Liszt, Franz 1811 - 1886
Author: Kamiyama, Noriko
Last updated：May 10, 2013
Author: Kamiyama, Noriko
Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811, in Raiding, as the only son of Adam Liszt and Maria Anna Liszt. Raiding was then a territory within the Hungarian Empire under Austrian rule, but after World War I, from 1921 onwards, it became part of the Austrian state of Burgenland. After leaving his birthplace in 1822, Liszt never again settled in Hungary. Furthermore, having been raised by German-speaking parents who served the Esterházy princely family, Liszt never learned Hungarian and never understood the language throughout his life. Moreover, the melodies Liszt later borrowed as indigenous Hungarian folk songs in works like the Hungarian Rhapsodies were actually those of the Roma (Gypsies). Despite these contradictions in his lineage, his lack of understanding of the language, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the culture, Liszt has been regarded as a “Hungarian composer” from his time (and arguably) to this day. The primary reason for this can be attributed to Liszt himself, who claimed to be “Hungarian” and was proud of it. The enthusiastic welcome Liszt received from his “homeland” every time he visited Pest, and the heroic treatment and numerous accolades he received, comparable to those given to a king, steadily cemented his image as a “Hungarian national hero.”
However, this does not mean that it would be entirely inappropriate to describe Liszt, who was ethnically German, as a “German composer.” Having resided for periods in Vienna, Paris, Weimar, and Rome, and having made all of Europe his sphere of activity throughout his life, Liszt was truly a “European” in the deepest sense, and there is no doubt that he was one of the most cosmopolitan artists in the history of Western music.
1. Raiding and Vienna Period (1811-23)
While serving at the Esterházy family's estate in Eisenstadt, Adam, who was not only a practical administrator but also a cellist and violinist, became acquainted with the court Kapellmeister Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and his successor Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1883). Adam, who recognized his son's extraordinary talent early on due to his own musical background, began teaching Liszt piano at the age of six, and in November 1820, he had the just nine-year-old Liszt perform in his first public concert. The program included Ferdinand Ries's (1784-1838) Piano Concerto in E-flat major; Ries was a pupil of Beethoven (1770-1827). Around this time, Adam wished to have his son study with Hummel, who had been Kapellmeister at the Weimar court since 1819, but he abandoned the idea due to financial reasons, including the high tuition fees.
In 1822, the 11-year-old Liszt moved to Vienna with his parents and became a student of Carl Czerny (1791-1857), another pupil of Beethoven. During the 14 months he studied with Czerny in Vienna, Liszt thoroughly mastered the fundamental techniques of piano playing and acquired a wide repertoire ranging from J. S. Bach (1685-1750) to Beethoven, in addition to works by contemporaries such as Hummel, Ries, and Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870). Liszt also studied thoroughbass, score reading, and composition with the Viennese musical master Antonio Salieri (1750-1825).
2. Paris Period (1823-39)
In 1823, the year after moving to Vienna, Adam resigned from his position with the Esterházy family, and the family began their journey to Paris. Their path, which involved giving concerts in cities such as Munich, Augsburg, Stuttgart, and Strasbourg on their way to Paris, is reminiscent of the concert tours of Mozart and his father about half a century earlier. The primary purpose of the family's move to Paris was to enroll their son in the Paris Conservatoire, but due to the policy of Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842), who had just been appointed director the previous year, not to admit foreigners, Liszt was turned away. Thus, Liszt subsequently had to learn piano on his own.
After a while, Liszt was presented with a state-of-the-art seven-octave piano by the piano manufacturer Erard and signed a contract with the company. The terms were that Erard would cover the transportation costs of the instrument in exchange for Liszt using Erard pianos on his concert tours. With the backing of Erard, Liszt embarked on concert tours through England, France, and Switzerland for four years starting in 1824. His debut as a composer was in 1824 with the publication of Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, when Liszt was 13 years old. It was a collaborative work by a total of 50 composers, and Liszt's piece was incorporated as the 24th variation. Furthermore, on June 20 of the following year, Liszt's full orchestral work, the New Grand Overture, was premiered at a concert in Manchester (however, it is now believed that the piece was not orchestrated by Liszt himself, or at least was completed with significant assistance from others). Also, on October 17 of the same year, five days before his 14th birthday, he made his debut as an opera composer at the Paris Opéra. The one-act Italian opera Don Sanche is the only opera Liszt completed in his lifetime (the overture reused the aforementioned New Grand Overture).
In 1826, Liszt's momentous first individual work, 48 Études in All Major and Minor Keys, was published. Despite Liszt's own title of 48 Études, only 12 pieces were actually composed and published, and the number never increased thereafter. The 12 pieces are arranged systematically based on key, starting from C major and adding parallel minor keys, proceeding counter-clockwise through the circle of fifths, specifically descending by thirds through the flat keys. All are études for practice, focusing on specific technical problems, and strongly show the influence of Czerny, whom Liszt studied with in Vienna in his early teens, as well as Johann Baptist Cramer (1771-1858), who was renowned as a pianist, piano educator, and composer. These 12 pieces are, needless to say, the first version of the second version, 24 Grandes Études (actually 12 pieces), which demanded superhuman technique utilizing the piano keyboard without limitation in 1837, and the final version, the epoch-making Transcendental Études, which significantly exceeded the traditional scope of "étude" and would be released to the world in 1851.
