I have been asked to clarify why I think that the Magic Flutes libretto is
racist and against women.  Following are quotations from the libretto in
German and a translation into English.

1) Racist:

Monostatos: ich soll die Liebe meiden, weil ein Schwarzer hasslich ist.
(I have to abstain from love because blacks are ugly)

Sarastro to Monostatos: (Ich) weiss, dass deine Seele ebenso schwarz als
dein Gesicht ist. (I know that your soul is as black as your face.)

Besides: the libretto constantly deals with the antagonistic forces
of day and night, black and white (the very word black often explicitly
mentioned), black being associated with evil forces, bad intentions, malice
(in the end the Queen of Night (!) and Monostatos, the black, work together
against the good forces of light).

2) Against women:

The Speaker to Tamino: Ein Weib hat also dich beruckt? Ein Weib tut wenig,
plaudert viel (Has a woman so deceived you? A woman does little, gossips
much)

Sarastro about the Queen of Night: (Sie ist) ein stolzes Weib. Ein Mann
muss eure Herzen leiten, denn ohne ihn pflegt jedes Weib aus ihrem
Wirkungskreis zu schreiten. (She is an arrogant woman. A man must guide
your heart [he talks to Pamina], for without that, every woman tends to
overstep her natural sphere.)

The Second Priest and the Speaker: Bewahret euch vor Weibertucken, dies
ist des Bundes erste Pflicht (Guard yourself from womens tricks, this is
the first duty of our Order) - SO THE VERY NATURE OF SARASTRO`S ORDER IS
MISOGYNOUS.

Tamino about the Queen of Night: Sie ist ein Weib, hat Weibersinn!  (She
is a woman, with a womans mind!)

The Initiates about the three Ladies: Entweiht ist die heilige Schwelle!
hinab mit den Weibern zur Holle!  (The sacred threshold is defiled!  Away
with the women to Hell!)

Pamino later is the only woman to be worthy to be a member of the Order
because she does not fear darkness and death.  Obviously the Initiates do
not expect a lot of women to have this quality.  But: Von festem Geiste
ist ein Mann, er denket, was er sprechen kann!  (A man is strong in spirit,
he considers what he may say!)

Peter Branscombe tells in his notes for Norringtons Flute that these
misogynous phrases stem from an essay by Ignaz von Born in a Free Masons
journal (Journal fur Freymaurer 1784).  This essay is said to be one of the
main sources for Schikaneder`s libretto.

And I am of course not of the opinion that Mozarts music is of the same
quality as the libretto is.

Best wishes,
Robert Peters
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