258.—WHEN THEY BEGAN.
It is generally thought that a man must begin his career before the public at a very early age if he is to reach a high point in the world's list of celebrities. But the perusal of the following list shows that some have begun their musical career late in life. In this list we do not refer to the date of the first entrance of the musician into the field of composition or of his first public appearance, but give the age at which he stepped out into earnest work, his preliminary studies being completed.
Mozart began his career at the age of 12; Weber at 14; Rossini at 18; Handel, Cherubini, and Donizetti at 20; Scarlatti and Meyerbeer at 21; Bellini and Wagner at 23; Grétry and Massenet at 25; Thomas and Verdi at 26; Gluck at 28; Gounod at 33; Lulli at 39; and Rameau at 50.