In August 1827, immediately after returning from a concert tour in England, his father Adam passed away. For the young Liszt, who was only 15 at the time, this death was too early. Liszt seriously considered retiring from his musical career, including concert tours. In fact, there is little written about Liszt's whereabouts for about three years until around 1830, but Geraldine Keeling's research has revealed that Liszt frequently appeared in concerts between 1827 and 1830 (Keeling 1986). Among his collaborators were young pianists and composers such as Henri Bertini (1798-1876) and the Polish Albert Sowinski (1805-80), and he frequently shared the stage with the German virtuoso Ludwig Schuncke (1810-34), who was one year older than Liszt. Nevertheless, in 1828, a strange rumor circulated in Paris. The Parisian newspaper Le Corsaire, dated October 23, reported the death of Liszt, who had turned 17 the day before. Three days later, La Quotidienne immediately reported Liszt's whereabouts, bringing relief to the public, but some periodicals (such as L'Observateur des Beaux-Arts) stated that his health had deteriorated due to his father's death at this time.
Amidst this, in 1830, the July Revolution erupted in Paris. Deeply shocked by this upheaval, Liszt wrote a four-page sketch. It included the title "Symphony," the dates "July 27, 28, 29, Paris," notes on the concept, and a few musical notations. This so-called Revolutionary Symphony is sometimes pointed out as being modeled after Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Op. 91, but the mere four-page "sketch" was, in reality, more like a simple verbal scribble, far from being a completed work. However, what is important here is that Liszt already had the intention of composing orchestral works at the age of 18, and he continued to struggle repeatedly to carry out this plan thereafter. In fact, these concepts would materialize as parts of his symphonic poems in the 1850s.
On December 5 of that revolutionary year, another revolution occurred in the Parisian music scene: the premiere of Berlioz's (1803-69) Symphonie fantastique. Liszt, who quickly recognized Berlioz's talent at this premiere, undertook the piano arrangement of this extraordinarily complex and unique work. With the aim of making Berlioz's work known to as many people as possible, Liszt personally bore the cost of publishing the arrangement, and it was published by Schlesinger in Vienna in November 1834. In fact, Symphonie fantastique, which was not performed by orchestras outside Paris until October 1842, almost 12 years after its premiere, became known to many musicians through Liszt's arranged score. An example of this is Schumann's (1810-56) analytical critique of "Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique" (published in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1835), which was written using Liszt's arrangement. It is astonishing to consider Schumann's musical insight in writing such a comprehensive critique without seeing the original score, but at the same time, one cannot help but notice how meticulously Liszt's piano arrangement, on which Schumann relied, was crafted.
Berlioz's innovative orchestral writing and the idea of fusing music with the poetic would greatly influence Liszt's subsequent compositions. However, Berlioz was not the only person who influenced Liszt as an artist. Niccolò Paganini's (1782-1840) transcendental technique and its effect, which Liszt first heard in 1831, also had a decisive impact on Liszt as a performer and composer. Liszt began to practice "4-5 hours daily (thirds, sixths, octaves, tremolos, repetitions, cadenzas, etc.)" (letter to Pierre Wolff, May 2, 1832) in order to achieve on the piano what Paganini had done on the violin.
Paris in the 1830s, where Liszt spent his twenties, was undoubtedly the center of European culture. Salons, previously limited to the aristocracy, became gathering places for leading artists from all fields—poets, writers, painters, and musicians—who stimulated each other. Among them were literary figures such as Chateaubriand, Dumas, Gautier, Girardin, Heine, Hugo, Sand, and musicians such as Alkan, Bellini, Hiller, Meyerbeer, and Rossini, and Liszt eventually became a member of this brilliant social circle. At the end of 1832, at the age of 21, Liszt met Marie d'Agoult (1805-76), seven years his senior. Before their relationship ended in 1844, they had three children: Blandine (1835-62), Cosima (1837-1930), and Daniel (1839-59) (Madame d'Agoult divorced her count in 1835 but never married Liszt).
Also, in the early 1830s, Liszt became drawn to Saint-Simonianism, which advocated a new social order based on the trinity of art, science, and industry. He then met Abbé Félicité de Lamennais (1782-1854), who would have a profound influence on the formation of Liszt's aesthetic values. Through his contact with them, Liszt found the doctrine of a revolutionary society in which music played a leading role, and he became convinced that art had a social and religious mission. In early summer 1835, Liszt published a major essay, "On the Position of Artists and Their Social Status," in Gazette musicale over six weeks. The idea he put forth there, that the mission of music was to elevate the art of society, resonated with many musicians at the time.
Paris in the 1830s was also a period when virtuoso pianists engaged in brilliant activities. Piano competitions were frequently held, and public concerts often featured duets by such pianists. The piano industry expanded, and its adoption in homes rapidly progressed. Larger and improved state-of-the-art instruments were released almost every year. Liszt, too, was excited by the great potential hidden in the piano and praised its effect and expressive power, which he considered comparable to an orchestra—"Praise to Erard's splendid and majestic salon, and to Erard's piano, which simultaneously brings two usually incompatible qualities: power and softness. ... The overwhelming effect of an orchestra with my piano, ... I felt I could not produce such an effect with any other instrument" (letter to Madame d'Agoult, February 20, 1837).
During this era, concert programs were typically dominated by fantasies and virtuosic pieces based on popular operas. On the other hand, serious works beyond the public's comprehension were rarely performed, and in particular, Beethoven's late works, which had become synonymous with "difficulty," were very rarely played in public. However, Liszt in June 1836, performed Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106, which had previously been considered unplayable, at a concert in Paris. Berlioz, as a critic, reported on it as follows: "Not a single note was omitted. Not a single note was added. ... Not a single nuance was removed. The tempo was never changed. Liszt proved himself to be the pianist of the future in making an as yet incomprehensible work comprehensible" (Gazette, published June 12, 1836).
