further influence on his career. She married an actor named Lange,
with whom she went to Vienna, where she became a singer at the opera.
There Mozart composed for her the rôle of Constance in his opera, "The
Elopement from the Seraglio." For the eldest Weber girl, Josepha, who
had a high, flexible soprano, he wrote one of his most brilliant rôles,
that of the Queen of the Night in "The Magic Flute." I am anticipating
somewhat in the order of events that I may correct an erroneous
impression regarding Mozart's marriage, which I find frequently
obtains. He composed the rôle of Constance for Aloysia shortly before
he married the real Constance; and this has led many people to believe
that he took the younger sister out of pique, because he had been
rejected by Aloysia. Whoever believes this has a very superficial
acquaintance with Mozart's biography. Five years had passed since he
had parted from Aloysia at Munich. The youthful affair had blown over;
and when they met again in Vienna she was Frau Lange. Mozart's
marriage with Constance was a genuine love-match. It was bitterly
opposed by his father, who never became wholly reconciled to the woman
of his son's choice, and met with no favor from her mother. Fridolin
Weber had died. Altogether the omens were unfavorable, and there were
obstacles enough to have discouraged any but the most ardent couple.
So much for the pique story.

Mozart went to Vienna in 1781 with the Archbishop of Salzburg, by whom,
however, he was treated with such indignity that he left his service.
Whom should he find in Vienna but his old friends the Webers! Frau
Weber was glad enough of the opportunity to let lodgings to Mozart,
for, as in Mannheim and Munich, the family was in straitened
circumstances. As soon as the composer's father heard of this
arrangement, he began to expostulate. Finally Mozart changed his
lodgings; but this step had the very opposite effect hoped for by