This vivid life of Beethoven for young readers follows the making of a genius from a troubled childhood to the edge of triumph and tragedy. Set against the Rhine valley, Bonn, and Vienna, it shows how hardship, discipline, courage, and devotion shaped the boy who would become one of the world's greatest composers. The story opens with Beethoven's hunger for greatness stirred by church bells, birdsong, and the companionship of his friend Wegeler, but it also reveals the poverty, family inst...

The life-story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contained in this volume closes with his admission to membership in the Accademia Filarmonica at Bologna, Italy. Mozart was then in his fifteenth year. Up to that time his life had been a happy one, free from care, untouched by adversity, and crowned with continuous successes. He was admired by the people, considered a prodigy by the greatest composers, and was received with extraordinary honors at the Courts of Austria, France, Holland, and Englan...

PREFACEThe life-story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contained in this volume closes with his admission to membership in the Accademia Filarmonica at Bologna, Italy. Mozart was then in his fifteenth year. Up to that time his life had been a happy one, free from care, untouched by adversity, and crowned with continuous successes. He was admired by the people, considered a prodigy by the greatest composers, and was received with extraordinary honors at the Court...

The life-story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contained in this volume closes with his admission to membership in the Accademia Filarmonica at Bologna, Italy. Mozart was then in his fifteenth year. Up to that time his life had been a happy one, free from care, untouched by adversity, and crowned with continuous successes. He was admired by the people, considered a prodigy by the greatest composers, and was received with extraordinary honors at the Courts of Austria, France, Holland, and Englan...

Mozart's Youth, by Franz Hoffmann. Translated by George P. Upton. Originally published in 1904.