Which opera by Mozart features the character Papageno, the bird-catcher?

Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute features Papageno, the bird-catcher.

Papageno is a comic character who helps Prince Tamino search for Pamina. He carries a set of magic bells and sings some of the opera’s most approachable music, including “Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja.” His wish for companionship contrasts with Tamino’s more formal quest and gives the work much of its humor.

The Magic Flute premiered in Vienna at the Theater auf der Wieden on 30 September 1791, near the end of Mozart’s life. Emanuel Schikaneder wrote the German libretto and created the role of Papageno. The work combines spoken dialogue with music, making it a German Singspiel rather than a continuously sung Italian opera.

Papageno is sometimes confused with the opera’s hero, Tamino, or with Sarastro, the ruler associated with wisdom and order. Papageno is neither a prince nor a priest; he is a lively everyman character whose human desires anchor the fairy-tale plot.