The secrets of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” - Joshua Borths

Translator: Putri Hapsari Reviewer: Ade Indarta

A boy named Prince Tamino runs through a dark wood

Pangeran Tamino berlari melalui hutan gelap

pursued by a dragon.

dikejar naga.

Just as it rears up to devour him,

Saat naga hampir memangsanya,

three mysterious ladies appear

tiga wanita misterius muncul

and slay the dragon with their fierce battle cry.

dan membunuh si naga dengan teriakan mereka.

So begins Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte,"

Maka mulailah "Die Zauberflöte" karya Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,

or "The Magic Flute."

atau "Seruling Ajaib".

This fantasy singspiel,

Drama musikal fantasi ini,

a type of folk opera with music and dialogue,

sejenis opera folk dengan musik dan dialog,

premiered in 1791 in Vienna.

dipentaskan tahun 1791 di Vienna.

Though it may seem like a childish fairytale,

Meskipun kisahnya seperti dongeng kekanak-kanakan,

this intricate opera is full of subversive symbolism,

opera rumit ini dipenuhi dengan simbol subversif,

and it's now regarded as one of the most influential operas in history.

dan kini dianggap sebagai salah satu opera terpenting dalam sejarah.

Tamino's run in with the dragon is only the start of his journey.

Lari ke hutan hanyalah awal perjalanan Tamino.

The three women summon their leader, the Queen of the Night.

Tiga wanita itu memanggil pemimpin mereka, Ratu Malam.

She, in turn, sends Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter Pamina

Ia meminta Tamino menyelamatkan putrinya Pamina

from the evil sorcerer, Sarastro.

dari penyihir jahat, Sarastro.

And to help him on his journey, she gives him the titular magic flute.

Untuk membantunya dalam misi, ia memberi Tamino seruling ajaib.

Tamino eventually finds Pamina at Sarastro's temple,

Tamino akhirnya menemukan Pamina di kuil Sarastro,

but behind enemy lines,

tapi di belakang garis musuh,

Tamino and Pamina learn that they're on the wrong side.

Tamino dan Pamina sadar bahwa mereka berada di pihak yang salah.

The Queen of Night actually wants to plunge the world into darkness.

Ratu Malam ingin menciptakan kegelapan di seluruh dunia.

Everything Tamino thought he knew was wrong,

Segala hal yang diyakini Tamino ternyata salah,

filling him with doubt and confusion.

membuatnya bingung dan ragu.

So, a new quest begins for Tamino and Pamina.

Jadi, sebuah pencarian baru dimulai untuk Tamino dan Pamina.

They must pass three trials of wisdom,

Mereka harus melalui tiga ujian,

and only then can the day vanquish the night.

dan hanya setelah mereka berhasil, kegelapan bisa sirna.

Helped by the flute's magic power,

Dengan bantuan seruling ajaib,

the two youths overcome these trials and the Queen's attempts to sabotage them.

keduanya berhasil melalui ujian dan upaya sang Ratu menghalangi mereka.

They're finally initiated into the temple having restored balance to the kingdom.

Setelah misi berhasil, mereka bergabung ke kuil.

Many elements in this peculiar fairytale

Banyak elemen dalam dongeng aneh ini

were inspired by Mozart's involvement in Freemasonry,

terinspirasi dari keterlibatan Mozart dalam Freemasonry,

a network of fraternal organizations throughout Europe.

jaringan organisasi persaudaraan di seluruh Eropa.

Much of their history, symbolism, and ritual came from the Middle Ages.

Simbol, sejarah, dan ritualnya banyak yang berasal dari Abad Pertengahan.

But the Freemasons of Mozart's time

Tapi Freemason di masa Mozart

were also influenced by 18th century European ideals -

juga dipengaruhi oleh idealisme Eropa abad 18;

rationalism, humanism, and skepticism towards traditional authorities,

rasionalisme, humanisme, dan skeptisme pada otoritas tradisional.

like monarchy and the church.

seperti monarki dan gereja.

The symbols of Freemasonry and these ideals of the Enlightenment

Simbol-simbol Freemasonry dan idealisme Pencerahan ini

are found throughout the opera.

ditemukan di opera tersebut.

If this sounds like a conspiracy theory, that's because it sort of was at the time,

Jika terdengar mirip teori konspirasi, itu karena dulunya dianggap demikian,

but it's now taken quite seriously

tapi sekarang ini dianggap serius

and has been the subject of considerable scholarly publication.

dan telah menjadi subyek publikasi ilmiah yang besar.

