Wolfgang, and besides listening to his real playing with deepest
interest, he made him play with one finger, in which the little fellow
was perfectly successful. Then he asked him to play with the keys
covered by a piece of cloth, which he did instantly, and these musical
tricks suggested by the Emperor's fancy, thereafter formed a far from
unimportant part of Wolfgang's repertoire on his long concert tours,
and always interested his audiences. The boy had a keen sense of
humour, and always entered heartily into any joke that was made with
him, but sometimes he could be very serious, as for instance, when he
was called to play for the court composer, George Wagenseil, who was
himself a proficient performer on the harpsichord. The Emperor stepped
back when Wagenseil came forward, and Mozart said very seriously to
him:
"I play a concerto by you, you must turn over the pages for me," and
turn the pages the great man did.
The Emperor ordered one hundred ducats to be paid to Wolfgang's father
for the performance, and the Empress, both then and later, was kindness
itself to both the children, and sent them expensive and beautiful
clothes. In writing to a friend at that time, Leopold Mozart said:
"Would you like to know what Wolferl's dress is like? It is the finest
cloth, lilac-coloured, the best of moire of the same colour. Coat and
top-coat with a double broad border of gold."
In the portrait which is in the Mozart collection in Salzburg, Mozart
is painted in this dress, and he wore it with as much ease as if he had
always been used to such finery. Also he never showed any embarrassment
or self-consciousness when in the presence of royalty, and once jumped
on the lap of the Empress, Maria Theresa, put his arms around her neck
and kissed her as effusively as if she had been his mother, while he
treated the princesses as if they were his sisters. Marie Antoinette
was one of his great favourites after she helped him up from a severe
fall on a highly polished floor. To her great amusement he thanked her
by saying:
"You are good. I will marry you," and when the Crown Prince Joseph, who
afterwards became Emperor, played the violin before the little prodigy,
he exclaimed: "Fie!" at something he did not like, then, "that was
false!" at another bar, and finally applauded, with cries of "Bravo!"
Little Nannerl who played only less well than her remarkable brother,
was a charmingly pretty, piquant little girl, whose manner, both in
society and in the concert hall, was winning and demure, while
Wolfgang's grace and elegance of manner were striking. Wherever the
children went, people went mad over them. They were the fashion, the
furore, no musical entertainment was a success without them, and they
were so petted that they might easily have been spoiled, had it not
been for their father's wise and watchful care. But with true German
caution, the father guarded them from bad effects of over-excitement or
indulgence. All sorts of presents were constantly given them, among
which were many jewels and beautiful articles of clothing, but the
clothes were only used on concert nights or special occasions, the
jewellery was kept locked up in a box, and the children were only
allowed to see or handle it when they had been especially good.
When Paris was the headquarters of the travellers, all possible honour
was given them, and the concerts in the French capital brought the
Mozarts a substantial sum and they were received very kindly in a visit
to the Court of Versailles; of which visit little Nannerl said later,
that her only recollection was of the Marquise de Pompadour standing
Wolfgang on a table, that he wanted to kiss her, and when she drew
back, he said indignantly:
"Who is she that she will not let me kiss her? The Empress kissed me."
The King's daughters were very kind to the children, and on New Year's
Day, 1764, the Mozart family dined with the royal family. Wolfgang sat
next to the Queen, who talked to him in German, translating the
conversation to Louis Fifteenth, while near Wolfgang sat his father and
his mother, and Nannerl sat on the opposite side of the table by the
Dauphin.
After playing at Versailles the little musicians became the fashion in
Paris, and every circle was open to them, while Wolfgang's reputation
as a musical genius was steadily growing, and he had already composed
two sonatas which were really good pieces of work from an artistic
point of view.
Leaving Paris at last, the Mozarts arrived in London, and after taking
lodgings, they hastened to adopt English customs.
"How do you suppose," wrote Leopold Mozart, to a friend, "my wife and
girl look in English hats, and the great Wolfgang in English clothes?"
