ale performer in Europe, though
only twelve years old, and ... the high and mighty Wolfgang, though only
eight, possesses the acquirements of a man of forty. In short, those
only who see and hear can believe; and even you in Salzburg know nothing
about him, he is so changed."

After a year or two of travel the family returned home. It was now
decided that the boy should try his hand at an opera. Genius, however,
is apt to inspire jealousy, and Mozart was now so well known that many
of the leading musicians of Germany plotted against him. It was galling
to their pride to find that a child knew so much more than they. As a
result they planned to avoid hearing the boy if they could, so that when
asked they could say they doubted his ability, and thought his great
skill most likely sham.

[Illustration: MOZART AND HIS SISTER BEFORE MARIA THERESA]

The father laid a plan to catch one of these men, a well-known Viennese
musician. He learned privately of a place where this man would be
present on a certain occasion, and had Woferl go there, and took with
him an exceedingly hard concerto which the man had written. During the
afternoon this concerto was placed before the boy, and he played it
perfectly. The musician could not help but show his delight at hearing
his own music so wonderfully given. He had to speak the truth. Turning
to the people present he said, "I can say no less as an honest man than
that this boy is the greatest man in the world; it could not have been
believed."

But in spite of such occasional confessions the boy had a hard time to
succeed. Every possible obstacle was put in the way of his opera. The
manager who had agreed to produce the opera was influenced to change his
mind, the singers complained of their parts, and said that the music was
too difficult for them to sing, the copyists so altered the scores that
the boy did not recognize his own work at rehearsals. Finally father and
son had to agree that the opera be withdrawn, realizing that if it were
played it would be so wretchedly done that it would bring more blame
than praise to its composer.

Yet this boy was not to be daunted. Although his opera which was a very
long work, containing 558 pages, was not to be given, he instantly set
to work again, and in little more than a month had finished three new
works for a full orchestra.

Seeing how much the jealousy of other musicians in Germany and Austria
hurt his work, the young Mozart turned h