The Magic Flute Queen of the Night's coloratura, the bells, Sarastro's trombones, even the farewell in Scene I for clarinets and pizzicato strings—a single dramatic stroke." The opera begins with the overture, which Mozart composed last. "Scene 1: A rough, rocky landscape" Tamino, a handsome prince lost in a distant land, is pursued by a serpent and asks the gods to save him (aria: "" segued into trio: ""). He faints, and three ladies, attendants of the Queen of the Night, appear and kill the serpent. They find the unconscious prince extremely attractive, and each of them tries to convince the other two
Libretto of The Magic Flute to sublime human aspiration – in short from the circus to the temple, but never neglecting an opportunity for effective theater along the way. The sources for the work fall into (at least) four categories: works of literature, earlier productions of Schikaneder's theater company, Freemasonry, and the 18th-century tradition of popular theater in Vienna. The Schikaneder troupe prior to the premiere of "The Magic Flute" had developed considerable experience with performing fairy tale operas with similar plots, characters, and singers. Two bear a particularly strong relationship to "The Magic Flute": A very long tradition asserts that Freemasonry plays a major