On 8 Feb 2005 at 21:31, John Howell wrote: > At 9:05 PM -0500 2/8/05, David W. Fenton wrote: > >No one is a bigger fan of Mozart than I am. But I have always felt > >that the Magic Flute is incoherent *as an opera* (or Singspiel, > >technically speaking, I guess). If it did not have some of the most > >glorious music ever written, it would be a failure. But so far as I > >can tell, it's really just a string of great tunes held together by a > >rather incomprehensible narrative. That's not great opera, though it > >may very well include some of the greatest music ever written. > > And the Ring Cycle is coherent? . . .
Yes, it is. The ideas may be ludicrous and laughable, but they are at least coherent, without reference to knowledge outside the plot as related in the libretto. The Magic Flute is senseless without the Masonic information. > . . . Not if you've ever laughed your way > through Anna Russell's description! All things considered I'll settle > for some of the greatest music ever written, thanks. No argument there, but as a work of musical drama, The Magic Flute is not really internally consistent or coherent. -- David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton David Fenton Associates http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
