Abduction from the Seraglio, The, is a romantic opera in three acts by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (see Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus). Its title in German is Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. It is often known by an Italian title, Il Seraglio (The Seraglio). The word seraglio means harem, a part of a Middle Eastern ruler's palace reserved for his wives and their maidservants. Mozart composed the opera during 1781 and 1782, using a libretto (text) by Gottlob Stephanie. Stephanie's text was based on one that Carl Friedrich Bretzner had written for the opera Belmont and Constanze, by the German composer Johann Andre. The story had, however, already been used in several earlier English and Italian comic operas and plays. Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio was first staged in Vienna in July 1782.