Mozart and Freemasons
- Became a mason in December of 1784, quickly became a master mason.
- Part of the Enlightenment/humanist faction of masons, often referred to as the Illuminati.
- The Marriage of Figaro: opera based on a play by Beaumarchais, another Freemason. It espouses the idea that people of lowly class could be noble in spirit, and vice versa.
- "The purpose of music in the [Masonic] ceremonies is to spread good thoughts and unity among the members" so that they may be "united in the idea of innocence and joy," wrote L.F. Lenz in a contemporary edition of Masonic songs. Music should "inculcate feelings of humanity, wisdom and patience, virtue and honesty, loyalty to friends, and finally an understanding of freedom."
- The Masonic initiation ceremony began with the candidate knocking three times at the door to ask admittance. This is expressed musically as a dotted figure: