mode of life here. I shall, of course, have some free hours, but
they will be so few that they will be necessary more for
recuperation than work."

(Paris, July 31, 1778, to his father.)

7. "M. Le Gros bought the 'Sinfonie concertante' of me. He thinks
that he is the only one who has it; but that isn't so. It is
still fresh in my head, and as soon as I get home I'll write it
down again."

(Paris, October 3, 1778, to his father. An evidence of the
retentiveness of Mozart's memory. In this instance, however, he
did not carry out his expressed intention. Le Gros was director
of the Concerts spirituels.)

8. "Melody is the essence of music. I compare a good melodist to
a fine racer, and counterpointists to hack post-horses; therefore
be advised, let well alone and remember the old Italian proverb:
Chi sa piu, meno sa--'Who knows most, knows least.'"

(To the English tenor Michael Kelly, about 1786, in answer to
Kelly's question whether or not he should take up the study of
counterpoint.)

9. "One of the priests gave me a theme. I took it on a promenade
and in the middle (the fugue was in G minor) I began in the
major, with something jocose but in the same tempo; finally the
theme again, but backwards. Finally I wondered if I might not use
the playful melody as a theme for a fugue. I did not question