The Abduction from the Seraglio

opera by Mozart

Also known as: “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”

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July 23, 2026

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The Abduction from the Seraglio is an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composed in 1782. It is a singspiel, a German opera form that includes spoken dialogue and is often comic in tone.1

The opera tells the story of a rescue mission where the hero attempts to free his beloved from a Turkish harem. Mozart's work is noted for its "Turkish coloring," achieved through exotic musical phrases, chromaticism, and the use of Janissary instruments like drums and cymbals, which were popular in European music at the time for their exotic sound. The opera was a success and helped spread Mozart's reputation throughout German-speaking countries.23

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Vienna: the early years
…Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). (Joseph II currently required that German opera, rather than the traditional Italian, be given at the court theater.) In the summer of 1781, rumours began to circulate, as far as Salzburg, that Mozart was contemplating marriage with the third of…
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…Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). (Joseph II currently required that German opera, rather than the traditional Italian, be given at the court theater.) In the summer of 1781, rumours began to circulate, as far as Salzburg, that Mozart was contemplating marriage with the third of…
Read More

opera
Viennese masters
…Entführung aus dem Serail (1782; The Abduction from the Seraglio). Mozart’s music for this farcical romance set in a Turkish harem raised German singspiel to the level of great art without altering its traditional features. Graced with a fine part for a comic bass (Osmin), Die Entführung also contains in…
Read More
…Entführung aus dem Serail (1782; The Abduction from the Seraglio). Mozart’s music for this farcical romance set in a Turkish harem raised German singspiel to the level of great art without altering its traditional features. Graced with a fine part for a comic bass (Osmin), Die Entführung also contains in…
Read More