Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte or The Magic Flute is one of the most

frequently performed operas in the world. It has been discussed multiple times due to the

elements found in the opera, such as Freemasonry and racism, but those are not the only subjects

discussed by people. The arias in the opera are very well known and one of them is Der Hölle

Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart), sung by the Königin der

Nacht, or the Queen of the Night. The fast tempo and melismatic melody would always draw

people to it and has made some people conjure images of light, in contrast to darkness, which is

the real aura that the aria carries.

Nyland, Berenice, Aleksandra Acker, Jill Ferris, and Jan Deans. "Pre-school Children’s
Encounters with The Magic Flute." International Journal of Early Years Education 19, no.
3-4 (December 05, 2011): 207-17. Accessed November 15, 2018.
DOI:10.1080/09669760.2011.637676.

The journal written by the abovementioned discusses the opera, focusing on the Queen of the

Night’s aria (it was not specified which one, as there are two). The opera was shown to children

and were asked for their interpretation. One specific child was asked for her reaction towards the

Queen of the Night’s aria and responded that she initially associated the Queen of the Night with

goodness because of her intricate melodies. She came to a conclusion that someone who sounds

and looks good is not necessarily “good.“

Branscombe, Peter. W.A. Mozart, Die Zauberflote. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2002.

According to Peter Branscombe, Mozart characterized not only every movements’s thought and

feeling, but also every charachter of the opera. The Queen of the Night is associated with agile

and fast notes. Every key utilized in the opera was associated with emotions. D minor, which is

the main key of Der Hölle Rache is associated with pomp and battle, and the said key is also
heavily associated with the Queen of the Night, the symbol of darkness while F Major is

associated with the world of the priests.

Chailley, Jacques, and Herbert Weinstock. The Magic Flute, Masonic Opera. London, UK:
Gollancz, 1972.

Jacques Chailley talked about how nowhere in the opera that the Queen of the Night is a

reprsentation of Evil. It is just a fac that Night is associated with darkness, but not necessarily

evil, and it is the natural opposite of Day, thus making it natural for the Queen and her cohorts to

think of Sarastro as their adversary. According to the author, modern sopranos have denatured

the rage aria, and became a mere instrument to convey their virtuosic abilities, which may have

contributed to the illusion that it is associated with images of trnaquility.

Rice, John A. Review of Autonomy and Mercy: Reflections on Mozart's Operas by Ivan Nagel
and Marion Faber. Music & Letters 74, no. 1 (February 1993): 90-91. Accessed
November 10, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/735211.
John A. Rice reviewed a publication by Ivan Nagel and Marion Faber regarding the said opera. .

Larghetto and allegro assai denote the tempo for Sarastro’s and the Queen of the Night’s arias,

respectively. The existence of opposition between Sarastro’s and the Queen of the Night’s arias

(involving the tempo and the peaks and lowest points of their melodic lines) are evident, making

it consistent with the opposite ends of the spectrum presented in the opera.

Abbate, Carolyn. (2001). In Search of Opera. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,
pp.55-106.

The second chapter of Carolyn Abbate’s book mentioned how the Queen of the Night

transformed from a mother asking the hero to rescue her child to an evil being whose thirst of

Sarastro’s blood must be quenched. It was symbolized that her coloratura lines are

manifestations of her hysteria and fury and her voice as an object that mesmerizes the human

brain and could instill both fear and awe in one’s mind.