Life of Mozart

228 A PROFESSIONAL TOUR.excellent opinion of himself ; and when in the summer of1788 he was in Dresden, " exciting the liveliest astonishmentin all who heard him by his inexpressibly affecting playing,"he let it be known that he intended to proceed to Vienna," in order to prove to the Vienna public in competition withthe great Mozart, that strong as the latter may be upon thepianoforte, he cannot play the clavichord." ^^ To Mozart heappeared no formidable antagonist ; he gave him credit forhis dexterity in the use of the pedal, but placed him belowAlbrechtsberger as an organ-player, and compared him toAurnhammer as a pianist.Mozart's visit to Leipzig left behind a strong and pleasantimpression. Fr. Rochlitz, then a young man, became intimatewith him at the house of their common friend Doles,-^^and preserved a number of interesting traits, characteristicboth of the man and the artist. He was cheerful and amiablein society, outspoken in his judgments of art and artists, andresponsive to any display of interest in music ;" not niggardlyof his art, as so many musicians are." Almost everyevening during his stay in Leipzig he took part in musicalentertainments at different houses, and when quartets wereplayed he took the piano or tenor part. The violinist Berger,who was generally of the party, used, as an old man, whenany of these pieces were brought forward, to whisper to afriend with tender emotion, "Ah, I had once the honour ofaccompanying the great Mozart himself in that piece." ^^ Anear-witness gave the following account :—On April 22 he played the organ of the Thomaskirche, withoutprevious notice, and gratuitously. He played very finely for an hour toa large audience. The then organist, Görner, and the cantor. Doles,sat near him and pulled the stops. I saw him well ; a young, welldressedman of middle height. Doles was quite delighted with theperformance, and declared that his old master, Sebastian Bach, had11Mus. Real-Ztg., 1788, p. 56.12Doles dedicated his cantata "Ich komme vor dein Angesicht" (1790),"to two of his most esteemed patrons and friends, Herr Mozart and HerrNaumann, as a token of his distinguished regard."13 Rochlitz, Für Freunde der Tonk., III., p. 222.