Once, during their travels, being detained by a heavy shower at Ypps,
they took refuge in a monastery. The monks were at supper and did not
know of the arrival of any stranger, until suddenly from the chapel
came wonderful music, music grave and gay, sad, sweet, thrilling, and
marvellous in its appeal to hearts and souls. The Fathers were
frightened, not knowing who could have entered their sanctuary,
thinking it must be a spirit, when at last a light was brought, and
creeping into the chapel, they discovered little Wolfgang at the organ,
not a vision, but just a mortal boy. The Fathers were overcome with
amazement and lavished all possible courtesies on the wonderful little
musician and his family while they remained.
On entering Vienna, at the Custom House, Wolfgang, after a brief chat
with the official there, took out his violin, and played to the
official, who was so delighted with the boy and his music, that the
family had no trouble with examination of their luggage, as they would
otherwise have had.
The Imperial family of Vienna were all very fond of music, and had also
had their curiosity greatly excited in regard to this child prodigy, so
it was not strange that only a few days after the Mozarts arrived,
Leopold should have received a command to bring his children to play at
Schoenbrum, an imperial palace near Vienna, and this without any effort
on Mozart's part to get the invitation.
The Emperor was delighted with the little "sorcerer" as he called
Wolfgang, and besides listening to his real playing with deepest
interest, he made him play with one finger, in which the little fellow
was perfectly successful. Then he asked him to play with the keys
covered by a piece of cloth, which he did instantly, and these musical
tricks suggested by the Emperor's fancy, thereafter formed a far from
unimportant part of Wolfgang's repertoire on his long concert tours,
and always interested his audiences. The boy had a keen sense of
humour, and always entered heartily into any joke that was made with
him, but sometimes he could be very serious, as for instance, when he
was called to play for the court composer, George Wagenseil, who was
himself a proficient performer on the harpsichord. The Emperor stepped
back when Wagenseil came forward, and Mozart said very seriously to
him:
"I play a concerto by you, you must turn over the pages for me," and
turn the pages the great man did.
The Emperor ordered one hundred ducats to be paid to Wolfgang's father
for the performance, and the Empress, both then and later, was kindness
itself to both the children, and sent them expensive and beautiful
clothes. In writing to a friend at that time, Leopold Mozart said:
"Would you like to know what Wolferl's dress is like? It is the finest
cloth, lilac-coloured, the best of moire of the same colour. Coat and
top-coat with a double broad border of gold."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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