In 1763, when Wolfie was seven years old, the Mozart family left Salzburg.
Setting out on a big sailboat, they glided down the Danube River. They went to the German cities of Stuttgart, Mannheim, Mainz, and Frankfurt. They also traveled by coach and visited other European cities like Brussels and Paris. A long trip like this was highly unusual, especially with children. Roads were bad, so getting anywhere took a long time. Traveling was also dangerous. Many times, thieves were on the roads, looking for people to ambush and rob.
Still, the Mozart family braved the dangers. In all the places they visited, Wolfie and Nannerl played for counts and countesses, dukes and duchesses, princes and princesses. Everyone wanted to hear them perform. Grownups were dazzled by the tiny children who played so well. Nannerl remarked in a letter on how the lords and ladies patted their arms and kissed them like puppy dogs.
On tour, Wolfie was often sick. Most days, he gave concerts in the early afternoon and evening. Sometimes he might give three concerts in a single day. He composed music in the morning and at night. Sometimes he stayed up all night and didn’t go to sleep until dawn.
His parents saw that he was working too hard, and they hoped that rest was the cure. Wolfie did indeed overwork himself. But he may have also suffered from a kidney disease. The disease might have been what kept him from growing. He was always small for his age, and he remained short all of his life.
Because of the tour, the Mozart children grew more and more famous. Wolfie loved the compliments and the attention. He loved to be told how talented he was. He loved being hugged and kissed, even by strangers.
When the family arrived in a new city, Wolfie and Nannerl would play for the most important people in the local court. Then other rich people would hire them to play at parties. Payment was sometimes in money, other times in gifts. But sometimes the rich noblemen paid only a small amount of money. It was as if, Leopold complained, they thought their company was payment enough.
An artist named Lorenzoni was chosen to paint the children’s portraits in 1763. Wolfie and Nannerl wore the beautiful clothing that the empress had given them. Because they had to stand still for so many hours, they became bored and restless. So Lorenzoni hired a trio of musicians to entertain them. That made the time pass more quickly. Today, the portraits are in the Mozart Museum in Salzburg.
The Mozart family kept moving on. Their next stop was England. To reach London, they had to cross the English Channel. Unlike the calm Danube River, the Channel was dark, choppy, and wild. Wolfie and Nannerl were seasick from the motion of the boat going up and down over the waves. They were happy when they reached England.
While he was on tour, Wolfie did more than perform and compose. He also had a chance to meet famous musicians and composers of his day. In London, he met Johann Christian Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He loved discussing music with these people. When he talked about music, he didn’t sound like a child, but like a mature man.
While the family was in London, Papa Leopold fell sick. He needed rest and quiet to get better, so they left London and went to Chelsea, a village near the Thames River. For seven weeks, Wolfie and Nannerl could not practice their music because the noise might disturb Papa. Nine-year-old Wolfie needed something to do, so he composed a symphony—his first. It is called the Symphony in E-flat and is still performed today. Later Nannerl wrote, “I had to copy it out as I sat at his side. Whilst he composed and I copied, he said to me: ‘Remind me to give the horn something worthwhile to do!’”
It is quite remarkable to think of a child writing a symphony. A symphony is a piece of classical music written for an orchestra, which, at that time, was made up of at least eight different instruments.
A symphony lasts about thirty minutes and has three or four movements or sections. Some of the movements are slow and some are fast. Usually, the symphony begins with a fast movement, followed by a slow one. Then comes another lighter and faster one. If there is a fourth movement, it is even faster. Although the different movements are not alike, they are related to one another. Together they form a pleasing whole.
Papa Leopold recovered from his illness, but on the way back to Salzburg, Wolfie caught smallpox.
Soon, Nannerl came down with it, too. Smallpox was a highly contagious disease, something like chicken pox, only much more serious. Many people died from it. Wolfie and his sister lay in a darkened room, while their parents looked on anxiously. The doctor came and went. The days were long and filled with worry. Would the children get better?
Fortunately, both brother and sister did get well. The miracle boy was able to return home in 1766.
Although he was only ten years old, young Mozart was now an experienced, professional musician. He had met royalty and won their hearts with his playing and his own beautiful music. What would come next?
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