Der Stein der Weisen Tamino and Sarastro). "Der Stein der Weisen" may have provided a model for that work, as the two have a similar structure and source. The work was initially popular, but was largely absent from the standard repertoire for the two centuries after 1814, American musicologist David Buch announced the discovery of a Viennese score with attributions to all five composers. This was taken by some to indicate that "Der Stein der Weisen" was a previously unknown Mozart work, although in fact only a duet ("Nun liebes Weibchen", known as the "cat duet") and two sections of the act 2 finale
Mozart and smallpox both children's illness to contend with, the Mozarts spent a total of four months away from Vienna. They eventually returned there and were received in the Imperial court on 19 January, 1768. The Empress, who had by now lost three children to smallpox, conversed with Frau Mozart about the disease. The remainder of the trip was not especially successful. Leopold apparently misinterpreted a chance remark of the Emperor as a firm invitation for Wolfgang to compose an opera; this resulted in Wolfgang writing "La finta semplice". However, the opera went unperformed in Vienna; the singers and musicians did not like