For Liszt, Beethoven was a special presence, both practically and spiritually—"For us musicians, Beethoven's works are like the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that guided the people of Israel through the wilderness. A pillar of cloud to lead us by day, and a pillar of fire to give us light by night, by which we can always move forward. Their darkness and brilliance are equal, serving as a guide for us to follow. Each of them is an eternal precept, an infallible revelation" (letter to Wilhelm von Lenz, December 2, 1852). From his youth as a pianist to his later years as an arranger, conductor, composer, editor, and teacher, Liszt would engage with almost all of Beethoven's works, not just specific ones.
In the late 1830s, Liszt and Madame d'Agoult often left the bustle of Paris to travel to Italy and Switzerland. In Geneva, where they stayed in 1835, the first draft of what would later become Années de pèlerinage, Première année: Suisse was completed. During a three-month stay in 1837 at George Sand's (1804-76) villa in Nohant, Liszt, using an Erard grand piano provided for him, successively completed piano four-hand arrangements of Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 5-7 and Schubert's (1797-1828) Lieder. The former was published in Vienna, Paris, and Leipzig between 1840 and 1843 in extremely luxurious bindings, accompanied by the famous preface "Beethoven's name is sacred in art," while the latter also became a very popular product sold by multiple publishers in various regions of Europe.
Afterwards, Liszt and Madame d'Agoult traveled to Italy. Although Liszt wrote that he was disappointed by the people there who "regarded instrumental music as secondary, not comparable to vocal music," his stay in this historic land was by no means in vain. Deeply impressed by the culture and artworks he encountered throughout Italy, Liszt completed the first drafts of important works during this period, including what would later become Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année: Italie. He also left a draft of Totentanz, directly inspired by the fresco "The Triumph of Death" (circa 1355) he saw in the Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa.
3. Virtuoso Pianist Period (1839-47)
During the so-called “Virtuoso Pianist Period” concert tours, which Liszt undertook on an unprecedented scale and content between 1839 and 1847, he traversed all of Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to Moscow in the east, and from Ireland and England to Turkey, appearing in over 1000 concerts at a rate of 3-4 times a week. He performed before audiences of over 3000 in Milan and St. Petersburg, and in Berlin, he held 21 concerts over 10 weeks in 1841-42, showcasing some 80 pieces. The frenzy known as “Lisztomania” (a term coined by Heine) erupted precisely in Berlin.
Liszt, during his time as a pianist, is also known for creating the prototype of the modern piano recital. For example, performing all programs from memory, tackling a wide repertoire from Bach to contemporary pieces like Chopin (1810-49), the placement of the piano on stage, and performing with the piano lid open for acoustic effect.
During this period, the highlight of concert programs by virtuoso pianists was undoubtedly arrangements of popular operas. Liszt also created many arrangements for his own concert repertoire, such as “Paraphrase” and “Réminiscences”—both terms originated by Liszt, though the distinction is not clear—which freely developed borrowed motifs and melodies from original works, captivating audiences. For example, according to statistics by American scholar Michael Saffle, who organized Liszt's repertoire from approximately 300 documents concerning concerts held in Germany between 1840 and 1845, the top pieces were as follows (Saffle 1994)—
1 | Liszt Chromatic Grand Galop | Approx. 70 times |
2 | Schubert-Liszt Erlkönig | Over 65 times |
3 | Mozart-Liszt Réminiscences de Don Juan | Over 55 times |
4 | Meyerbeer-Liszt Réminiscences de Robert le Diable | Over 50 times |
5 | Donizetti-Liszt Réminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor | Over 40 times |
6 | Rossini-Liszt William Tell Overture | Approx. 40 times |
7 | Weber Invitation to the Dance | Over 35 times |
8 | Bellini-Liszt Réminiscences de I puritani | Over 35 times |
9 | Schubert-Liszt Ständchen | Over 30 times |
10 | Liszt et al. Hexameron (Variations on the March from I puritani) | Over 30 times |
Concert tours by Liszt mostly featured opera arrangements and flashy virtuosic pieces that captivated audiences. Certainly, he sometimes included serious Beethoven works. However, these were limited to sophisticated urban audiences in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, and even in those cities, the focus was on middle-period works like Moonlight and Tempest, reflecting the audience's taste. Liszt tried to accommodate the audience's preferences. Or rather, it was an unavoidable era to do so. As early as around 1840, Liszt showed his inner struggle with the gap between popular taste and his ideal artistic principles. Nevertheless, his concert tours as a virtuoso pianist continued.
On February 2, 1847, in the audience of a concert in Kyiv, was Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1819-87)—then 28 years old, seven years Liszt's junior, and already separated from her prince—who would later become Liszt's life partner. Liszt sought out the woman who had made a large anonymous donation and thanked her, which was how they met. Liszt then undertook a concert tour to Turkey, but in September 1847, a month before his 36th birthday, after his appearance on stage in Odesa, a city in southern Ukraine, Liszt put an end to his activities as a pianist. A few months later, in February 1848, he took up the position of court Kapellmeister in Weimar, a city in eastern Germany that had once flourished as a center of classical culture for figures like Goethe and Schiller, and he would reside there for over 13 years.
