produce; too little
for what I might produce." "_Don Giovanni_" was not given in Vienna
until May, 1788.

[Illustration: Fig. 55.

MOZART, AT THE AGE OF THIRTY-THREE.

(From a drawing by Dora Stock, a friend of Schiller, 1789. [Grove.])]

His pecuniary circumstances continued desperate but there were
certain incidents of an artistic kind which afforded the struggling
genius a meager consolation. One Van Swieten, director of the royal
library, who was a great amateur of classical chamber music, held
meetings every Sunday for the rehearsal of works of this class. Mozart
sat at the piano. For these occasions he arranged several of the
fugues of Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier," for string quartette. The
year following the practices took on larger proportions, a
subscription having been made to provide for giving oratorios with
chorus and orchestra. Mozart conducted, and Weigl took the pianoforte.
It was for performances of this club, that Mozart added the wind parts
to certain works of Haendel. They gave "Acis and Galatea" (November,
1778), the "Messiah" (March, 1779), "Ode to St. Caecilia's Day" and
"Alexander's Feast" (July, 1790). Space forbids our following his
later career beyond mentioning the chief incidents in a life where
sadness had larger and larger place, when nevertheless the great
master was pouring out his most noble and beautiful strains of melody
and tonal delight. A visit to Berlin resulted in receptions at court,
at Potsdam, where the truthful composer replied to the king's
question, how he liked his band, that: "It contains great virtuosi,
but if the gentlemen would play together they would make a better
effect"--a remark which has been appropriate to many later orchestras.
The king apparently laid the remark to heart, and offered Mozart the
post of director, with a salary of 3,000 thalers, almost equal to the
same number of our dollars. It would have been well for Mozart if he
had accepted this liberal offer; but his answer was, "How can I
abandon my good emperor?"--certainly an affection most misplaced.

[Illustration: Fig. 56.

MOZART.

(From the Lange painting.)]

The list of the Mozart operas was closed with the "Magic Flute,"
produced September 30, 1783, which at first was not so successful as
most of his previous works, but which continued to improve upon
hearing, until at length it reached the estimation which it has ever
since held, as one of the most characteristic and interesting of