Gluck. Depend on me; I shall labor with all my powers to do honor
to the name of Mozart."

(Mannheim. February 28, 1778, to his father. On March 7 he
writes: "I have centered all my hopes on Paris, for the German
princes are all niggards.")

72. "I do not know whether or not my symphony pleases, and, to
tell you the truth, I don't much care. Whom should it please? I
warrant it will please the few sensible Frenchmen who are here,
and there will be no great misfortune if it fails to please the
stupids. Still I have some hope that the asses too will find
something in it to their liking."

(Paris, June 12, 1778, to his father. The symphony is that known
as the "Parisian" (Kochel, No. 297). It is characterized by
brevity and wealth of melody.)

73. "The most of the symphonies are not to the local taste. If I
find time I shall revise a few violin concertos,--shorten them,--
for our taste in Germany is for long things; as a matter of fact,
short and good is better."

(Paris, September 11, 1778, to his father, in Salzburg.
In the same letter he says: "I assure you the journey was
not unprofitable to me--that is to say in the matter of
composition.")

74. "If only this damned French language were not so ill adapted
to music! It is abominable; German is divine in comparison. And