4. Weimar Court Kapellmeister Period (1848-61)
Many researchers today agree that the Weimar period from 1848 to 1861 was the most productive period in Liszt's life. His artistic activities extended to various fields such as conducting, teaching, and criticism, and in composition, he produced numerous major works such as 12 symphonic poems, 2 programmatic symphonies, piano concertos, the Piano Sonata in B minor, and the Gran Mass. In the early 1850s, he successively completed revised versions of piano pieces written during his virtuoso pianist period. Examples include the Transcendental Études, Paganini Études, Hungarian Rhapsodies, Années de pèlerinage, Première année and Deuxième année, and Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. Liszt's decision to settle in Weimar, which had once flourished as the capital of German classicism, was motivated not only by his succession to Hummel's position as court Kapellmeister but also by a consciousness of succeeding the literary giants. After the deaths of Goethe and Schiller, Weimar's status as a cultural center in Germany was in jeopardy, and Liszt was eager to restore its former glory with his own hands. Liszt's mission was to build a new Weimar while inheriting the legacy of great Weimar classicism, and this was clearly reflected in his activities as court Kapellmeister. The programs of the court-sponsored commemorative festivals directed by Liszt, such as the "Goethe Centenary Festival" in 1849, the "Herder and Goethe Festival" in 1850, and the "Unveiling of the Goethe and Schiller Monument" in 1857, were dominated by the creations of pioneers who had achieved the integration of Weimar classical literature and music, including Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Choral Fantasy, Egmont Overture, and Schumann's Scenes from Faust, Manfred Overture. The works Liszt undertook during the Weimar period covered a truly wide repertoire, from classical to contemporary. Among them, as the greatest interpreter of Berlioz and Wagner, who had not yet received due recognition, Liszt actively promoted their works. In place of Wagner, who was wanted for arrest after the Dresden Uprising in May 1849 and was then in exile in Zurich, Liszt staged Tannhäuser in February 1849 and premiered Lohengrin in August 1850. It goes without saying that this premiere attracted attention from all over Europe. From the Parisian literary world came Jules Janin (1804-74) and Gérard de Nerval (1808-55), from Brussels the music critic François-Joseph Fétis (1784-1871), from London the music writer Henry Chorley (1808-72), and many musicians and cultural figures from various parts of Germany also rushed to attend. Reports and critical articles about this premiere were subsequently published in newspapers and magazines throughout the region. Furthermore, at the "Wagner Festival" held at the Weimar Court Theater in 1853, The Flying Dutchman was performed three times and Tannhäuser twice over a period of more than 20 days. Moreover, Liszt's achievements were not limited to performing works. His introductions and analyses of Wagner's works in French, Lohengrin et Tannhäuser (1851), and essays written in German, "The Flying Dutchman" and "Das Rheingold" (both 1854), as well as the creation and publication of piano arrangements focusing on the instrumental parts of operas, also played significant roles. Berlioz, on the other hand, also received Liszt's dedicated support. In 1852, 1855, and 1856, Liszt organized large-scale festivals, "Berlioz Weeks," at the Weimar Court. The composer himself appeared, and almost all of Berlioz's orchestral works were performed, including Symphonie fantastique, Harold en Italie, Roméo et Juliette, La Damnation de Faust, Benvenuto Cellini (premiere), and the oratorio L'Enfance du Christ. It was through these festivals that German audiences came to know Berlioz's works. Through Liszt's activities, the German people began to associate the works of Berlioz and the exiled Wagner with Weimar, and Weimar became a forum for new music. However, Liszt's activities eventually extended beyond Weimar. While fulfilling his duties as court Kapellmeister, Liszt also actively participated as a director and guest conductor at music festivals held throughout Germany. Examples include the "Ballenstedt Music Festival" in 1852, the "Karlsruhe Music Festival" in 1853, the "Mozart Centenary Festival" held in Vienna in 1856, and the "35th Lower Rhine Music Festival" held in Aachen in 1857. At that time, the Rhine region was known as a conservative stronghold influenced by Ferdinand Hiller (1811-85), who had become director of the Cologne Conservatory after serving as conductor of the Gewandhaus, but Liszt accepted the directorship on the condition that the program would not be traditional. In fact, the "music festival" attracted attention with its avant-garde program, including works by Beethoven, J. S. Bach, and Schumann, as well as symphonic poems and piano concertos by Wagner, Berlioz, and Liszt himself. Even amidst these extremely busy activities, Liszt completed an astonishing number of works in the 1850s. Particularly noteworthy are the 12 works that bear the genre name "Symphonic Poem" (Symphonische Dichtung), which Liszt first used in Western music history in February 1854. A symphonic poem is programmatic music for pure instrumental forces, inspired by some poetic material, with individual titles for each piece, and is an orchestral work in "a single movement with changing tempos and meters" (Liszt's own expression). While the definition of programmatic music has often been misunderstood, Liszt's concept must be clearly distinguished from descriptive music that flourished in the late 18th century. This is because Liszt's music does not follow a specific story or depict scenes, but rather relies on poetic material at an ideological level. Below is an overview of the 12 symphonic poems completed and published during the Weimar period.
