ugh he had practised for years. He had a
wonderful ear, and his memory was astonishing. The father hoped his
boy would become a great musician, and carry out the dream which he
had failed to realize in himself.

Little Franz was born in the eventful year of 1811,--the "year of the
comet." The night of October 21, the night of his birth, the tail
of the meteor seemed to light up the roof of the Liszt home and was
regarded as an omen of destiny. His mother used to say he was always
cheerful, loving, never naughty but most obedient. The child seemed
religious by nature, which feeling was fostered by his good mother. He
loved to go to church on Sundays and fast days. The midnight mass on
Christmas eve, when Adam Liszt, carrying a lantern, led the way to
church along the country road, through the silent night, filled the
child's thoughts with mystic awe.

Those early impressions have doubtless influenced the creations of
Liszt, especially that part of his "Christus" entitled "Christmas
Oratorio."

Before Franz was six, as we have seen, he had already begun his
musical studies. If not sitting at the piano, he would scribble
notes--for he had learned without instruction how to write them long
before he knew the letters of the alphabet, or rudiments of writing.
His small hands were a source of trouble to him, and he resorted to
all kinds of comical expedients, such as sometimes playing extra notes
with the tip of his nose. Indeed his ingenuity knew no bounds, when it
came to mastering some musical difficulty.

Franz was an open minded, frank, truth-loving child, always ready
to confess his faults, though he seemed to have but few. Strangely
enough, though born an Hungarian, he was never taught to speak his
native tongue, which indeed was only used by the peasants. German, the
polite language of the country, was alone used in the Liszt home.

The pronounced musical talent of his boy was a source of pride to Adam
Liszt, who spoke of it to all his friends, so that the little fellow
began to be called "the artist." The result was that when a concert
was to be given at the neighboring Oldenburg, Adam was requested to
allow his wonder child to play.

When Franz, now a handsome boy of nine, heard of the concert, he was
overjoyed at the prospect of playing in public. It was a happy day for
him when he started out with his father for Oldenburg. He was to play
a Concerto by Reis, and a Fantaisie of his own, accompanied by the
orc