apellmeister in Salzburg. After his musical travels he went to Vienna,
and there began his period of classic activity, which commenced with
"Idomeneus," reached its culmination in "Don Giovanni," and closed with
the "Requiem,"--the "swan-song" of his wonderful career. In his brief
life Mozart composed more than fifty great works, besides hundreds of
minor ones in every possible form of musical writing. His greatest
compositions may be classed in the following order: "Idomeneus" (1780);
"Entfuehrung aus dem Serail" (1781); "Figaro's Hochzeit" ("The Marriage of
Figaro"), (1785); "Don Giovanni" (1787); "Cosi fan Tutti," "Zauberfloete"
("The Magic Flute"), and "Titus" (1790); and the "Requiem" (1791, the
year of his death). The catalogue of Mozart's works is an immense one,
for his period of productivity was unusually long. From the age of five
to his death there was not a year that was not crowded with his music.
Besides his numerous operas, of which only the more famous are given
above, he wrote a large number of symphonies (of which the "Jupiter" is
now the best known), sonatas, concertos, for all kinds of instruments,
even to musical-glasses, trios, quartets, quintets, and sextets for all
possible combinations of instruments, marches, fugues, masses, hymns,
arias of extraordinary brilliancy, liturgies, cantatas, songs and
ballads, and indeed every form of music that is now known. His style was
studied by Beethoven, and so closely imitated that the music of his first
period, if published without autograph, would readily be attributed to
Mozart. His style was so spontaneous and characteristic that it has been
well said there is but one Mozart. The distinguishing trait of his music
is its rich melodic beauty and its almost ravishing sweetness. His melody
pours along in a bright unbroken stream that sometimes even overflows its
banks, so abundant is it. It is peculiarly the music of youth and
spring-time, exquisite in form, graceful in technique, and delightful in
expression. It was the source where all his immediate successors went for
their inspiration, though it lacked the maturity, majesty, and emotional
depths which were reached by such a Titan as Beethoven. Old as it is, and
antiquated in form, especially as compared with the work of the new
schools, its perennial freshness, grace, and beauty have made it
immortal.

King Thamos.

The historical drama, "Thamos, King of Egypt," was writte