12 Symphonic Poems from the Weimar Period
Title | Origin of the work / Poetic material | Title presentation in published score | |
1 | Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne | Conceived in the 1830s? First draft was an "Overture," revised version temporarily titled "Meditative Symphony." | Hugo's poem, "Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne" |
2 | Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo | Thematic transfer from piano piece Venice and Naples No. 1 (1840). Commissioned by the Weimar court. | Explanatory preface on the origin of the work, Tasso's life, and Goethe's and Byron's poems |
3 | Les Préludes | Began as an introductory piece for the choral work The Four Elements (unpublished) based on Autran's poem. | Explanatory preface on Lamartine's poem, "Les Préludes" |
4 | Orpheus | Began as an introductory piece for Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice. | Explanatory preface on mythology, the Louvre vase, and the ideal of human society |
5 | Prometheus | Began as an introductory piece for the choral work Herder's play Prometheus Unbound. | Explanatory preface on mythology, suffering, and salvation |
6 | Mazeppa | First half of the piece is a thematic transfer from Transcendental Étude No. 4, second half from Workers' Chorus (1848). | Excerpt from Hugo's poem (final stanza) and Byron's poem, "Mazeppa" |
7 | Festklänge | Composed in anticipation of marriage to Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein. | (None other than the title) |
8 | Héroïde funèbre | Derived from the concept of the Revolutionary Symphony of 1830. | Explanatory preface on the origin of the work and a lament for heroes |
9 | Hungaria | Derived from the concept of the Revolutionary Symphony. Expanded version of the piano piece Heroic March in Hungarian Style (1840). | (None other than the title) |
10 | Hamlet | Composed as an "Overture" for a performance of "Hamlet" seen in winter 1856. | (None other than the title. However, the score includes the instruction "alluding to Ophelia") |
11 | Hunnenschlacht | Composed inspired by Kaulbach's fresco. | Explanatory preface on the contrast between the Christian army and the Huns |
12 | Die Ideale | Derived in part from the Revolutionary Symphony. Once planned as a "three-part symphony." | (Schiller's poem quoted in various sections of the score, with altered order of stanzas) |
Around the same time as the symphonic poems, Liszt also completed two programmatic symphonies: A Faust Symphony in Three Character Pictures and Dante Symphony. Liszt had planned to compose works based on Goethe's Faust and Dante's Divine Comedy in the late 1830s during his Paris period, and it was in the mid-1850s, after more than a quarter-century, that his ambition finally came to fruition.
By the late 1850s, Weimar had become a mecca for contemporary music, and Liszt had solidified his reputation as a progressive artist. Young musicians came from all over Europe to study piano or composition with Liszt, or to hear performances of contemporary music represented by Berlioz, Wagner, and Liszt. Many talented students gathered at Liszt's residence, the Altenburg, which became a hub for new music. Thus, Liszt's avant-garde artistic activities had many supporters and admirers, primarily in Weimar, but at the same time, there were far more powerful opponents, mainly in conservative areas such as Leipzig, Cologne, and Vienna. The musical controversy that erupted in the early 1850s between the so-called conservatives and progressives unfolded in music journalism, such as newspapers and magazines, with "Future Music" (Zukunftsmusik) as the keyword. As Liszt's symphonic poems began to be performed publicly in the mid-1850s, the attacks from the conservative camp became even more combative, and the counter-attacks by Liszt's pupils, associates, and supporters also intensified. For Liszt's circle, symphonic poems were "Future Music" in the sense that they were cutting-edge creations suitable for a new era, while for anti-Liszt factions, they symbolized "Future Music" in a critical sense, meaning they did not suit the taste of contemporary audiences and were not understood.
In this controversy, the literary avant-garde of Liszt's supporters, who played a particularly indispensable role, were Franz Brendel (1811-68), a music critic and historian who took over as editor-in-chief of Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, founded by Schumann in 1834, and Richard Pohl (1826-96), also a critic. They fully supported Liszt's artistic ideals and his promotional activities, playing a major role in his propaganda strategy using journalism. Liszt and his Weimar-era pupils and associates—Hans von Bülow (1830-94), Peter Cornelius (1824-74), Ferdinand Laub (1832-75), Hans von Bronsart (1830-1913), Alexander Ritter (1833-96), Carl Tausig (1841-71), Leopold Damrosch (1832-85), Dionys Pruckner (1834-96), Pohl, and Brendel—would eventually become known as the "New German School" (Neudeutsche Schule) (the name of the school originated from Brendel).
5. Rome Period (1861-68)
Having left Weimar on August 17, 1861, and moved to Rome, Liszt immersed himself for a while in the composition of church music and religious life. Major works completed during this period include two oratorios. One is The Legend of Saint Elisabeth, which he began composing in 1857 during the Weimar period and completed in 1862, after which it was dedicated to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. This oratorio, which deals with the Hungarian princess Elisabeth, was premiered in Pest in August 1865. Christus, a large-scale work using texts from the Bible, Catholic liturgy, and medieval Latin hymns, was also conceived around 1853 during the Weimar period and finally completed in 1866 after years of revision and refinement. It is positioned as a comprehensive creation of Liszt's religious works, as Liszt later called it "his musical testament and confession of faith."
During this period, Liszt was beset by many hardships. Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein had been seeking a divorce from her prince for many years, but her direct appeal to the Pope was ultimately not granted, and her marriage to Liszt never materialized during their lifetime. Liszt had lost his son, Daniel, at the young age of 20 in 1859, and in 1862, he further lost his eldest daughter, Blandine, at 26. His second daughter, Cosima, who had married Liszt's advanced pupil Bülow in 1857, met Wagner in 1862, and the two soon began living together. By the time her divorce from Bülow was finalized in 1870, Wagner and Cosima had three children. Liszt, distressed by this relationship, was further pained by the fact that Cosima converted to Protestantism after her marriage to Wagner. Liszt was a devout Catholic, to the extent that he received minor orders in May 1865, at the age of 54.
