| Contents |
Introduction / Jessica Waldoff -- Part I. Conception and context. German opera in Mozart's Vienna / Estelle Joubert ; The Magic Flute's libretto and German Enlightenment theater reform / Martin Nedbal ; Emanuel Schikaneder and the Theater auf der Wieden / Lisa de Alwis ; The Magic Flute in 1791 / Austin Glatthorn -- Part II. Music, text, and action. Music as stage-craft / Julian Rushton ; Enduring portraits: the arias / Laurel E. Zeiss ; "All together, now"? Ensembles and choruses in The Magic Flute / Nicholas Marston ; Musical topics, quotations, and references / Mark Ferraguto ; Instrumentation, magical and mundane / Emily I. Dolan and Hayley Fenn ; The dialogue as indispensable / Catherine Coppola ; Music, drama, and spectacle in the finales / John Platoff -- Part III. Approaches and perspectives. Seeking enlightenment in Mozart's Magic Flute / Richard Kramer ; Birdsong and hieroglyphs: exoticism and enlightened Orientalism in The Magic Flute / Matthew Head ; Partial derivatives: sources, types, and tropes in The Magic Flute / Thomas Bauman ; Pamina, the Queen, and the representation of women / Jessica Waldoff ; Blackness and whiteness in The Magic Flute: reflections from Shakespeare studies / Adeline Mueller -- Part IV. Reception, interpretation, and influence. Zauberflöte: a cultural phenomenon in an age of revolution / Ian Woodfield ; The Magic Flute in biography, criticism, and literature / Simon P. Keefe ; The elusive compositional history of The Magic Flute / Daniel R. Melamed ; Staging The Magic Flute / Kate Hopkins ; Ingmar Bergman's film version of The Magic Flute / Dean Duncan. |
| Abstract |
Premiered in 1791, The Magic Flute remains Mozart's most-performed opera worldwide. This book covers historical context, musical analysis, critical approaches and reception history, and engages with current debates including the representation of gender, race and exoticism. It provides an essential framework for understanding the opera today. |
