The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-01-07
THE LITTLE MUsIC.KING.


to hold the pen, but hurried along
with marks and dots and strange
looking characters, smeared with ink,
| and now and then blackened with a
huge blot as the pen dashed from ink
to paper with trembling eagerness.
The door opened, and The chapel-mas-
ter entered with a friend, but the lit
| tie curly head did not stir.
"What are you doing, my son?
II am composing a concerto for the
harpsichord, papa. ! have nearly
! finished the first part"
"Let me see."
"No, please; I haze not yet finish
ed ~ = ~, 20: -
The father took the paper, how
ever, and showed it TO his friend:
They both laughed 7 heartily at the
scrawl; but. on looking more atten-
lively, the chapel 1e said
See it is really composed e by rule ;
hut it Is too, difficult; no one could
p1l.y p1 i" T. y -.
"''1t must be well studied. before it
Is plaIed," " said The 10y. :''.see, this
is.the Wy ,I It begins ;, And running;
to Is; ;hla,r1psiefhord, be succeeded j.
playing eie. enough W @ e i 70 i shGr A what bis
idea yes: 4! rs...... .~ .:
It Was indeed musical compost
ton, correctly composed, but contain
ing such great difficulties that an
able musician would have found it
impossible to execute it on the harp
sichord.
The chapel-master. was Leopold
Mozart, and the little composer, only
five years old, was Wolfgang Anna
deus Mozart, afterward so celebrated
IN the musical world.
Two years before, he had stood lis
tening at the freside while his papa
gave a music-lesson to his sister
Anna.
"Thou teachest Nunnerl, papa i;
teach me too"
.t''But thou art . baby, Wolferl ;
wait my little man."
But when the lesson was over, and
papa gone, the little fellow went to
the sharpzichord, and, standing on. tip
toe, groPed among the keys, with his
baby.6ngers stretched wide apart, till
he found d and plaYed. a perset chord.
Papa's music.ear caught the sound,
and he rushed back into the room :, to
find that his bab5sshad indeed, al
alone, found his; vay into, Q, the. beaqti--:
full tone-world.r
After that, music7lessons were. for
him, too, and he was never far away
when Nunnerl was at the harpsichord,
but, perched on his fathers knee, fol-
lowed every movement and tone,' and
often played the lesson after her from
memory.
The next year the family removed
to Munich, and the two children we're
presented at the Court, and played
before Francis l., the Emperor, to the
wonder and delight of all who heard
them. -.
Before Wolfggang was eight years
old, and Anna twelve, they had per-
formed at the Courts of Vienna, Paris,
Munich and London. At Vienna
they saw and played with the little
Marie Antoinette, =, and Wolfgang
shocked the fine Court ladies by jump
ing into the lap of the Empress for a
kiss Heacould@ play fireworks Of
Bach, Handel and other masters, and
in England composed six sonatas,
which he dedicated to the Queen
Returning to France, they travel
ed about in that, country and in .Hol7
land, and Wolfgang played on the
organs Of most Of the + churches and
monasteries. 80 y.
One evening, being canght.ein a
thundersstorm,gt ,gtheyI TOOK shelter in "a
monastery. ', y Ths monks, Wiz f. sup-
per, and did not knowsof their guests
arrival; i But soon,Z wonderful music
began to steal into the hall from the
chapel, sometimes sweet and sod, then
Wild and stormy;;' now SIM gle3 voice
with pleading tones, again . great
chorus Of response now the rolling
of the thunder and the booming of
the wind, and, as these died away, a
soft, clear, sunny strain, telling that
the storm was over. = The Fathers
were in great afiiight; one and an
other stole into the daxk chapel to
listen, and they counted themselves
over and over again to@be sure they
were all there. But at last. light
was brought, the, strangers were dis
covered, and Wolfgang greatly enjoy
ed their amazement, terror, and de-
light. They, could not believe it was
he who had played such music, so far
beyond what even Brother Ambrose
played their fine musician They
thought it was 9: spell-an, enchant-
ment-a holy charm miracle. And
when at last eeuyinced he was true
mortal boy, they lavisheds the kindest
hospitality on the Mozarts, and bade
them God-speed OH gtln morrow with
many blessing.
At the conservation, Of 1, church be-
longing to the Orphans Home in
Vienna, Mozart composed. the music
for the occaaion, md conducted it, IL
though only Twelve years IF age. AT
thirteen, III went lto n Rome with his
father, and theass, the Siatine Chap.
el, below the grand painting Of "The
Last Judgment, - Which Michael An
geloz had painted. ahundred years
before, he heard the wonderful music
of "The Miserer '~,,s - - -