Eine kleine Freimaurer

Oil painting by Barbara Krafft, Salzburg, 1819.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

MOZART & FREEMASONRY

MASONIC BIOGRAPHIES

Mozart’s
Eine kleine Freimaurer - Kantate KV623

(A Little Masonic Cantata, The Freemason Cantata) (1791)

When Mozart’s lodge moved premises he composed this piece "dedicating the new facility to the ideals of the brotherhood". He completed the work on 15 November, 1791, conducting the first performance three days later. It was his last completed work as he died just two weeks later.

The liner notes by Steven Ledbetter comment: "The score published in the complete edition of Mozart’s works asserts that the text of the cantata was by Emanuel Schikaneder, the librettist for the Magic Flute. But after Mozart’s death his lodge brothers published the score as a benefit to his widow and noted that the words were by an unnamed member of the Lodge; Schikaneder was not then a member. HC Robbins Landon proposes that the text was written by one of his brother Masons, Karl Luwig Gieseke.

Liner notes for Andrew Parrott and the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus version read: As with his other compositions for the Masonic ritual, Mozart writes a fairly simple part for male chorus. Many of his melodic phrases contain a frequent Masonic symbol; two notes (usually eighths) slurred together as a suggestion of the bond or "tie" between two friends. When they are singing together the tenor and bass soloists extend this imagery with parallel motion between the voices and a touch of canonic imitation in their Arioso when they invoke "Eintracht" ("concord"). The opening chorus returns to close the little cantata with a sonorous evocation of the brotherhood."

CHORUS
Let the instruments sounds loudly
announce our joy,
may every brothers heart feel
its echo within these walls,

for we consecrate this place
through the golden chain of brotherhood
and the true union of hearts
today in our temple.

Let the instruments sounds, etc.

TENOR (Recitative)
For the first time, noble brothers,
this new place encloses
wisdom and virtue.
we dedicate this place
to the sacredness of our labour
which will decipher the great mystery for us.

Sweet are the masons feelings
on such a festive day,
when the chain of brotherhood is newly and more firmly sealed;
sweet the thought that humanity has again
won a place among mankind;
sweet the remembrance of the place
where each brothers heart
determined what he was and what he is and what he can become,
where high example taught him,
where true brotherly love fostered him,
and where of all virtues the first, the most sacred,
the queen of all virtues,
benevolence, reigns in silent splendour.

(Aria)
The omnipotence of this divinity rests
not on din, pomp, and riot;
no, in silence it cradles and bestows
its blessings on humanity.

Silent divinity, to your image
the masons heart pays homage,
for you ever warm his heart
in sweet joy with sunny gentleness.

(Recitative)
Come, brothers! Give yourselves over
entirely to the bliss of your
feelings, that you may never
forget that you are masons.

BASS (Recitative)
May todays ceremony be a memorial
of the ever-new and firmly sealed union.

TENOR (Recitative)
Let envy be eternally banned
along with greed and slander,
from our Masonic hearts,

TENOR AND BASS (Arioso)
and may concord firmly fasten
of the cherished bond
that pure brotherly love has woven.

TENOR AND BASS (Duet)
Long may these walls serve
as witness to our labours,
and, so that they last forever,
may concord consecrate them today.

Let us share every burden
with the full weight of love;
then we shall receive here
with dignity the true light of the east.

In order to gain this advantage.
begin our work quickly.
And even that which is already begun start again today.

If in this place we have
dedicated our hearts and our words
entirely to virtue,
oh, then envy is stilled
and that wish utterly fulfilled
that crown our hopes

CHORUS
Let the instruments sounds loudly
announce our joy,
may every brothers heart feel
its echo within these walls,

for we consecrate this place
through the golden chain of brotherhood
and the true union of hearts
today in our temple.

Let the instruments sounds, etc.

Source of textfile and translation is unknown.

© 1871-2023 Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M. Updated: 2003/11/23
freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/mozart_a/eine_kleine_freimaurer.html