Nevertheless, Liszt's artistic activities did not cease. He continued his energetic activities, traveling to Pest, Paris, and various parts of Germany whenever his own works were premiered or his pupils gave concerts. In 1867, "master classes" for piano lessons began. Besides Giovanni Sgambati (1841-1914), who became his foremost pupil there, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), who would later achieve great success as a composer, visited with the manuscript of his newly completed Piano Concerto in A minor.
6. The Trifurcated Period of Weimar-Budapest-Rome (1869-86)
The activity as a piano teacher would subsequently occupy an extremely large weight, both in terms of time and content, in Liszt's musical life. Following Rome, he was asked to teach in Weimar in 1869, and then in Pest two years later, which marked the beginning of the so-called “vie trifurquée” (trifurcated life), where he would stay for certain periods in each of the cities of Weimar, Rome, and Pest to give lessons. The pattern of his three-city tour was typically Weimar from around May to summer, Rome from late autumn, and Pest in February-March. Under Liszt, where all lessons were given free of charge, top-class pianists who would become active worldwide from the late 19th to the early 20th century gathered, including Artur Friedheim (1859-1932), Moriz Rosenthal (1862-1946), Emil von Sauer (1862-1942), Alexander Siloti (1863-1945), and Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932).
According to the diary of August Göllerich (1859-1923), one of Liszt's last pupils, lessons typically lasted about two to two and a half hours, usually starting around 3:30 or 4:00 PM. Only a few students actually received direct instruction, each playing one piece and receiving comments from Liszt. However, a considerable number of students were always auditing, and some, like Göllerich, took notes. Felix Weingartner (1863-1942) was a regular auditor of the master classes, though he never actually received a lesson from Liszt. A letter from Göllerich to his mother dated June 8, 1884, describes the extremely international nature of the Liszt school: "2 from Vienna, 1 from Pest, 3 from America (New York), 2 from Paris, 1 from Boston, 1 from California, 1 from Romania, 3 from Russia, 1 from England, truly a Tower of Babel."
Although Liszt led a busy life traveling between three cities for master classes, in November 1875, he became the first director of the Royal Hungarian Academy of Music (later the Liszt Academy). Liszt required all composition students to learn piano and all piano students to learn composition. The admission level was set extremely high, and applicants were required to take exams on full orchestral score reading and improvisation skills. This was an idea unique to Liszt, who had reached the pinnacle as both a pianist and a composer.
Even amidst these increasingly busy activities as an educator, Liszt remained active as a composer. His creative drive did not wane even in his later years, and numerous piano pieces were produced. The seven-piece cycle Années de pèlerinage, Troisième année (1877-82) includes "Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este," known for anticipating Impressionist harmonies and influencing Ravel (1875-1937) and Debussy (1862-1918), and "Sursum corda," which prominently features the whole-tone scale. In 1885, he composed a short piece titled Bagatelle sans tonalité (the autograph manuscript is marked "Mephisto Waltz No. 4"). While tonality is not completely eradicated in it, its concept of "atonality" differs from that of Schoenberg (1874-1951), but it is at least not based on a specific key. It is noteworthy that Liszt was venturing into atonality more than 20 years before Schoenberg undertook the breakdown of tonality in the final movement of his String Quartet No. 2 in 1908. This piece was premiered in Weimar by Liszt's pupil shortly after its completion but had to wait until 1955 for publication. Many other late piano pieces are full of experimental tendencies such as extreme chromaticism, augmented triads, ambiguous tonality, and dissonance. The opening of Mephisto Waltz No. 3, based on quartal harmony, recalls Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1 (1906).
Even after turning 70, Liszt traveled to various parts of Europe to attend music festivals and composer gatherings. In the spring of 1886, in his very last years, Liszt visited London, arranged by Walter Bache (1842-88), a pupil from his Rome period residing in England. There, he received a grand dinner and was granted an audience with Queen Victoria. Returning to Weimar via Paris, Liszt visited Luxembourg two months later and gave his last piano performance on July 19. That night, he traveled by night train to Bayreuth. After Wagner's death, with Cosima, Wagner's wife, managing all performances at the Festival Theater, Liszt listened to Parsifal on the 23rd and the Bayreuth premiere of Tristan und Isolde on the 25th. However, two days later, Liszt's health severely deteriorated, and he passed away on July 31 of the same month. The life of European artist Franz Liszt, who lived through the 19th century, ended here.
Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Last Updated: May 1, 2007
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Author : Asayama, Natsuko
A Hungarian-German pianist and composer. Although he did not understand Hungarian as his native language and found its culture alien, he was strongly aware of his heritage. He was active throughout Europe, particularly in German-speaking regions, as well as Paris and Rome.
He debuted as a child prodigy in Vienna, and then in Paris. Though he gained fame as a performer at a young age, Liszt eventually withdrew from the glamorous social scene and moved to Switzerland, dedicating himself to exploring his musicality. This period bore fruit in works such as Album d'un voyageur and Années de pèlerinage. Furthermore, the creation of works like Après une lecture de DanteSonetti del Petrarca and others after his return to the public stage in Italy in 1839 was a continuation of these efforts.
Over the next eight years, Liszt, as a virtuoso, ignited enthusiasm across the entirety of Europe. However, he decided to cease his life of constant concert tours and dedicate himself to composition. In 1848, he became the permanent Kapellmeister of the Weimar court orchestra and settled there. Here, Liszt repeatedly experimented with his orchestral works, particularly tone poems and program symphonies, completing large-scale compositions. His keyboard works from this period include the Études d'exécution transcendante, and Piano Sonata in B minor. However, when the Grand Duke of Weimar was succeeded in 1853, Liszt departed for Rome in 1861.
