in Germany during the author's life, and again nineteen years after his death; and it has been translated into French and English.—G. A. M.
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (baptized Johannes Crysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb, named in his first publications J. G. or Johann Gottlieb, but always called in after life as at the head of this article), was born at Saltzburg, January 27, 1756, and died at Vienna, December 5, 1791. His unparalleled musical organization was first manifested in the delight with which he listened to his sister's practice on the harpsichord, and the pleasure he had in finding out the consonances on that instrument, in 1758; his father began in 1759 to teach him to play, his daily lessons varying from half an hour to an hour in length; and in 1760 he composed melodies, which his father wrote down from his dictation. His exquisite sensitiveness to quality of tone was evinced in his repugnance to the sound of brass instruments; believing which to be affected, his father thought to dispel it by obliging him to listen to the notes of a trumpet, but the effect upon his nerves was so violent, that he would have fainted had not the performance been discontinued. Schachtner, the trumpeter in the chapel of the archbishop of Saltzburg, was an intimate friend of the Mozart family; his cheerful and genial nature seems to have supplied the single thing that was wanting in the character of Leopold Mozart to make him an all-sufficient companion for his son—the capability to become a child with him; and thus he, as his playmate, found, in sharing his games, fresh opportunity for admiring his genius. The urchin was despotic in requiring that music should form an element of every sport in which he engaged, and would not allow the archbishop's trumpeter to carry a toy across the room, except he stepped in time and whistled a march the while; and he accompanied all his own motions throughout the game, with improvised melodies appropriate to the action. So eager was the boy's yearning for affection, that he would, many times in a day, ask his companions if they loved him, and would weep bitterly if in jest they made him a negative answer. But more than to any one, was his doating fondness shown to his father, and this, the strongest sentiment of his infancy, was matured, not weakened, in his manhood. In 1762 Leopold Mozart obtained leave of absence, to travel with his two children for the exhibition of their talents, and he took them to Munich, where they played before the elector, and were the astonishment of every one. Then, as always, Nannerl took more pleasure in the admiration excited by her brother, than in the just praises bestowed upon her own performances. In the September of the same year the party went to Vienna, and on the way thither visited a Franciscan convent at Ips, where the little Wolfgang astonished the holy fathers by his wonderful dexterity and judgment in playing on the organ. The court of the Emperor Francis I. was notable for musical taste, and the singular ability of the wondrous child found ready and warm appreciation there; but the genuine feeling for art which distinguished the emperor, in setting a fashion, gave rise to no little affectation; and Mozart showed his quick discernment and the truthful simplicity of his character, by his prompt perception of the real or feigned connoisseurship of his listeners, by playing nothing but dance tunes in the latter case, and by executing pieces of deep musical purport in the former. He was immensely fondled by the empress, and the archduchesses, children like himself; and the musicians who frequented the court, with Wagenseil at their head, were charmed to recognize his prodigious powers. Nannerl was attacked with scarlet fever, and Wolfgang caught it from her. On their recovery the father took them to Presburg, where they won fresh applause; and returned with them to Vienna, at the beginning of 1763. After a brief sojourn they went back to Saltzburg, where the quiet discipline of home was resumed. The interruption of this by their journey had not broken in upon young Mozart's studies, the pursuit of which was the greatest pleasure of his still childish life. Almost untaught, he had already acquired such facility on the violin, that when Wenzel, a friend of his father, brought to the house some trios he had just finished, for trial with the father and Schachtner, this seven year old stripling amazed them all, by sustaining the second violin part at sight, with compete efficiency.
A more extensive journey was undertaken in the July of this year, when the elder Mozart started with his children, first to Munich, and thence, resting at each of the small courts on the route, to Paris. Wolfgang's facility in all kinds of musical exercise, found everywhere fresh opportunity to prove itself; his almost instantaneous command of the pedals of an organ was matter of wonder to the ablest veterans; and his faculty of improvisation was incredible to any who did not test it. In November he reached the French capital, where he was idolized as he had been in Vienna; the Baron von Grimm introduced him at Versailles, and he was loaded with endearments by the queen and her ladies. At Paris his first publications appeared; they are two sets of two sonatas, the first dedicated to the queen of France. The father and children next came to England, where they arrived April 10, 1764. Their reception was most cordial, and they found a good friend in Christian Bach, who, holding an appointment at court, had the means of introducing them to George III. In August the father being ill, so that he could not bear the sound of the harpsichord, Wolfgang occupied himself with the composition of his first symphony, of which his sister copied the orchestra parts as he finished the score, sheet by sheet; and this was played at his public concerts. Such wonder was excited by the precocious child, and such natural doubts were entertained of the verity of the stories related of him, that Danes Barrington, F.R.S., visited him for the purpose of putting his powers to the severest proof, and wrote a paper (printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society) describing his marvellous passage through the ordeal. Among other tests he gave the boy a single word—such as "affetto," "perfido"—for the theme of a song, and was enchanted to hear him extemporize an aria, full of expression, and truthful to the sentiment he proposed. The following advertisement from the Daily Advertiser of May 7, 1765, exemplifies the position of the Mozart family, and the state of music in England while they were here:—"Mr. Mozart, the father of the celebrated young musical family, who have so justly raised the admiration of the greatest musicians of Europe, intending at the end of the month to leave England, proposes, before his departure, to give to the public in general an opportunity of hearing these young prodigies perform, both in public and private, by giving, Monday the 13th of May, a Concert, which will chiefly be conducted by his son, a boy of eight years of age, with all the overtures of his own composition. Tickets may be had, at 5s. each, of Mr. Mozart, at Mr. Williamson's, in Thrift Street (now No. 15 Frith Street), Soho; where such ladies and gentlemen who choose to come themselves, and take either tickets or the sonatas, composed by this boy and dedicated to her Majesty (price 10s. and 6d), will find the family at home every day in the week, from twelve to two o'clock, and have opportunity of putting his talents to a more particular proof by giving him anything to play at sight, or any music without a bass, which he will write upon the spot, without recurring to his harpsichord." The concert took place at Hickford's rooms, Brewer Street, Golden Square. It was thus announced:—"For the benefit of Miss Mozart of thirteen, and Master Mozart of eight years of age, prodigies of Nature, A concert of music, with all the overtures of this little boy's own composition." The Mozarts left England in July; they then went through Artois and Flanders to Holland; remained some time at the Hague—where the princess of Orange was a kind patron to the children, and where they were both laid up with another serious illness—and stayed at Amsterdam long enough for Wolfgang to write a symphony for performance at the installation of the stadtholder. After this they revisited Paris; and proceeded thence, through the chief towns of the south of France and Switzerland, back to their own country, arriving once more at Saltzburg in May, 1766. The fame of Wolfgang's foreign successes had preceded him, and he was now regarded with peculiar interest by his townsmen. The archbishop was doubtful of the marvellous stories of the powers of the boy-composer; and, to verify his reputation, he set him to write an oratorio—probably of less than an hour in length, to form portion of some occasional church service; and to preclude his receiving any assistance in the labour, he locked him up for a week in a chamber of the palace, allowing him to communicate with no one but the servant who brought him refreshment. Little Mozart completed the work within the period; and it was performed in the cathedral, to the equal delight of his taskmaster, and astonishment of all who could best judge its merits. He now went through a course of study, under his father's assiduous direction, of the works of the great Italian contrapuntists and of the German composers who flourished before his own time, save only those of Sebastian Bach, with which he made no acquaintance until a later period. The cantata
