In Dresden he played at court and was presented with “a very pretty” snuff-box. Here, too, was one Haessler, a pupil of Sebastian Bach, whose forte was the piano and the organ. This served to stimulate Mozart’s ability to a higher pitch. He had already become acquainted, through Van Swieten, with a number of Bach’s and Handel’s fugues. He also had frequently improvised such fugues himself, or noted them down at the request of his wife. The man who understands polyphony as Mozart shows he did in the ensembles of _Figaro_ and _Don Giovanni_--which testify to the magnitude of his technic powers chiefly by the fact that it is only the connoisseur that notices these marvels--must really insist on perfect art in this point, also. Mozart writes: “Now, the people here think that because I come from Vienna I know nothing whatever of this kind of music or this manner of playing. I, therefore, seated myself at the organ and played. Prince Lichnowsky, who knew Haessler well, persuaded him, after a great deal of trouble, to play, too.” It then appeared that Haessler had simply learned harmony and some modulations by rote from old Sebastian Bach, and was not able to execute a harmony properly; that, as Mozart expresses himself, he was, by no means, an Albrechtsberger--a man well known as one of Beethoven’s thorough-bass teachers. But, when Haessler sat down at the piano, he fared worse yet. Mozart now went to Leipzig, itself, and the successor of the great Sebastian, the cantor Doles, master of the choir in the church of Saint Thomas, was very friendly to him. He first displayed his powers at the organ here. Says an eye-witness: “Doles was charmed with the artist’s playing, and imagined Sebastian Bach returned to life.” “With the greatest facility,” Mozart had put all the arts of harmony in operation, and improvised the chorale, “Jesus my trust,” in a masterly manner. This way of working up a chorale was the peculiar art of the North German school of artists. As a token of gratitude, Doles caused Bach’s motetto for eight voices, _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied_, to be sung for him. Our artist was overjoyed, and exclaimed: “That is something full of suggestion!” When Beethoven heard this same motetto with all its elemental power and magnitude, he exclaimed, referring to its composer: “His name should not be Bach (_brook_), but Meer (_the sea_).” A similar expression of opinion is ascribed to Wagner, who performed the same motetto, in 1848, in Dresden. When Mozart heard that the church of Saint Thomas had several other such motettoes, he asked for them all, and laid the several parts on his knees--there being no score--and on the chairs about him, and gave his whole soul to their study until he had thoroughly mastered them. At his request Doles gave him a copy of them.