r 1771, and at Milan
Wolfgang set seriously to work upon his opera, which was produced
December 26 and repeated to full houses twenty times, the author
himself conducting it. This was "_Mitridate, Re di Ponto_." The year
following he composed two other operas for Italy, and several
symphonies, so that when his new opera of "_Lucio Silla_" was
performed in Milan October 24, 1772, the number of his works had
reached 135. From 1773 to 1777 Mozart remained at Salzburg, with
occasional journeys to Vienna and other cities, always pursuing a life
of unflagging industry. The number of his works had increased by the
end of this period to upwards of 250, including an immense variety of
pieces of chamber music, symphonies, two or three operas, a number of
masses, and the like. He was now twenty-one years old, and since the
age of fourteen he had been assistant conductor at Salzburg in the
service of the prince archbishop, who was a small-souled man, wholly
unworthy the service which Mozart rendered him. There is at least a
small satisfaction in remembering that the archbishop himself had a
distinct impression of the dis-esteem in which he was held by his
talented young musical conductor.

With the attainment of his majority the second period in the life of
this great genius began. Unable to obtain permission from the shabby
prelate for father and son to go together upon an artistic tour, the
father at length decided to send the young man out with his mother,
and in September, 1777, the two started for Paris, traveling in their
own carriage with post horses. Their plan was to give a concert at
every promising town, taking whatever time might be necessary for
working it up in due form. In this way their journey was considerably
prolonged by delays at Munich, Mannheim and Augsburg. At Mannheim,
especially, the incidents of the tour were varied by Mozart's falling
in love with the charming daughter of the theatrical prompter and
copyist, a promising singer, who afterward married happily in quite a
different quarter. At Paris things did not turn out quite so favorably
as the father had anticipated. Most afflicting of all, the mother fell
sick there, and died, so that the son left Paris in September for home
with a far heavier heart than when he entered it. During the most of
1779 and 1780 he remained at Salzburg, fulfilling his duties as
assistant conductor. Then came his first opera in Germany, "_Idomeneo,
Re di Creta_," produced at