The Authentic Magic Flute Libretto ─ Mozart's Autograph or the First Full-Score Edition?

Musicologist Freyhan makes a radical suggestion in this study of the libretto of Mozart's The Magic Flute, He posits that the first printed edition is actually taken from a lost autograph manuscript that predates the one written by Mozart that has long been considered the ur-version. His argument involves the travels of the known manuscript and the men involved with it as well as contemporary comments on the content of the first performances of the opera. Various editions were consulted and compared. Freyhan also explores Mozart's work habits to determine the possibility of a second holographic manuscript. He concludes with the German text as printed with a literal translation in English. Whether or not the reader is convinced by Freyhan's suggestions, the research into the background of the libretto will intrigue anyone fascinated by Mozart and his Masonic opera. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Michael Freyhan has taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London, as well as at Reading University and Birmingham Conservatoire. He is a pianist, harpsichordist, violinist, and violist, and he has published articles in the Journal of the American Musicological Society and Mozart-Jahrbuch.