A crucial step in a composer’s life, the publication of the first opus generally marks the achievement of a musical training and the beginning of an artistic career. For two composers who settled in Vienna at different times, the goals cannot be the same. Beethoven, still in his early twenties, wished to enter the exclusive circle of benefactors, whereas, in Korngold’s case, the musical world had to be dazzled by the extraordinary abilities of a twelve-year-old prodigy.