re is something sad in contrasting these brilliant early days with
the anxious times that came later on, when the great Mozart was
compelled to wait in the ante-chambers of the great, dine with their
lacqueys, give lessons to stupid young countesses, and write begging
letters to his friends; yet, in reality, those later days, when "Don
Giovanni," "Die Zauberfloete," and the "Requiem," were composed, were
the truly brilliant ones. And it may be that the very greatness came,
in some measure, from the sorrow and pain; that Mozart, like so many
others of the world's great singers, "learnt in suffering what he
taught in song."

On his return to Munich, after composing a comic opera in the Italian
style, "La Finta Giardiniera," which had a great success, young
Mozart, who had been very shabbily treated by Archbishop
Hieronymus--of whose spiteful conduct we shall hear more
hereafter--the successor of Sigismund, determined to resign his
situation in the court band, and to set out on his travels again,
giving concerts from place to place, and everywhere looking out for
some suitable appointment that might afford him a permanent income.
This time his father was refused permission to travel, and, as on his
exertions depended the support of the whole family, he remained
behind, while Frau Mozart, the mother, accompanied young Wolfgang. In
1777, now a young man of twenty-one, he set out upon his second great
artistic tour, buoyant with hope, and with all the beautiful audacity
of young genius determined to conquer the world. This time it was not
the infant prodigy whom men listened to, but the matured musician and
the composer of melodies sweeter than men had ever listened to before.
But the tale is changed now. True, there are triumphs to be spoken of,
flattery from the great, and presents sent in recompense for his
marvellous playing (he tells one day of his chagrin in receiving from
a certain prince a gold watch, instead of money that he sorely
wanted--and, besides, he had five watches already!); but rebuffs,
intrigues, and all sorts of petty machinations against him, make the
tale a sadder one; and so it continued to be to the end.

From Munich--where it had been hoped that the elector would have given
him an appointment at court, but he was only told to go to Italy and
become famous, "it was too early yet to think about becoming a
Capellmeister"--he went to Augsburg, spending some pleasant days there
in the society of a cousi