Haydn’s Opinion of Mozart--Made Court Composer by Joseph II.--Don Giovanni in Vienna--Mozart’s Extreme Poverty--His Cheerfulness under Adverse Circumstances--“The Song of the Swan”--Other Compositions--Mozart’s Opinion of Handel--He becomes Acquainted with Sebastian Bach--Mozart’s Opinion of Church Music--Traveling Again--Some of Mozart’s Characteristics--Audience with the Emperor--Petition to his Imperial Majesty--His Religious Feelings--Joins the Free Masons--History of the Composition of the Magic Flute--The Mysterious Stranger--The Requiem--Success of the Magic Flute--Mozart as Reflected in his Music--His Industry--Last Illness--Strange Fancies--Incidents of his Last Days--His Death. The composer of _Figaro_, Mozart himself, writes in 1785: “If there were only a single German patriot in a position of influence, with him things would wear a different aspect. But, then, perhaps, our national theatre, now only in bud, would come to full bloom; and, of course, it would be an everlasting shame for Germany, if we should seriously begin to think German, act German, speak German, and even to sing German!” Chance would have it, that, towards the close of his days he was able to give his pen and not merely his tongue, as he did here, free rein on this point. And the very fact that his circumstances became poorer, and that the parties, which prevailed at the time, succeeded in relegating him to an inferior social position, was here of decisive influence. Haydn now writes to Prague, where Mozart had declined the composition of another opera: “You ask me for another opera. With all my heart, if you wish to have something for yourself alone.” But he would have had too much to risk in writing for the theatre there, inasmuch as scarcely any one could be compared with the great Mozart. The noble master continues: “For if I could impress on the souls of all lovers of music, but above all on the great, the inimitable works of Mozart; could I endow them with a proper comprehension of music, and impart to them the feeling with which I understand and feel them, the nations would emulate one another for the possession of that jewel.” Prague, he said, should keep such a man, but at the same time, it should remunerate him properly, for when not properly remunerated the history of genius is sad indeed. And he concludes: “It grieves me sorely that Mozart, who has no equal, has not yet been engaged at some royal or imperial court.... Pardon me for not keeping to my subject, but I am so fond of the man.” Schwind, the painter, who, during his youth in Vienna, knew very many of Mozart’s friends, writes: “People spoke of him as one speaks of the person he loves. Why was it that ‘the great’ did nothing for him?”