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MOZ of his composition, "Apollo and Hyacinthus," performed at the university, shows that he not only gathered knowledge from the words of the old masters, but improved the acquisition by practical exercise of his powers.

In September, 1767, the family again visited Vienna. It is represented that the artists there resident were jealous of the boy's reputation, and that his father's utmost diplomacy was needed to counteract their machinations against him. An attack of the small-pox not only disabled the children for a time from appearing in society, but was a fresh obstacle to their reception when they recovered. Joseph II., however, no less kindly disposed than was his predecessor towards the boy, thought to give him an opportunity of refuting all aspersions of his ability, by commanding him to write an Italian opera, for performance at the imperial theatre. Affligio, the manager of this establishment, and also the librettist, furnished young Mozart with the words of "La Finta Semplice," which he straightway set to music. Endless stories are preserved of the cabals of those artists, who are supposed to have been jealous of a child taking their slowly earned position in public esteem, to prevent the production of this work, which, from whatever cause, was never represented. To console him in some degree for his disappointment, Dr. Mesmer, the magnetist, gave him a German opera to set, "Bastien und Bastienne," which was privately performed by a company of dilettanti at the doctor's residence. It is an important sign of the versatility and ripeness of the composer's powers, that these two dramatic attempts are severally characteristic of the Italian and German styles of music; "La Finta" being based upon the Italian models of the day, and "Bastien" being utterly opposed to them in manner and expression. A further solace to the poor boy, was an engagement to write a mass and other pieces for the inauguration of the church of the orphan asylum, the performance of which he directed in person. With all its vexations, the present was by no means a profitable sojourn to the Mozart family; and the father being required for the discharge of his duties at Saltzburg, was obliged to return thither with his children, at the end of 1768. Little Mozart received the appointment of concertmeister from the archbishop—equivalent to that of leader of the band, or principal violinist, in England—which, however, he held without salary until the beginning of 1772, when the annual stipend of one hundred and fifty gulden was granted to him.

In the last century, it was indispensable to a musician's acknowledgment by the world, that he should visit Italy; accordingly, after a year's preparatory study, Wolfgang started with his father, at the end of 1769, upon a journey to the land in which the highest musical honours were to be won. His success in Milan, where he passed the first months of 1770, was such that, boy as he was, he received the commission to write an opera for performance during the ensuing carnival. At Bologna he was a candidate for membership of the Philharmonic Society; to obtain which he was required to undergo a most rigid examination, and to write an extremely elaborate exercise; and he not only gained his diploma with commendations almost unprecedented, but won the esteem of Padre Martini, the most learned contrapuntist of the age, which he accounted the greatest honour he could achieve. He subsequently submitted to a similar test, with like success, at Verona. At Bologna he made the acquaintance of Farinelli, then living in princely retirement, whose conversations are supposed to have had due influence in maturing his exuberant feeling for dramatic expression. The celebration of Passion week in the pontifical city was an irresistible attraction to the pious Leopold Mozart, who went thither with his son, to witness the solemnities of this occasion. It was then that Wolfgang performed the famous feat of transcribing Allegri's Miserere from memory, the use of which had previously been restricted to the pope's chapel, the singers being forbidden, under pain of excommunication, to carry copies of their several parts out of the sacred building. The effect of this music results far more from the manner of its performance, than from its own merit, so much the greater was the difficulty of recollecting it, unmarked as it is by any prominent melodic, harmonic, or contrapuntal feature. Still, one hearing sufficed to enable the youth to write it out, and on listening to its repetition on the following day, he so perfected his copy, that, when it was subsequently compared with the original, there was not found the discrepancy of a single note between the two. Thus ended the restricted use of Allegri's Miserere. At Naples, Mozart's improvisation and his harpsichord playing were ascribed to the effect of magic—natural science was not then a popular study in the south of Italy—and he was obliged to withdraw a ring from his finger, to prove that this was not a charm, to give such strength and agility to his left hand as had never before been witnessed. Lady Hamilton, the first wife of the English ambassador, was famed throughout Europe for her playing; and her recognition of Mozart's talent, was a sanction for the applause of all the dilettanti of the city. Returning through Rome, he was there created a cavaliere by the pope, with the order of the Golden Spur—the same that had been conferred upon Gluck—but he never asserted his title out of Italy. He reached Milan again in October, that he might consult with the singers during the composition of his opera. This initiation of his dramatic career was "Mitridate, Re di Ponto," which was produced on the 26th of December, and had the extremely rare fortune of twenty successive representations. There is a notable foreshadowing of the composer's utmost greatness in this remarkable work, which, though it embodies many of the conventionalities of the time, contains also some strokes of genius eminently characteristic of Mozart, which are as fresh now as when they fell from the passionate imagination of the boy-master. After visiting Venice and some other cities, father and son returned to Saltzburg, in March, 1771; but Wolfgang was recalled to Milan, to compose (for the marriage festivities of the Archduke Ferdinand) "Ascanio in Alba"—an opera in extent and importance, though, from some nice distinction in the plan, classed as a serenata. It was produced on the 19th of October, on which occasion the liberality of the veteran Hasse, whose last opera was written for the same celebration, was conspicuously shown in his expressed opinion of Mozart. Once more at Saltzburg, Wolfgang wrote another serenata, "Il Sogno di Scipione," for the installation of the new archbishop, March 14, 1772. He again returned to Milan in October, probably taking with him the oratorio of "Betulia liberata" for performance in Padua, the composition of which is assigned to this year. At Milan he wrote "Lucio Silla," for the carnival, and it was produced, December 26, with still greater success than had attended "Mitridate."

Mozart's brilliant career in Italy was succeeded by two years of quiet, but not of inaction, in his native town. In the course of 1773 he went with his father to Vienna, in hopes that one or both might obtain some lucrative appointment; but, failing in this design, they made a brief stay. As deputy for his father, he had to furnish many pieces of more or less importance for the cathedral of Saltzburg; besides which he composed several symphonies at this period, and numerous detached songs, including the grand dramatic scene of "Andromeda." He wrote also, in 1774, the comic opera of "La Finta Giardiniera," a work described as presenting a great advance upon those he had written in Italy. He went with it to Munich, where it was produced on the 14th of January, 1775, with even greater applause than had greeted his previous works. Its success interested the elector to hear a composition of Mozart in another style; and he commanded him, at a short notice, to write a motet for his chapel; this piece, in the severe contrapuntal school, the composer subsequently sent to Padre Martini at Bologna, as an example of his progress. Mozart and his father were summoned back to Saltzburg, to prepare for the reception of the elector of Cologne, in honour of whose visit to the archbishop, Wolfgang had to write a serenata, "Il Re Pastore," which, hurriedly as it was produced, appears to have highly merited its cordial reception. In the course of time he became impatient of his position in the petty town, which was no field for his powers; the archbishop he served, even more than his predecessor, wanted confidence in Mozart's talent; and many circumstances combined to render his life irksome to him, thirsting as he was for the distinction which he felt he only needed opportunity to gain. He asked therefore for another leave of absence, which was denied him; and he then besought his dismissal, which was granted. The temerity of such a request gave great umbrage to his patron, and his father was involved in the disgrace at the archbishop's court, which Wolfgang thus brought upon himself. The prudent Leopold, however, had the address to creep again into favour; but, forbidden to be his son's companion, he resigned this duty to his wife, enjoining that Wolfgang should acquaint him with the minutest details of what occurred in his progress, so that he might be enabled to advise him in every step of his career. In September, 1777, Mozart set forth as full of hope as of genius. At Munich,