During this youthful tour of Belgium, he met a child artist, a year or two older than himself, a singer, also touring as a virtuoso.  The little girl was called Pauline Garcia, who later became famous as Mme. Pauline Viardot Garcia.

When Cesar was twelve he had learned what they could teach him at the Liege Conservatory, and finished his studies there.  His father, ambitious for the musical success of his sons, emigrated with his family to Paris, in 1836.  Cesar applied for entrance to the Conservatoire, but it was not until the following year, 1837, that he gained admission, joining Leborne’s class in composition, and becoming Zimmermann’s pupil in piano playing.  At the end of the year the boy won a prize for a fugue he had written.  In piano he chose Hummel’s Concerto in A minor for his test, and played it off in fine style.  When it came to sight reading, he suddenly elected to transpose the piece selected a third below the key in which it was written, which he was able to do at sight, without any hesitation or slip.

Such a feat was unheard of and quite against the time-honored rules of competition.  And to think it had been performed by an audacious slip of a boy of fifteen!  The aged Director, none other than Maestro Cherubini, was shocked out of the even tenor of his way, and declared that a first prize could not be awarded, although he must have realized the lad deserved it.  To make amends, however, he proposed a special award to the audacious young pianist, outside the regular competition, to be known as “The Grand Prize of Honor.”  This was the first time, and so far as is known, the only time such a prize has been awarded.

Cesar Franck won his second prize for fugue composition in 1839.  Fugue writing had become so natural and easy for him, that he was able to finish his task in a fraction of the time allotted by the examiners.  When he returned home several hours before the other students had finished, his father reproached him roundly for not spending more time on the test upon which so much depended.  With his quiet smile the boy answered he thought the result would be all right.  And it was!  The next year he again secured the first prize for fugue; this was in July 1840.  The year following he entered the organ contest, which was a surprise to the examiners.

The tests for organ prizes have always been four.  First, the accompaniment of a plain chant, chosen for the occasion; second, the performance of an organ piece with pedals; third, the improvising of a fugue; fourth, improvising a piece in sonata form.  Both the improvisations to be on themes set by the examiners.  Cesar at once noticed that the two themes could be combined in such a way that one would set off the other.  He set to work, and soon became so absorbed in this interweaving of melodies that the improvisation extended to unaccustomed lengths, which bewildered the examiners and they decided to award nothing to such a tiresome boy.  Benoist, teacher of this ingenious pupil, explained matters with the result that Cesar was awarded a second prize for organ.