Max has composed his first piece for Maestro Barenboim's birthday. Actually, he was supposed to write an essay for German class, but he just couldn't think of anything. It would have been easy for him, because the topic is "Write an essay about someone you admire", and that undoubtedly applies to the Maestro. But Max wants to keep his secret from Maurice and Leon. When he visits the Maestro to play him his birthday piece, he raves about the child prodigy Mozart. Max is overcome with doubts and takes his present home again.