Now, seriously--how many of you really thought that "The Magic Flute" was all about Masonic mysticism, the Age of Enlightenment, and all that nonsense?
Don't feel too bad, because most people are just like you. The truth is, "The Magic Flute" was meant to be a private joke among fellow members of the Society.
Agent IOU, who was the librettist for this sly snatch of humor, was hoping that certain Sphinxoids (or their minions) might see it and be annoyed to learn that we knew so many of their secrets, and that we were smarter than they were !
The Queen of the Night obviously represents the evil Sphinxoid Queen Anukis while Monostatos, the slave driver represented Seber, the very vicious warrior who serves Anukis day and night. Monastatos is a pussy cat compared to Seber.
The Three Ladies of the Night are actually thinly disguised parodies of Maat, Nefthys and Sesheta, known among the Society Brothers as the "Three Vain Sisters". They are a loud, shrill, quarrelsome lot, each convinced that they are more beautiful than the others, and all they ever seem to do is fight, scream, and stuff their faces with chocolate bon-bons. I once actually witnessed them throw alabaster jars at each other while their cigar-smoking mother screamed at them. I have it on great authority, too, that her husband (Amon-Ra) avoids staying at home around these horrid women and amuses himself in the pursuit of human girls, who are at least still in awe of him. All of this strife inspired the arias I wrote for the Queen of the Night. Besides--she knew full well that even with the cigars, she was more beautiful than they. At least--in her own opinion. Anukis and her lot are what you could call a "Jerry Springer" family.
Now, as you might imagine, Sarastro represents none other than Horus himself--wise, powerful, and the object of the Queen's fury. As a favor, we made a point of singing the praises Isis and Osiris, who have never approved of all this nonsense, and would like very much for the whole crew of them to come home and face Osirian Justice.
As for the other characters in the opera--Pamina and Tamino are just a pretty pair of teenagers who have stumbled upon the Sphinxoids and need the Society of Horus to bail them out. I must confess that I saw myself as Tamino, in fact. But who is Pamina? My wife? Some other lady? Nope--sorry--she's neither. She's my Own Muse.
Papageno and Papagena are something different. You see, on my earlier journy to Berlin, I encountered this pair of odd little feathery creatures who came back with me, disguised as a couple of fearher dusters so that they could hide on a moment's notice (so long as the maid didn't get suspicious. I'm not sure WHAT they really are or where they really came from, but they were really cute.
We knew full well that once the Sphinxoids got wind of this musical joke of ours, they would be upon us in a rage. After all, to hear this outrageous story of their defeat set to my beautiful music was simply add insult to injury. Only Agent IOU's team of fierce-snarling dachshunds kept them from tearing down the backstage prop-room, and even today most theaters keep a dachshund or two backstage whenever they are staging "The Magic Flute". It is said to be a tradition, and no one knows where it comes from, but no one questions it. If they do, and the dachshunds are gone, then the theaters are usually vandalized or even burned to the ground.
Long ago, I earned that the quickest way to infuriate a Sphinxoid was to be heard whistling one of Papageno's arias.
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So There!
The Mozart Café - © 2001 - 2006 Off-Note Productions
