Although there is no direct mention of the freemasons in The Magic Flute, the opera has always been seen as a tribute to the organization. Mozart was twenty-eight when he joined the mysterious order. During those days in Vienna, the freemasons were seen as a benevolent organization striving to save humanity by moral means. They believed in the supremacy of logic.
Freemason symbols
One of the many reasons The Magic Flute is considered the Masonic Opera is because of the recurring appearance of the number three: the three ladies who see Tamino off on his adventure; the serpent who is cut into three pieces; and the three loud chords during the beginning overture, all symbolizing the three knocks on the door of a Masonic temple.
Historical context
The mean Queen of the Night is thought to be the Empress Maria Theresa, who opposed the Masonry. The hero, Tamino, is the kind Emperor Joseph II. Pamina, who requires rescuing by the forces of good and light, represents the Austrian people. Although Mozart, a child of the Enlightenment, rebelled against the aristocracy, he respected Joseph. Emperor Joseph attempted to reduce the powers of the church, opened up education to the peasants, and abolished serfdom. These are all ideas Mozart, and the Freemasons, believed in.