Easter, life, Mozart

During the spring revival festivities, it is a good time to talk about this tradition and its roots. Especially since the Masonic year also begins with spring – 1 March.

So, the first festivals of spring revival, we can observe already in Egypt. They are connected with the murder of Osiris and his resurrection with the help of Isis - his sister and wife. As we know, Osiris was killed by his brother god Seth, and by his order was torn into pieces, which later were collected all over Egypt by Isis in order to revive Osiris and conceive Horus from him. Of course, the story of the god being reborn in spring passed into the Christian tradition. In addition, the very image of Isis with the infant Horus served as a prototype of the images of Mary with Christ. The celebration of Passover as the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, which falls on these days, is also associated with the rebirth of the people and culture, and most likely rooted in the same Egypt.

Mysteries of spring rebirth passed from Egypt to the ancient world of Greece and Rome. Ancient Greece borrowed a lot from Egypt, considering it the cradle of knowledge: Pythagoreanism originated there, and the early Cretan-Mycenaean culture itself is associated with ancient Egypt. Late Rome revived Egyptian cults throughout the empire, honouring Isis, Osiris and Apis as its deities.

It is worth noting that the image of the egg for which Easter is known was interpreted as a symbol of the rebirth of life. The earliest papyrus records found in Europe, dating back to the 7th century BC, contained the ritual of the Orphic Mysteries, symbolised by a serpent wrapped around an egg. These mysteries were related to the Pythagorean ones, but the universality of proportions in them was realised through music rather than through abstract mathematics. Even then it was believed that the right combinations of sounds created an important effect for the mystic, who with their help could feel the structure of the world and penetrate into the spheres closed to ordinary consciousness.

Today in the context of this holiday we can talk about one of the most famous Freemasons - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

In 1779 Mozart composed the Mass in C major, later called the Coronation Mass, specifically for the Easter liturgy in Salzburg Cathedral. The Mass was premiered on Easter, 4 April 1779, and made a strong impression on the audience due to its dynamics, solemnity and sublime sound. Although Mozart was not yet a Freemason at the time, the work already has themes in line with Masonic philosophy: light, enlightenment and spiritual rebirth. It has been suggested that working on the Mass helped Mozart through the difficult events of his mother's death in Paris the year before and the financial and emotional difficulties associated with it. This may have predetermined the overall light mood of the work and its consonance with the Easter theme of resurrection. According to legend, during the performance of the Easter mass, bright sunlight illuminated the choir and orchestra in Salzburg Cathedral, which was taken by those present as a sign of divine presence.

In 1784 Mozart joined the Masonic lodge "Beneficence" (Zur Wohltätigkeit) in Vienna, an event that marked a turning point in his life. Masonry, which combined the ideas of moral self-improvement, fraternal mutual aid and symbolism derived from the traditions of medieval masons' guilds and ancient heritage, deeply attracted Mozart.

Mozart was an active Freemason and had already reached the degree of Master by 1785. Subsequently, his father, Leopold Mozart, also joined Freemasonry. For Wolfgang, Freemasonry was not only a philosophical system, but also a powerful source of creative inspiration. He was deeply imbued with Masonic symbolism and ideas, which had a marked influence on his musical legacy. According to legend, during his initiation, Mozart was deeply impressed by the organ playing that accompanied the ritual. The atmosphere of the ceremony touched him to the core, and he said that the initiation opened the door to a completely different philosophical dimension, transforming his worldview.

Mozart admired Freemasonry so much that he wrote works specifically for Masonic rituals. His Masonic works include "Adagio for two basset horns and bassoon", "Adagio and Fugue in C minor", the cantata "Loudly proclaim our joy" (Laut verkünde unsre Freude), written for the opening ceremony of the Vienna Masonic Lodge, and other compositions. Mozart's most famous Masonic work is the opera "The Magic Flute", written in 1791. In it, Mozart combined Christian motifs of charity with Masonic allegories: the path to enlightenment and brotherhood. The premiere of "The Magic Flute" took place in September 1791 in Vienna - the public was presented with an opera imbued with Masonic philosophy. The central motif of the work is the struggle between light and darkness, in Freemasonry this means the victory of enlightened reason over chaos. The opera also outlines the path of initiation through trials in order to gain wisdom and constantly repeats the number three, which in Freemasonry symbolises hierarchy (the three main degrees of initiation) and spiritual harmony (body, mind, soul).

This week's object is the first heraldic standard of the British Mozart Lodge No. 3735, which admits composers and musicians, discovered by our museum.

It is interesting to note that this heraldic standard of the lodge was restored in the 21st century, but its first version – in the beginning of the 20th century – was not mentioned anywhere until it was discovered by the Riga Museum of the History of World Freemasonry.