Mozart and Freemasonry
A fraternal organization whose members are committed to ideals of morality, justice, and reason, Freemasonry originally grew out of the medieval guilds of stonemasons and the study of the philosophical aspects of math and architecture. Among the central ideas of Masonic thought and practice are the exploration of the nature of man and society and a quasi-religious ritual and mysticism. From its initial popularity in England, the movement had spread across the European continent by the early 18th century.
The first Masonic lodge in Vienna was founded in 1742, and within 40 years, another lodge, “Zur wahren Eintracht” (“True Concord”), had become the foremost community of Viennese artistic, scientific, and literary thinkers. Mozart joined its smaller sister lodge “Zur Wohltätigkeit” (“Beneficence”) in 1784. From his letters it is evident that Freemasonry played a large role in Mozart’s life, and he composed several works for use with Masonic rituals (including the cantatas Dir, Seele des Weltalls and Die Maurerfreude) as well as many more that more generally allude to Masonic symbolism or ideals. Within his lodge, Mozart also found friends and supporters who assisted him financially, with both gifts and commissions for compositions. Of all his works, the one most frequently associated with Masonic sentiments is The Magic Flute. Its evocation of ancient Egypt aligns with Masonic interests, and it prominently uses the number three, which held special significance in Freemasonry: The opera includes Three Ladies as attendants to the Queen of the Night; Three Spirits; three trials that Tamino must endure; a prominent musical motive built from three chords; and a significant role for the key of E-flat major (indicated in music notation by three flats). Although Masonic influences are only one aspect of The Magic Flute, the opera demonstrates the interests of Viennese Freemasonry in its semi-religious program of enlightenment and progress.