The Magic Flute work, with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, was completed in 1938. Both of these historic recordings have been reissued on modern recording media. Since then there have been many recordings, in both audio and video formats. The opera has inspired a great number of sequels, adaptations, novels, films, and other works of art. For a listing, see "Works inspired by The Magic Flute". The Magic Flute The Magic Flute (German: ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a
Western concert flute the transverse flute was redesigned. Now often called the "traverso" (from the Italian), it was made in three or four sections or joints with a conical bore from the head joint down. The conical bore design gave the flute a wider range and more penetrating sound without sacrificing the softer, expressive qualities. In addition to chamber music, the traverso began to be used in orchestral music. In the Baroque era, flutes become used in the scores of opera, ballet and chamber music. With this, composers wrote music for the flute. These included Praetorius, Schütz, Rebillé and Descoteaux, Quantz, Bach, Telemann,