New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-11-22
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
TIE MAGIC FLUTE OF MOZART.

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ought to be and wssa good card to draw large su-
dience TO the Academy Of Music las, evening For
reasons which are several the Opera has not been par
tcusrly successful this one is that the prime
tsaies-prire d0nnein the managerial volcanic adver
;senenis turned out one and all shams-and the
people after all are not fools. Another Is that
there Is too much consideration to mere trade-to
sheer "dekerng," T" swapping jsokets'-end too
little to absolute industry, skilled labor,
artistic eyolyeDents in the exalted hand-cun-
nngs-too much foreign influence against adopted and
native American manufactures and esthetic outwork
ings Hence the depression of arts, and the need Of
high protective tariff. Accordingly there is vast room
for improvement in the solid prosperity of the oommun-
ty sordng spare each to go to operas and to thea
tiers. What we say of the sttenuated attendance ST
the opera applies to the dramatic establishments gener
ally. They are doing too dim business to warrant
any general growing about general prosperity. And
they are pretty good touchstones of that quality.
But an audience can be seraped together for 6rst
time to bear novel or a new opera, and there was
one multiform and magnifcentas eveningat the satu
esque horseshoe Academy, radiant in decorative
| spendors, and not radiant in its illogical form.
| The plot of The Magic Flute is simply stupid 1t
would be rejected ner. by green-room of Bar
| tholomew Fair But the composer had to take such
texts as he could get.
The presentation of this work may properly intro
duce TO our readers brief sketch of the life of the
| composer as follows: Mozart-who was baptisnaly
| John Chry sostome Wolfgang Amadeus-was born at
salzburg, on the 9th of January, 1855. He very
early displayed astonishing genius, which was readily
assisted, bis father being musician. The stories
which are told of his infant proves would according
to ordinary beliefs be incredible but they may be
cepted as parallels can be found to such prodigions
| early development. We have and heard child
| of four years Of age after listening to military
/ band play n piece, 20 from the open window of
drawing-room, stand at a piano and play
the whole correctly through, not installing
either harmony or melody. We have heard another
of IL years of age, who could execute clearly and
beautifully, with the Iovees of voices chromac scale
of three ocayes-from Do to Do in altissimo, any
thing else that could be written for the voice-fng
large hall easily. So too, the lad Arthur Napoleon
showed astonishing childish talents the piano. which
are equally wonderful with some few years added to
biz age The original nfantie competitions of Mozart
have been published, and, suPpOsng them to be helped
out and corrected, are still very remarkable. In 1902,
the father of Mozart made voyage to Munich, with
| his two children, sister Of Mozart being
also a young prodigy. The Eleetor much
astonished to find child of six years play concerto
AT this early age he showed all the assurance which
invariably accompanies genius. Talent doubts genius
never does II il generally self-sufieent, overbearing
and despises fools and doubter having the
| ardy prudence which marks mere talent. 1t IL the
inner light; the single soul deeper than millions
of souls Of the ordinary kind. Hence simperiousness
An anecdoe is told of Mozart that he played at the
4 n IN vio ha wing taken
lessons in violin playing. This il doubtful He must
have had some instruction. if ever indirect In l763
Mozarts father took him and his sister upon long
| They visited Augsburg, Mannheim, Frankfort
! Cobleniz Cologne, and -la-Chapelle, where
they were received with plaudits. Europe at that
time must have been either very poor or very mean, or
both for these word-wonders do not appear to have
brought their excellent and pious father-who was as
/ devout az goodness could make him-anything but
crop Of long bills and short allowances. In othe
words be amassed competence from his magnificent
progeny. Paris the next place they visited, and
in the literary correspondence of Baron Grimm
! accounts of the young wonder children. Mozart wa
presented TO and played before the Royal iy-was
rewarded with kisses by the Dauphiness andne ladies'
The poor devil Of father wrote home to his wife after
this fashion: If all the kisses which have been Law
ished on Wolfgang changed TO good louis dors,
9" we would have no cause Of complaint. The bother
is that innkeepers nor restaurants can't be be paid
with kisses Jet US hope, however, that all will yet
90 WELL and in order not to neglect anything for this
end be careful TO have a said every day during
"aweek" During ten years of travelling the letters
| of this excellent father had the same starved,
short-commons illusions. While at Paris the young
Mozart had published some beautiful sonatas. In
l76i Mozart went 10 England, and excited universal
| astonishment. He lived in London fifteen months.
He then vert 10 French Flanders and 10 Holland,
| always exciting the same maryels. Both children
came dying of malignant fever, and Europe thus
near losing the greatest musician of the past century
At the end of three years the family returned to Saz
burg and Mozart studied closely the works of Handel
and c. Emanuel Bach. In i767 he read deeply the
Italian composers, and learned the art of writing
| compositions in parts, with the vocal suayity OF
which Il Italians have been the masters Mozars
compositions are less graceful than those Of his
Italian contemporaries, PasieDo and Cimarosa. Wolf
gang being twelve years of age, was then taken to
Vienna, and played before the Emperor Joseph ii.
He now wrote two little operas. At Olmutz,
| both children were attacked by the then
almost inevitable smallpox; and the boy was blind for
nine days with it. In 76S be studied the Italian Ian
guage, TO prepare himself for a journey which his
| father meditaied. The next year he was taken to
Italy, and astonished the publes of Verona Mantua,
| Milan, Florence, Rome, and Naples. Poets sang his
praise, medals struck in his honor, and the old
and wonderfully learned eartrapuntiss were amazed.
Padre Martini the greatest savant called Mozart illus-
trions master. Has, named by the Italians the Di-
vine Saxon" said This child will cause all of US to
be forgotten Mozart received commission to write
an opera for the carnival at Milan in H70.
Notwithstanding all these honors, be was starved out
OF Sazburg the end of three years, and, going to