Eventually, in 1869, he resumed his piano teaching activities in Weimar, later also taking on piano lessons in Budapest, leading to a life of commuting between these three cities, including Rome. In his later years, he warmly encouraged many musicians who visited him and sent forth many excellent pupils into the world. Throughout his life, he believed in the future of music and always strived to be at the 'avant-garde' of musical history.
That Liszt was the most technically proficient pianist in music history can be confirmed by the numerous difficult pieces he composed 'for himself' and by contemporary concert reviews. Furthermore, his repertoire was extremely broad, encompassing everything from Bach's contrapuntal works, which were not yet widely known at the time, to the compositions of Schumann, who was considered to belong to an opposing musical faction. Moreover, Liszt revolutionized the format of public concerts, which traditionally featured various genres, ensembles, and multiple performers. He initiated the solo recital, where he performed alone, thereby creating concerts that demanded greater concentration.
Author : Hara, Akiho
Last Updated: March 12, 2018
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Author : Hara, Akiho
Works(316)
Concerto (2)
concerto (3)
Konzert für klavier und orchester nr.1 S.124/R.455 H4
Key: Es-Dur Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 19 min 00 sec
Konzert für klavier und orchester nr.2 S.125/R.456 H6
Key: A-Dur Composed in: 1839 Playing time: 20 min 00 sec
Various works (10)
Grande fantaisie symphonique sur des thèmes de Berlioz "Lelio" S.120/R.453 H2
Composed in: 1834 Playing time: 24 min 30 sec
Fantasie über motive aus Beethovens "Ruinen von Athen" S.122/R.454 H9
Composed in: 1849 Playing time: 10 min 40 sec
Fantasie über ungarische volksmelodien S.123/R.458 H12
Composed in: 1849 Playing time: 15 min 30 sec
Totentanz (paraphrase über "Dies Irae") S.126/R.457 H8
Composed in: 1847 Playing time: 16 min 30 sec
Piano Solo (6)
sonata (1)
pieces (24)
Années de pèlerinage première année "Suisse" S.160/R.10 A159
Composed in: 1848 Playing time: 51 min 00 sec
Années de pèlerinage deuxieme année "Italie" S.161/R.10 A55
Composed in: 1838 Playing time: 46 min 30 sec
Années de pèlerinage "Venezia e Napoli" S.162/R.10 A197
Composed in: 1859 Playing time: 16 min 30 sec
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses S.173/R.14 A158
Composed in: 1848 Playing time: 1 hr 22 min 30 sec
etude (11)
Étude en 48 exercices dans tous les tons majeurs et mineurs S.136 R.1
Composed in: 1826 Playing time: 24 min 30 sec
Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini S.140 R.3a
Composed in: 1838 Playing time: 27 min 00 sec
Reduction/Arrangement (96)
Sarabande und chaconne aus dem singspiel "Almira" von Händel S.181 R.25
Composed in: 1879 Playing time: 14 min 20 sec
Grande fantaisie sur la tyrolienne de l'opéra "La fiancée" (Auber) S.385 R.116
Composed in: 1829 Playing time: 15 min 40 sec
Tarantelle de bravura d'après la tarantella de "La muette de Portici" (Auber) S.386 R.117
Composed in: 1847 Playing time: 10 min 10 sec
Capriccio alla turca ("Die Ruinen von Athen" Beethoven) S.388 R.125
Composed in: 1846 Playing time: 9 min 00 sec
"I puritani", introduction et polonaise (Bellini) S.391 R.130
Composed in: 1840 Playing time: 6 min 00 sec
Fantaisie sur des motifs favoris de l'opéra "La sonnambula" (Bellini) S.393 R.132
Composed in: 1839 Playing time: 15 min 00 sec
Réminiscences de "Norma" (d'après Bellini) S.394 R.133
Composed in: 1841 Playing time: 18 min 00 sec
Bénédiction et serment, deux motifs de "Benvenuto Cellini" (Berloz) S.396 R.141
Composed in: 1852 Playing time: 7 min 30 sec
Reminiscences de "Lucia di Lammermoor" (Donizetti) S.397 R.151
Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 6 min 00 sec
Marche et cavatine de "Lucie de Lammermoor" (Donizetti) S.398 R.152
Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 10 min 30 sec
Réminiscences de "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) S.400 R.154
Composed in: 1848 Playing time: 23 min 40 sec
Marche funèbre de "Dom Sébastien" (Donizetti) S.402 R.156
Composed in: 1844 Playing time: 9 min 40 sec
Grande paraphrase de la marche (pour Sa Majesté le sultan Abdul Medjid-Khan) (Donizetti) S.403 R.157
Composed in: 1847 Playing time: 8 min 00 sec
Halloh! Jagdchor und steyrer (Ernst Herzog zu Sachsen-Co-burg-Gotha) S.404 R.159
Composed in: 1847 Playing time: 7 min 50 sec
Schwanengesang, marsch (Hunyadi László) (Erkels) S.405 R.160
Composed in: 1847 Playing time: 9 min 30 sec
Les adieux, rêverie ("Roméo et Juliette" Gounod) S.409 R.169
Composed in: 1867 Playing time: 9 min 30 sec
Grande fantaisie sur des thèmes de l'opéra "Les Huguenots" (Meyerbeer) S.412 R.221
