ABSTRACT
One of the sketchiest areas in Leopold Mozart's biography concerns the commission and composition of Die Zauherflote for Emanuel Schikaneder's company at the Theater auf der Wieden in 1791. The lack of performance materials from the Wiednertheater has made it almost impossible to know what was typical of the repertory before Die Zauberflote. The instrumental music in the opera comprises two overtures, a pantomimic march, and several preludes and interludes to vocal numbers. The Schikaneder company provided Mozart with a circle of associates and musical colleagues, and his enthusiasm for the Wiednertheater repertory is evident in letters of 1790–91 to his wife. The repertory featured mostly German operas and plays with songs and incidental music. Mozart is credited not only with composing the duet in Act II, but also with substantial sections of the second finale.
