uten Saal. When Franz stepped upon the platform, he perceived the
great Beethoven seated near. A great joy filled him. Now he was to
play for the great man, whom all his young life he had worshiped from
afar. He put forth every effort to be worthy of such an honor. Never
had he played with such fire; his whole being seemed thrilled--never
had he achieved such success. In the admiration which followed,
Beethoven rose, came upon the platform, clasped the boy in his arms
and kissed him repeatedly, to the frantic cheers of the audience.

The boy Franz Liszt had now demonstrated that already at eleven years
old, he was one of the leading virtuosi of the time; indeed his great
reputation as a pianist dates from this third Vienna concert. The
press praised him highly, and many compared him to the wonderful
genius, Mozart. Adam Liszt wished him now to see more of the world,
and make known his great talents, also to study further. He decided
to take the boy to Paris, for there lived the celebrated composer,
Cherubini, at that time Director of the Paris Conservatoire.

On the way to Paris, concerts were given in various cities. In Munich
he was acclaimed "a second Mozart." In Strassburg and Stuttgart he had
great success.

Arrived in Paris, father and son visited the Conservatoire at once,
for it would have been a fine thing for the boy to study there for
a time, as it was the best known school for counterpoint and
composition. Cherubini, however, refused to even read the letters
of recommendation, saying no foreigner, however talented, could be
admitted to the French National School of Music. Franz was deeply
hurt by this refusal, and begged with tears to be allowed to come, but
Cherubini was immovable.

However they soon made the acquaintance of Ferdinand Paer, who offered
to give the child lessons in composition.

Franz made wonderful progress, both in this new line of study, and
in becoming known as a piano virtuoso. Having played in a few of the
great houses, he soon found himself the fashion; everybody was anxious
for "le petit Litz" as he was called, to attend and play at their
soirees. Franz thus met the most distinguished musicians of the day.
When he played in public the press indulged in extravagant praise,
calling him "the eighth wonder of the world," "another Mozart," and
the like. Of course the father was overjoyed that his fondest hopes
were being realized. Franz stood at the head of the virtuosi, and
in comp