Three is The Magic Number | WNO (2024)

Three is The Magic Number | WNO (1)

Throughout human history, the number 3 has always had a unique significance, but why?

The ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, postulated that the meaning behind numbers was deeply significant. In their eyes the number 3 was considered as the perfect number, the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding. It was also the number of time – past, present, future; birth, life, death; beginning, middle, end – it was the number of the divine. Three is often the magic number in fairy tales and this certainly rings true in our ‘visually sumptuous’ (Wales Arts Review) production of Mozart’s beloved The Magic Flute.

Our prince charming Tamino is rescued from a big orange lobster by Three Ladies – servants of the Queen of the Night - dressed as nannies or governesses, marking the beginning of his journey of self-discovery and enlightenment. During his quest he is guided by Three Boys who lead him to Sarastro’s temple (the spirits only appear in Sarastro’s kingdom).

Three is The Magic Number | WNO (2)
Three is The Magic Number | WNO (3)

The number 3 is also associated with the Freemasons, of which Mozart and his librettist Schikaneder were members, and the theme of 3 appears repeatedly in the piece – both on stage and in the pit.

The opera’s opening overture is written in Eb Major, which has 3 flats, and it begins with 3 chordal gestures, imitating the secret knock that masons would have used in Vienna at the time to gain access to their Lodges.

Our irresistible production was designed by Julian Crouch and he emphasised the magical number by having 3 doors in each of the set’s 3 walls. Strength, beauty and wisdom also symbolize the 3 great pillars of the Lodges. Inscriptions upon the 3 temples refer to Nature, Reason and Wisdom, also of Masonic origin. To the Viennese of that day, political symbolism was easily and broadly interpreted; they saw the opera's Queen of the Night as no one other than their own Empress Maria Theresa, the hero Tamino was seen to be the “good” Emperor Joseph and the heroine Pamina was the Austrian people itself.

Pythagoras believed that the number 3 stood for good fortune and following recent reviews for our revival production, we agree. Described by the critics as ‘an unabashedly entertaining evening of operatic pantomime’ (Bachtrack), don’t miss our re-telling of Mozart’s coming of age story at a theatre near you this Spring Season.

Three is The Magic Number  | WNO (2024)

FAQs

Why is 3 the magic number? ›

Throughout human history, the number 3 has always had a unique significance, but why? The ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, postulated that the meaning behind numbers was deeply significant. In their eyes the number 3 was considered as the perfect number, the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding.

Where does three is the magic number come from? ›

Three is a Magic Number is a song from Multiplication Rock! It goes over multiplying by three. This song was the pilot episode of the whole Schoolhouse Rock! series.

Who sings 3 is the magic number? ›

Three Is A Magic Number - song and lyrics by Bob Dorough | Spotify.

What does magic of three mean? ›

A series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses is known as a tricolon in literary parlance. In intermediate classrooms, we call it the Magic of Three. Tricolons are easy to read, easy to say, and easy to remember.

Why is 3 the most powerful number? ›

The number 3 has always held powerful symbolism. Think about good things coming in 3s, the birth-life-death cycle, the mind-body-soul connection, the 3 acts of a typical story. Wherever the number 3 shows up in your life, it's generally an omen of creativity, communication, optimism, and curiosity!

What is the human magic number? ›

In a famous paper, “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information” (1956), Miller proposed as a law of human cognition and information processing that humans can effectively process no more than seven units, or chunks, of information, plus or minus…

What is a magic number and why are they problematic? ›

The use of unnamed magic numbers in code obscures the developers' intent in choosing that number, increases opportunities for subtle errors (e.g. is every digit correct in 3.14159265358979323846 and is this equal to 3.14159?) and makes it more difficult for the program to be adapted and extended in the future.

What is the most magic number? ›

To the world of physics, 137 is synonymous with the fine structure constant. This constant, represented as approximately 1/137.03599913, gauges the strength of the electromagnetic force, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

What is a magic number and why is it bad? ›

In software development, a “magic number” is a numerical or other constant value that appears in the code without explanation or context. This can make the code difficult to understand and maintain, because it's not immediately clear what the number represents or why it was chosen.

Why is 3 so important? ›

According to Pythagoras and the Pythagorean school, the number 3, which they called triad, is the noblest of all digits, as it is the only number to equal the sum of all the terms below it, and the only number whose sum with those below equals the product of them and itself.

Why is 7 a magic number? ›

Seven is a “perfect number”, an emblem of the totality of space, time and the movements of the universe. As well as change and evolution. It is also the number of completed cycles. It takes Saturn (The Planet of Karma) seven years to revolve around the sun.

What is an example of a magic number? ›

It is quite similar to the happy number. For example, 325 is a magic number because the sum of its digits (3+2+5) is 10, and again sum up the resultant (1+0), we get a single digit (1) as the result. Hence, the number 325 is a magic number. Some other magic numbers are 1234, 226, 10, 1, 37, 46, 55, 73, etc.

What is the mythology of the number 3? ›

3. The number 3 is a very mystical and spiritual number featured in many folktales (three wishes, three guesses, three little pigs, three bears, three billy goats gruff). In ancient Babylon the three primary gods were Anu, Bel (Baal), and Ea, representing Heaven, Earth, and the Abyss.

Why do we repeat three times? ›

Repeating something three times is an obvious lesson for trainers. It is also an important lesson for leaders. People remember better if you tell them something and then follow up with at least two other reminders using different means communication such as a phone call, a calendar invite, a text message, or an email.

What does the three symbolize? ›

It is The Triad, being the number of the whole as it contains the beginning, a middle and an end. The power of three is universal and is the tripartide nature of the world as heaven, earth, and waters. It is human as body, soul and spirit. ... It is a symbol of the unity of body, mind and spirit.

Why is the number 3 unique? ›

According to Pythagoras and the Pythagorean school, the number 3, which they called triad, is the noblest of all digits, as it is the only number to equal the sum of all the terms below it, and the only number whose sum with those below equals the product of them and itself.

What is the most powerful number in magic? ›

Seven was the most powerful magical number, based on centuries of mythology, science, and mathematics, and therefore had a very important role in the wizarding world. Arithmancer Bridget Wenlock was the first to note this through a theorem which exposed the magical properties of the number seven.

What makes a magic number? ›

magic number, in physics, in the shell models of both atomic and nuclear structure, any of a series of numbers that connote stable structure. The magic numbers for atoms are 2, 10, 18, 36, 54, and 86, corresponding to the total number of electrons in filled electron shells.

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