"MR. MOZART'S OPUS"
In 2001 George enrolled at
College of DuPage, a large community college in Glen Ellyn, IL. For one of his
earliest classes, English 103, he chose to make his passion for opera into an
academic pursuit, and wrote his semester-long research paper on Mozart’s Die
Zauberflöte
(The Magic Flute), a famous Singspiel opera.
The paper far exceeded the course requirements, totaling 18 pages and using more
than 20 sources.
The paper (whose title is a play on Mr. Holland's Opus) discussed Mozart and the Freemasonry movement's influence on him and his opera.
The paper included an in-depth analysis of the hidden symbolism in the opera,
libretto and even in some of the chord progressions. The paper also put the
opera in historical context, explaining how Mozart and the librettist used "dark
political satire to illustrate Masonry at the time and the opposition it faced."
Professor Fitch gave the paper a final score of 480/500, calling it a "research
tour de force" and adding, "I have watched many students research much
easier topics and have difficulty. You have done very well at that!"
(George acknowledges Professor Frances
Fitch's unparalleled wisdom and patience.)
READ THE PAPER