736 



MOZART. 



chiefly for their drunkenness and Jewdness. For an 

 ' account of the country and people, see FEZZAN. 



MOZART, JOHN CHKYSOSTOM WOLFGANG THEO- 

 PHII.US, a celebrated composer, was born at Salzburg, 

 in Bavaria, on the 17th of January, 1756. From the 

 earliest age he testified the strongest predilection for 

 music, which induced his father, who was organist of the 

 prince's chapel, to discontinue the instruction of others, 

 in order to devote himself to his tuition and that of a 

 sister, about four years older. After learning the harp, 

 sichord during a year, the flights of his genius were so 

 rapid, that he exercised his own invention in original 

 compositions at the age of only five, and attempted no- 

 tation, which could be hardly flecyphered. Being car- 

 ried to Munich, along with his sister, both of them 

 performed before an audience at Bavaria, and also in 

 presence of the Emperor, Francis 1. at Vienna, with 

 equal approbation. 



In 1763, Mozart publicly performed a concerto on 

 the violin at Munich ; and having exhibited his talents 

 in different towns of Germany, he was carried to Paris, 

 where he played the organ of the king's chapel before 

 the French court. An engraving of him, in which both 

 his father and sister are introduced, was published in 

 this city in 1764, describing him " composer and mas- 

 ter of music, aged seven years." Mozart next reached 

 London, where he excited great admiration : And 

 doubts being entertained whether his real age was not 

 disguised under a juvenile appearance, Mr. Barrington 

 obtained a certificate of his birth by means of the Ba- 

 varian ambassador. It was proved by experiment, 

 that he actually understood composition as a science; 

 and at a concert given by himself and his sister, all the 

 symphonies performed were his own. Precocious chil- 

 dren have appeared in Britain, both before and since 

 that period, as Dubourg and Clegg, performers on the 

 violin, and Kruntzen on the harpsichord, of an earlier 

 date; and in later times, Pinto, Gattie, and Miss Tree- 

 mearn, who at eight or nine years old, played a violin 

 concerto in Covent Garden Theatre, in 1817. Mrs. 

 Billington's talents, also, were exhibited at the age of 

 seven, and in her eleventh year she played a concerto 

 composed by herself. Some of these had greater dif- 

 ficulties to execute ; but none, except Mozart, was born 

 a musician, whose skill in the science was enlarging 

 gradually until the last hour of his existence. The fa- 

 mily returned to Salsburg in 1766. 



The two young musicians performed in the presence 

 of the -Emperor Joseph II. at Vienna, in 1768, when 

 Mozart was commanded by that sovereign to compose 

 the music for a comic opera, which was approved, bat 

 never brought out. When only twelve years old, how- 

 ever, he composed and directed the performance of a 

 mass for the dedication of a church. He was accus- 

 tomed at this time, on receiving an air in company, 

 to set parts to it without retiring. 



Mozart next visited Italy, where he experienced the 

 most flattering reception ; but the Neapolitans insisting 

 that there was some hidden charm in a ring which he 

 wore during his performance, he removed it to shew 

 there was none. He was elected member of the Phil- 

 harmonic society of Bologna, and received an order 

 of knighthood from the Pope. A mass called the Mi- 

 serere is performed at Rome, in the Sixtine chapel, 

 twice during Passion Week, by choristers only, with 

 an effect which no other band has been able to produce, 

 insomuch thnt Leopold I. of Austria having obtained a 

 copy from the Pope, he suspected a spurious composi- 



tion had been imposed on him, and sent an envoy to Mozart, 

 remonstrate with his Holiness. The musicians being v ""~v"~ i * 

 prohibited to give copies of it, Mozart, by an astonish- 

 ing effort, committed the whole to memory ; he wrote 

 it down at home, after the first performance, and on 

 the second occasion carried it in his hat for correction. 



Having previously undertaken to compose the mu- 

 sic for a serious opera, to be produced at the carnival 

 of Bologna, he wrote Mithridates in his fifteenth year, 

 which was performed on twenty successive nights; and 

 during four or five years, partly occupied in excursions 

 throughout Italy and Germany, he engaged in several 

 works at the desire of illustrious personages. His pa- 

 rents constantly accompanied him in his travels, for he 

 was so completely devoted to his art as to be regard- 

 less of all personal interests. 



In 1777, Mczart intended to establish himself at 

 Paris, a plan from which he was diverted by his disap- 

 probation of the kind of music which was fashionable in 

 that city. After returning to Salzburg in 1779, he re- 

 solved to fix his future residence in Vienna, where it 

 is affirmed that he became the pupil of Haydn. We 

 are doubtful of the fact, but this master held him in 

 high estimation ; and it is known that a few years later 

 he did not scruple to affirm that he was the greatest 

 composer of the age. 



For a number of succeeding years, Mozart did little 

 else than compose music with amazing reputation ; he 

 was powerfully promoting that grand revolution which 

 was substituting energy, variety, and expression, for the 

 languor and monotony which pervaded the works of most 

 of his predecessors. His operas, symphonies, quar- 

 tetts, songs, and dances, were all received with unex- 

 ampled avidity. But the period when he became pas- 

 sionately enamoured of Constantia Weber, a celebrated 

 actress, was not the least brilliant of his compositions, 

 for it is under such impressions that men are most ear- 

 nest to distinguish themselves. Tenderness is the lead- 

 ing characteristic of his works, and he had now an op- 

 portunity of displaying all his science and feeling in 

 an opera, called Idomeneo, which, in the year 1781, 

 had been demanded from him by the Elector of Bava- 

 ria. Mozart was wont to esteem it the best of his 

 productions, along with Don Juan an opera of another 

 kind. The success of the latter, which was composed 

 for the theatre at Prague, in 1 787, was more equivocal. 

 Though the work had been undertaken for a consider- 

 able time, Mozart, instead of fulfilling his engagements, 

 had spent the day preceding that for whicii the per- 

 formance wa-i announced in hunting, for he was immo- 

 derate in the pursuit of pleasure. The general rehearsal 

 had taken place, but the overture was yet to be writ- 

 ten. After partaking of some exhilarating beverage, 

 he sat down to finish his task, when overpowered by 

 fatigue, he soon fell fast asleep. His wife allowed him 

 to repose two hours, and having awakened him at 

 five in the morning, he completed the work, which 

 was heard in the evening. Critics pretend that the 

 parts where the composer's faculties were overcome, are 

 betrayed in the composition; and certainly the first move- 

 ment contains passages from which earlier musicians 

 would not have earned fame. Don Juan, now better 

 known by the name of Don Giovanni, was not per- 

 formed in the Opera House, London, until 18J7, thirty 

 years after i>s date. Here, it may be remarked, that 

 Mozart's habits were very irregular. At times he la- 

 boured with incredible application, mid would instant- 

 ly commence the subject of an engagement, but he 



