stinction and mark. It was a source
of much pleasure to Moscheles that his brilliant scholar, who played
much at private soirees, was not only recognized by the _dilletante_
public generally, but by such veteran artists as Clementi and Cramer.
Moscheles, in his diary, speaks of the wonderful brilliancy of a grand
fancy dress ball given by Thalberg's princely father at Covent Garden
Theatre. Pit, stalls, and proscenium were formed into one grand room,
in which the crowd promenaded. The costumes were of every conceivable
variety, and many of the most gorgeous description. The spectators, in
full dress, sat in the boxes; on the stage was a court box, occupied by
the royal family; and bands played in rooms adjoining for small parties
of dancers. "You will have some idea," wrote Mme. Moscheles, in a
letter, "of the crowd at this ball, when I tell you that we left the
ballroom at two o'clock and did not get to the prince's carriage till
four." One of the interesting features of this ball was that the
boy Thalberg played in one of the smaller rooms before the most
distinguished people present, including the royal family, all crowding
in to hear the youthful virtuoso, whose tacit recognition by his father
had already opened to him the most brilliant drawing-rooms in London.

Thalberg did not immediately begin to perform in public, but, on
returning to Vienna in 1827, played continually at private soirees,
where he had the advantage of being heard and criticised by the foremost
amateurs and musicians of the Austrian capital. It had some time since
become obvious to the initiated that another great player was about to
be launched on his career. The following year the young artist tried his
hand at composition, for he published variations on themes from Weber's
"Euryanthe," which were well received. Thalberg in after-years spoke of
all his youthful productions with disdain, but his early works displayed
not a little of the brilliant style of treatment which subsequently gave
his fantasias a special place among compositions for the piano-forte.

It was not till 1830 that young Thalberg fairly began his career as
a traveling player. The cities of Germany received him with the most
_eclatant_ admiration, and his feats of skill as a performer were
trumpeted by the newspapers and musical journals as something
unprecedented in the art of pianism. From Germany Thalberg proceeded to
France and England, and his audiences were no less prono