For example, some Mozart scholars believe the Queen of the Night

Misalnya, beberapa pakar Mozart yakin bahwa Ratu Malam

symbolizes Maria Theresa, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire

adalah Maria Theresa, pimpinan Kekaisaran Roma Yang Suci

who opposed Freemasonry and banned it in Austria.

yang menentang Freemasonry dan melarangnya di Austria.

While there continues to be debate as to the specific meaning,

Meskipun banyak perdebatan tentang arti khusus,

interpretation,

interpretasi,

and location of these masonic references,

dan lokasi dari acuan masonik ini,

scholars agree that they're there and are fully intentional.

pakar setuju bahwa semua ini ada, dan sangat disengaja.

One of these symbols is the number three,

Salah satu contoh adalah angka tiga,

which represented balance and order to Freemasons.

yang menggambarkan keseimbangan dan keteraturan bagi Freemason.

Now the number three is, of course, easy to find in any work of storytelling,

Angka tiga banyak ditemukan di kisah-kisah lain,

but it's particularly prominent in "The Magic Flute":

tapi ini menonjol di "Seruling Ajaib":

three trials,

tiga ujian,

three ladies,

tiga wanita,

three spirits,

tiga roh,

and three doors,

dan tiga pintu,

much of the music is written in E-flat major,

sebagian besar musik ditulis dalam E-flat major.

which has three flats in its key signature,

yang memiliki tiga flat di tanda kuncinya,

and historically, masonic rituals began with three knocks.

dan dalam sejarah, ritual masonik dimulai dengan tiga ketukan.

The opera references them by opening with three majestic chords

Opera mengacunya dengan tiga kord megah di permulaan

complete with dramatic pauses.

lengkap dengan jeda dramatis.

Those chords, which reoccur throughout the opera,

Kord-kord ini, yang muncul lagi di seluruh opera,

serve another purpose.

memenuhi tujuan lain.

They capture the dramatic arc of the opera in miniature.

Mereka memberi efek dramatis dalam miniatur.

The first chord, E-flat major, is in its most natural root position,

Kord pertama, E-flat mayor, berada di posisi akar paling biasa,

simple and unadorned.

sederhana dan lugas.

It echoes the child-like Prince Tamino,

Kord itu mirip Tamino yang kekanakan,

who, in his naiveté, accepts everything the Queen and her ladies say

yang dengan naif menerima perintah sang Ratu dan anak buahnya

without question.

tanpa mempertanyakan.

The second chord is C minor,

Kord kedua adalah C minor,

a sour sonority that mirrors Tamino's sadness and doubt

kemerduan pahit yang mencerminkan kesedihan dan keraguan Tamino

in the middle of the opera.

di tengah-tengah opera.

That's when his world and notions of good and evil get turned on their heads.

Saat itulah ide baik dan buruk muncul di kepalanya.

And good and evil are just two of the opera's extreme opposites.

Kebaikan dan keburukan hanyalah dua ekstrem dalam opera.

It features some of the highest and lowest notes in opera,

Ada not tertinggi dan terendah di opera,

day and night,

siang dan malam,

simple hummable melodies and complicated forward-looking music.

melodi sederhana dan musik kompleks.

The opera's central theme concerns balancing these extremes

Tema inti opera berhubungan dengan penyeimbangan ekstrem ini

to achieve perfect harmony.

untuk meraih harmoni sempurna.

To reflect this,

Untuk melukiskannya,

the final chord in the opening restores musical order.

kord final di permulaan mengembalikan urutan musikal.

It returns to the triumphant E-flat major,

Lalu kembali ke E-flat mayor,

the same chord it started with but inverted,

kord yang sama yang mengawali tapi dibalik,

meaning Mozart moved the bottom note to the top.

artinya Mozart memindahkan not dari bawah ke atas.

Although it retains its original harmony, the chord sounds higher,

Meskipun menahan harmoni aslinya, kord itu terdengar lebih tinggi,

pointing towards enlightenment.

menunjuk ke arah pencerahan.

That's similar to Tamino,

Ini mirip dengan Tamino,

who in passing his trials restores balance to the kingdom

yang dalam upayanya mengembalikan keseimbangan ke kerajaan,

while growing stronger, wiser, and more complete.

tumbuh menjadi kuat, lebih bijak, dan lebih utuh.