Almost immediately they were requested to play at Buckingham House,
before the King and Queen, where they met with exceptional kindness and
appreciation, and the London visit was an unqualified success, one
brilliant performance following another in quick succession, until it
seemed as if the quaint, charming little music-king who made such an
imposing appearance on the stage, must be really as old and grown-up as
he seemed when playing in public.
But while they were in England, in lodgings in Chelsea, which was then
open country, Leopold Mozart was very ill for a time, so the children
could not practise, and for awhile were obliged to run wild, and it
would have been hard to imagine that the bright little German girl and
the pretty boy, busy making houses and grottos and arbours out of
stones and earth and leaves, at the rear of their lodgings, were the
infant prodigies of the concert stage. But even then, while he could
not use the harpsichord, little Wolfgang was composing, and when tired
of out-of-door sports would sit down, with his sister beside him and
work on a symphony for the orchestra, and it was thus that his earliest
symphonies were composed, which were all marked by real artistic form
and feeling. The chief advantage of these compositions, however, was
that Wolfgang kept in practise, and was able to announce that at his
next concerts all the instrumental numbers would be his own compositions,
which, of course, made a great impression on his audiences.
Again they were invited to Court, but this time Leopold Mozart felt
obliged to have six sonatas of Wolfgang's for harpsichord and violin,
printed and dedicated to the Queen, so the visit was not the financial
benefit to the Mozarts that the first one had been, and from that time
the concert tour brought in less great returns than those of the
previous months, for both Nannerl and Wolfgang were seriously sick. But
they recovered and journeyed on to Holland, where Wolfgang was called
to play before the Prince of Orange, and commanded to write six sonatas
for the princess, also to write a variation for the harpsichord on the
melody which is sung, played and whistled by everybody in Holland and
is the real Dutch national hymn.
The little composer was also called upon for various other pieces of
musical work and in no way disappointed his critics or his audiences.
Again the trio journeyed on, stopping wherever the father felt that his
son's fame might be increased by a concert.
To Paris they went again, then through France to Switzerland, and
finally journeyed homeward, reaching Salzburg in November of 1766, and
it was a matter of great interest to their friends to find the children
who had left home three years ago, still happy, hearty boy and girl,
despite all their new worldly experience.
Old and young came to bid them welcome, to hear the story of their
adventures, and to see the numerous and costly presents, about which
they had heard so much. They found pretty Nannerl prettier than ever,
and Wolfgang, notwithstanding the severe illness he had recently had,
looked normally well and happy, and was as childish in his interests as
if he had not become a public idol.
It is said that at that time, so glad was he to be at home again, that
he rode merrily around the room on his father's stick, as he had done
three years before, and played with his favourite cat just as he used
to do, the cat having been well cared for in the absence of the family,
by a friend.
During their tour Wolfgang had created for himself an imaginary
kingdom, which he called Ruecken. This country was to be inhabited
entirely by children, and he was to be the king. His idea of the place
was so distinct that a friend had to draw him a map of the cities in
it, to which he gave names, and his friends were completely fascinated
to hear him talk of his droll conceits, when he was not holding them
spell-bound by the magic of his music.
And now as soon as they were settled down again in their home, Leopold
Mozart began to instruct Wolfgang seriously in counterpoint, that he
might be thoroughly fitted for his life-work, and then as his
precocious childhood begins to merge into young boyhood, we find him
working indefatigably, working with fingers and with brain, every
faculty alert, to conquer technique and achieve perfection in his art.
In the summer of 1767, when Mozart was eleven, they started on a new
tour, for which the little prodigy composed four pianoforte concerti,
which were interesting on account of certain harmonic effects produced
in them, but that second tour, was not a fortunate one, for during it,
both Nannerl and Wolfgang were stricken with small-pox, which took a
very violent form, and poor Wolfgang lay blind for nine days, and
convalescence was slow, and hard to bear. Again they visited Vienna,
but there they found things greatly changed, for while in former days,
music was always a feature of great social gatherings, now the only
pleasure seemed to be in balls, and there was absolutely no interest
shown in Mozart, the child prodigy. Also much jealousy was shown
towards the Mozarts by other musicians, and when Wolfgang set to work
on an opera, to be used with the text written for him by the Viennese
dramatic poet of the day, and had already completed a score of six
hundred and fourteen pages, it was said that Wolfgang had not written
it at all, that it was his father's composition. To contradict these
statements, in the presence of several prominent critics, Leopold
opened a volume of Metastatio, at the first aria, which he placed in
front of Wolfgang, and before that assemblage of critical older men,
the boy seized a pen and wrote without hesitation, music to the aria
for several instruments, and with such incredible swiftness that the
company watching him were dumb with amazement at his ability.
