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_fifth_ year. He had a voice of wonderful purity, sweetness, and compass, and was received as a choir-boy at St. Stephen's Church, Vienna. Mozart's childhood is a household story. He was able to produce chords on the harpsichord at the age of three, and wrote music with correct harmonies at the age of six. Glueck had made a musical reputation at the age of eighteen. Mendelssohn was a brilliant pianist at six, and gave concerts at nine. Verdi was appointed musical director at Milan in youth. Rossini composed an opera at the age of sixteen, and ceased to compose music at forty. No other art exhibits such remarkable developments of youthful genius; though many eminent poets like Pindar, Cowley, Pope, Mrs. Hemans, L. E. L., have written well in early youth. Music is a flower that blossoms early, and bears early fruit. Music may justly be called the art of youth. Beethoven was born at Bonn on the Rhine, 1770. He lived here twenty-two years. His musical character was formed here. Beethoven was put at the harpsichord at the age of four years. He was able to play the most difficult music in every key at twelve years; and was appointed one of the court organists when fifteen. The boy received this appointment, which was in the chapel of the Elector of Cologne, by the influence of Count Waldstein, who had discovered his genius. Here he was the organ prince. The following curious anecdote is told of his skill at the organ:-- "On the last three days of the passion week the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah were always chanted; these consisted of passages of from four to six lines, and they were sung in no particular time. In the middle of each sentence, agreeably to the old choral style, a _rest_ was made upon one note, which rest the player on the piano (for the organ was not used on those three days) had to fill up with a voluntary flourish. [Illustration: BEETHOVEN'S HOME AT BONN.] "Beethoven told Heller, a singer at the chapel who was boasting of his professional cleverness, that he would engage, that very day, to put him out, at such a place, without his being aware of it, so that he should not be able to proceed. He accepted the wager; and Beethoven, when he came to a passage that suited his purpose, led the singer, by an adroit modulation, out of the prevailing mode into one having no affinity with it, still, however,
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