|
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791
Die Zauberflöte, K.620. Facsimile of the Autograph Score.
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin–Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Mus. ms
autogr. W.A. Mozart 620). Introductory Essay by Hans Joachim Kreutzer,
Musicological Introduction by Christoph Wolff
[Magic Flute,
K.620]
 first
page
"I have just
this moment returned from the opera, which was as full as
ever. As usual the duet between Mann
und Weib and Papageno's
glockenspiel in Act I had to be repeated
and also the trio of the boys in Act II. But what always gives me most
pleasure is the silent approval!
You can see how this opera is becoming more and more esteemed."
(Mozart, letter, Oct.7 1791)
Mozart Operas in Facsimile, 6. Los Altos, 2009.
Oblong, 4°, 3 vols, c.600 pp. Full-color reproduction of the
autograph score with the first 28 pages reproduced with photo
enhancement, completely restoring the middle voices of the now severely
faded manuscript. Die
Zauberflöte was the greatest triumph of Mozart’s operatic
career, and its success story continued unabated after his death. By
1800 it had been given no fewer than two hundred times at the Freihaus
Theater alone. Owing to its unusual degree of popularity, vocal scores
of its musical numbers appeared in separate editions from two different
publishers in late autumn of 1791. Within the briefest span of time Die Zauberflöte had appeared
in London alongside The Beggar’s
Opera and in Paris alongside Le
mariage de Figaro, thereby becoming “one of the sensations of
eighteenth-century theatrical history”. The Zauberflöte autograph
is a working manuscript that reveals traces of the compositional
process at every turn. This applies not only to the twin layers of
short score and orchestrated full score, but also to the later stages
in the compositional process. Various kinds of alterations become
visible particularly in erasures, overwriting and deletions. Most of
the alterations relate to changes in the musical text or its
instrumental garb (adapted from Christoph Wolff’s text). Bibliophile
edition, in 3 volumes, bound in dark brown quarter leather with beige
linen boards. $200
(view
other
volumes from this series)
|
|
|