The Magic Flute troupe, tenor Benedikt Schack (the first Tamino), and had contributed to the compositions of the troupe, which were often collaboratively written. Mozart's participation increased with his contributions to the 1790 collaborative opera "Der Stein der Weisen" ("The Philosopher's Stone"), including the duet ("Nun liebes Weibchen", K. 625/592a) among other passages. Like "The Magic Flute", "Der Stein der Weisen" was a fairy-tale opera and can be considered a kind of precursor; it employed much the same cast in similar roles. The libretto for "The Magic Flute", written by Schikaneder, is thought by scholars to be based on many sources. Some works
Orlando (opera) operas’ (Handel and the Opera Seria, p. 91), comparable on several counts with "The Magic Flute". The opera is scored for two recorders, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, strings and continuo (cello, lute, harpsichord). Orlando (opera) Orlando (HWV 31) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel written for the King's Theatre in London in 1733. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's "L'Orlando" after Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso", which was also the source of Handel's operas "Alcina" and "Ariodante". More an artistic than a popular success at its first performances, "Orlando" is today recognised