literature. . . . Her literary style and exposition is logical and clear and her work is deserving of the attention it certainly merits. . . . this work is a critical study that draws on social, political and philosophical issues as the title states. There is no question that musicology should confront such issues and Professor Eckelmeyer is to be applauded for her devotion to a humanistic approach to musicology." - Raymond Hagga

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