Musical Notes and Thoughts

W. A. Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Freemasonry

Protestantism and Freemasonry: I received a blog entry today about how Protestantism and Freemasonry are deeply intwined with each other. Several names were named, without explanation. Sadly, one cannot deny that a long history between the two does exist. There can also be no question that the two are diametrically opposed to each other. But is everyone who can be labelled a Freemason an active, practicing, believing Freemason? The answer, I’d maintain, is: “No.”

W. A. Mozart and Joseph Haydn come to mind. Both were Freemasons, indeed, Mozart persuaded Haydn to join. As mentioned in a previous post, I’d maintain that the underlying spirit of their music is quite different. Haydn’s music has a joy that Mozart’s does not; Mozart’s has a level angst that Haydn’s does not.

The question is: How much did Freemasonry influence the music of Mozart compared to Haydn?

Let’s look at Mozart first: One of his latest works was “The Magic Flute,” a piece regarded to be rife with Masonic symbolism. Mozart wrote several pieces for use in Masonic rituals. These include: K. 148/125h: a song for tenor and piano; K. 429/468a: a cantata for two tenors, male chorus, and orchestra; K. 468: a song for tenor and piano; K. 471: another cantata for tenor, male chorus, and orchestra, titled “The Mason’s Joy”; K. 477/479a: an orchestral piece written for a Masonic funeral; K. 483 and K. 484: two songs for tenor, male chorus, and organ used to open and close lodge meetings; K. 619: a short cantata for tenor and piano; K. 623: the Little Masonic Cantata, for two tenors, bass, male chorus, and orchestra; K. 623a: a work intended to close a lodge meeting. K. 623 is believed to be the last piece Mozart completed before he died.

What about Joseph Haydn? Not surprisingly, Masons are quick to claim him as one of their “biggies.” Objectively, there may be one incidental piece that he wrote for a Masonic group in Paris, but that is about it. As best anyone can tell historically, the only Masonic meeting Haydn ever attended was his initiation. That is it: one meeting. Why the difference between Mozart and Haydn?

David L. Gray has extensively researched Mozart, Haydn, and their relationship to Freemasonry. He notes (source: https://www.saintdominicsmedia.com/weninger-haydn-mozart-and-the-history-of-austrian-catholic-freemasons/): “On the night of Haydn’s initiation, the journey of these two brilliant composers, Catholics, and Freemasons, ended. For, Haydn realized that he had been duped into joining a pagan religion, while Mozart had found both home and fame in the Masonic mysteries.”

Sometimes people join groups without realizing what those groups are. That could certainly be true of someone and such a secretive gnostic group like the Freemasons.

It isn’t wise to simply label someone “x” without asking the deeper question of what that individual person believes and why.

Beyond that, I find it interesting how Haydn’s world view and Mozart’s eventual world view influenced their respective music. Mozart was an ardent Mason for the last seven years of his life, while Haydn, as a Christian, expressed joy in his relationship to God. I suspect this may be the underlying cause of why I prefer the music of Joseph Haydn over that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.