But matters did not grow brighter--all sorts of unpleasant incidents
occurred to embitter the tourists, and at the end of a year the family
returned once again to Salzburg.
At that time Italy was the Mecca of the musician, and to study and win
his first laurels there was the ideal of every musical student. The
musical atmosphere of Salzburg was narrow and provincial, and Leopold
Mozart wished Wolfgang to escape from it, so presently we find young
Mozart and his father journeying Southward to Italy where Wolfgang is
studying, meeting interesting people, playing in public, and writing
amusing letters home to Nannerl, who was becoming more devoted to her
home duties now, than to her music, but even so it was always into her
ears that Wolfgang poured his musical feelings, sure that he would be
understood.
When he was in Rome, he saw in the Sistine chapel the painting of "The
Last Judgment," while listening to the wonderful music of "The
Miserere," which music is only performed in Holy Week by the Pope's
choir, and no one has ever been allowed to have a copy of the music or
even to see it. But so accurate was little Mozart's memory, that after
leaving the chapel, he not only wrote out the music correctly, but
could also sing it perfectly, a feat which made him the musical marvel
of his age!
For two years he worked and studied, and accomplished great things
musically, then the Elector of Bavaria invited him to write a comic
opera for the Carnival, which invitation the boy joyfully accepted, and
at once set to work on the none too easy task. He was now at home
again, and his father and Nannerl listened eagerly to his themes, as
bit by bit he elaborated them.
In due time the opera was finished; it was called "La Finta Giardiniera,"
and Wolfgang, accompanied by his father and pretty sister, set off for
Munich, where the performance was to be given, where court life was
very gay just then, and where Nannerl and Wolfgang were sure to have
much to amuse and interest them.
Nannerl was taken to board by a widow who lived in the old market-place,
while Leopold and the young composer were obliged to take rooms nearer
the Court. At once rehearsals of the opera began, and the days were
marked by a succession of exciting events for Wolfgang and for Nannerl,
into whose apartment Wolfgang ran half a dozen times a day to report
progress.
Up and down the street, humming bits of the opera or intent on some new
scenic effect, dashed the young composer a dozen times a day, and he
and Nannerl were perfectly sure that no performance ever was or ever
could be so marvellous, as this one was to be.
At last the great night came. Nannerl was dressed in her dainty white
gown hours before the time, but Wolfgang, who was detained at the opera
house until the last moment, had just time to jump into his fine new
costume of satin and lace, with the flash of brilliants in his ruff and
on his slippers; without a glance in the mirror, but he looked like a
proud young prince when he joined his father and sister, although the
hand that he slipped through Nannerl's arm was trembling. Who could say
what the evening would hold of triumph or of failure? No wonder he
trembled.
When they arrived at the opera house, it was crowded to the doors. All
the court was there in gala dress, but the youthful music-master,
scarcely nineteen years old then, sat with his father and Nannerl,
unmindful that all eyes were focussed on him, forgetful of all but the
performance of his opera.
The music began, and from the first note to the last, the opera was a
triumphant success. Young Mozart then became the object of the wildest
enthusiasm, and from that moment his popularity as a musician was
established.
There let us leave him, as he stands before us in his stately costume,
bowing acknowledgment of the applause raining upon him, with the blaze
of light shining full upon his clean-cut dignified face, and when we
hear his famous compositions played, let us think back to that night of
his first great public triumph, when he was nineteen years old.
Pianist, violinist, composer, little music-king and great genius as
well--the world owes a debt of gratitude to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
which can only be paid in the coin of appreciation.
End of Project Gutenberg's Ten Boys from History, by Kate Dickinson Sweetser