4.46 
child, “ and muft be practifed tillone can 
execute it. Hear how this part goes.” 
He then fut down to perform it ; but was 
not able to execute the pafiages with fuf- 
ficient fluency to do juftice to his own 
ideas. Extraordinary as his manual faci- 
lity was univerfally allowed to be for his 
ag . it did not keep pace with the progrefs 
of his knowledge and invention. Such 
An inftance of intelle&tual advancement, in 
a child only fix years of age, is fo far out 
of the common road of nature, that we 
can only contemplate. the fact with afto- 
“nifhment, and acknowledge that the poffi- 
ble rapidity of mental maturation is not 
to be calculated. ; 
In the year 1762, his father took him 
and his fifter to Munich, where he perfor- 
med a concerto before the elector which 
excited the admiration of the whole court ; 
nor was he lefs applauded at Vienna, 
where the emperor called him the “tle 
foreerer. 
His father gave him leffons only on the 
harpfichord ; but he privately taught him- 
felf the violin: and his command of the 
inftrument afforded the elder Mozart the 
utmoft furprize, when he one day at a 
concert toak a fecond violin, and acquitted 
himfelf with more than paffable addreis. 
True genius fees no. obftacles. It will 
not, therefore, excite our wonder, if his 
eonfant fucce’s in whatever he attempted 
begot an unbounded confidence in his own 
powers: he had even the /audable 
hardihood to undertake to qualify himfelf 
for the fr violin, and did not long remain 
fort of the neceflary proficiency. 
He hed an ear fo correéi, that he felt 
the mo minute difcordancy ; and fucha 
fondnefs for ftudy, that it was frequently 
neceflary to take him by force from the 
infrument. ._This love of application 
never diminifhed. He every day pafled a 
confiderable time at his harpficherd, and 
generaily practifed till a late hour at 
nicht. Another characteriftical trait of 
yeal genius! always full of its object, and 
icf, as it were, in itfelf! 
In the year 1763 he made, with his 
‘father and fifter, his fir& grand mufcal 
journey. He vifited Paris; and was 
heard by the French court, in the chapel- 
royal at Verfaiiles, where his talent on the 
Life of Mozart, by Mr. Bufty. 
(Dee: 
From Paris, they went to London, where 
they alfo gave two concerts, confifting 
of fymphonies compofed by young Mozart, 
who, even at that early age, fang alfoawith 
much expreffion, and praétifed publicly 
with his fiter. Mozart played already at 
fight, andin aconcert, at which the king 
was one of his auditors, a bafs being placed 
before him as a ground, immediately 
organ was admired even .ore than on’ 
the harpfichord. At Paris, the mufical tra- 
lers gave two concerts which procured 
them the highed reputation, and the di- 
AinCtion of public portraits. Itwas here 
that a fet of Sonatas for the harpfichord, 
fome of his vaslieft compgiiticns, were 
engraved and publiihed.  ~ | 
32 
“Ye 
applied to it a moft beautiful melody. 
Thofe who are beft acquainted with the 
extent of fuch a tafk, will be the moft 
aftonifhed at fuch mature familiarity with _ 
the intricacies of the fcience, and fuch 
prompt and ready invention in fo juvenile 
aA amind, «2+ : 
From London, where Mozart alfo pub- 
lithed fix fonatas for the harpfichord, the 
-mufical family went to Holland, thence 
again fo France ; and in 1766 returned to 
Salzburg. There this extraordinary 
youth remained more than a year in per- 
fe&t repofe; devoting the whole of his 
time to the ftudy of compofition, the 
principles of which he {crutinized with the 
depth and penetration of confirmed man-~- 
hood. Emmanuel Bach, Hafle and Han- 
del were his chief guides and models; 
though he by no means neglected the eld 
Italian matters. 
In 1768 he again vifited Vienna, where 
Jefeph the fecond engaged him to fet to 
mufic a comic opera, entitled ‘* La Finta. 
Semplice,”” which obtained the approba- 
tion of Haffe and Metatafio. At the 
houfe of the prince of Kaunitz, it often 
happened, that the firft Italian air which 
came to hand would be given him, that 
in the prefence of the company he might 
add to it accompaniments for numerous — 
infruments ; which he would write in the 
firt ftyle of excellence, and without the 
leaft premeditation: This is at once a 
proof, with what acutenefs of obfervation 
he had liftened to the mufic of the beft 
mafters; how intimate he had. already. 
rendered himfelf with the chara€ters, ca- 
pacities, and effeéts of the different inftru- 
ments; and what fkill he had acquired ~ 
in that abftrufe art of mixed combination, 
which, while it calculates the conjoint 
effeét of founds, as they regard the efta~” 
blifhed laws of harmony, accommodates 
the different pavis to the {cales, tones, and 
powers of the refpe&tive inftruments by 
which they are to be executed. It was 
at this time alfo, that, although but twelve 
years of age, he compofed the mufic for 
the confeczation of the church of orphans 
at the performance of which he himfel? 
prefided. 
Tn 1769 Mozart again returned te 
. ee Salzburg j 