Composed in: 1836 Playing time: 19 min 30 sec
Réminiscences de "Robert le diable: valse infernale" (Meyerbeer) S.413 R.222
Composed in: 1841 Playing time: 12 min 00 sec
Fantaisie sur l'opéra hongrois "Szép Ilonka" (Mosonyi) S.417 R.227
Composed in: 1865 Playing time: 6 min 00 sec
Divertissement sur la cavatine "I tuoi frequenti palpiti" S.419 R.230
Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 14 min 10 sec
La serenata e L'orgia, grande fantaisie sur des motifs des "Soirées musicales" (Rossini) S.422 R.234
Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 12 min 10 sec
Composed in: 1835 Playing time: 12 min 20 sec
3 mélodies ("Divertissement à I'hongroise" Schubert) S.425 R.250
Composed in: 1838 Playing time: 38 min 10 sec
Soirées de Vienne ("Valses caprices" de Schubert) S.427 R.252
Composed in: 1852 Playing time: 1 hr 12 min 50 sec
Polonaise aus "Eugene Oneguine" (Tchaikovsky) S.429 R.262
Composed in: 1880 Playing time: 5 min 50 sec
Valse de concert ("2ème suite en forme de valse" Végh) S.430 R.263
Composed in: 1882 Playing time: 7 min 50 sec
Salve Maria de Jerusalem ("I Lombardi" Verdi) S.431 R.264
Composed in: 1848 Playing time: 7 min 00 sec
Miserere du "Trovatore" (Verdi) paraphrase de Concert S.433 R.266
Composed in: 1859 Playing time: 8 min 00 sec
Coro di festa e marcia funebre de "Don Carlos" (Veldi) S.435 R.268
Composed in: 1867 Playing time: 8 min 10 sec
Réminiscences de "Simone Boccanegra" (Verdi) S.438 R.271
Composed in: 1882 Playing time: 10 min 50 sec
Phantasiestück ("Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen" Wagner) S.439 R.272
Composed in: 1859 Playing time: 9 min 00 sec
Chor der spinnerinnen "Der fliegende Holländer" (Wagner) S.440 R.273
Composed in: 1860 Playing time: 5 min 40 sec
Ballade aus dem "Fliegende Holländer" (Wagner) S.441 R.274
Composed in: 1872 Playing time: 6 min 40 sec
Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg (Wagner) S.442 R.275
Composed in: 1849 Playing time: 16 min 30 sec
Chor der jungeren pilger "Tannhäuser" (Wagner) S.443 R.276
Composed in: 1861 Playing time: 5 min 20 sec
O du mein holder Abendstern ("Tannhäuser" Wagner) S.444 R.277
Composed in: 1848 Playing time: 7 min 00 sec
2 stücke "Lohengrin" und "Tannhäuser" (Wagner) S.445 R.278
Composed in: 1852 Playing time: 22 min 50 sec
Am stillen herd ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" Wagner) S.448 R.281
Composed in: 1871 Playing time: 8 min 00 sec
Feierlicher marsch zum heiligen gral (Wagner) S.450 R.283
Composed in: 1882 Playing time: 9 min 40 sec
Gleichsam als marsch der heiligen drei Könige /Ave Verum (Allegri-Mozart) S.461a R.114
Playing time: 6 min 45 sec
transcription (17)
Various works (138)
San Francesco, "Preludio per Il cantico del Sol di San Francesco" S.665 R.392
Playing time: 5 min 00 sec
Variationen über einen walzer von A. Diabelli S.147 R.26
Composed in: 1822 Playing time: 1 min 00 sec
7 variations brillantes sur un thème de G. Rossini S.149 R.28
Composed in: 1824 Playing time: 9 min 40 sec
Impromptu brillant sur des thèmes de Rossini et Spontini S.150 R.29
Composed in: 1824 Playing time: 11 min 30 sec
Feuilles d'album (Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth) S.167 R.64/2
Key: a-moll Composed in: 1842 Playing time: 6 min 40 sec
Élégie sur des motifs de Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse S.168 R.75
Key: As-Dur Composed in: 1842 Playing time: 7 min 30 sec
Ave Maria (Ave Maria für die grosse klavierschule von Lebert und Stark) S.182 R.67
Composed in: 1862 Playing time: 5 min 30 sec
In festo transfigurationis Domini nostri Jesu Christi S.188 R.74
Composed in: 1880 Playing time: 2 min 40 sec
Petite valse favorite "Souvenir de Saint-Pétersbourg" S.212 R.35
Composed in: 1842 Playing time: 3 min 20 sec
Festmarsch zur saekularfeier von Goethes geburtstag S.227 R.48a
Composed in: 1849 Playing time: 5 min 30 sec
Rondeau fantastique sur un thème espagnol "El contrabandista" S.252 R.88
Composed in: 1836 Playing time: 11 min 10 sec
Rhapsodie espagnole (folies d'Espagne et jota aragonesa) S.254 R.90
Composed in: 1863 Playing time: 13 min 30 sec
Mazurka pour piano composée par un amateur de St Pétersbourg S.384 R.115
Composed in: 1842 Playing time: 3 min 00 sec
Composed in: 1837 Playing time: 22 min 00 sec
Valse à capriccio, sur motifs deux Lucia et Parisina S.401 R.155
Composed in: 1842 Playing time: 9 min 50 sec
Soirées italiennes (6 amusements sur des motifs de Mercadante) S.411 R.220
Composed in: 1838 Playing time: 29 min 12 sec
Grande fantaisie de bravoure sur "La campanella" de Paganini S.420 R.231
Composed in: 1831 Playing time: 15 min 00 sec
Der tanz in der dorfschenke (Erster mephisto-walzer) S.514 R.181
Composed in: 1859 Playing time: 11 min 30 sec
Piano Ensemble (3)
Reduction/Arrangement (2)
transcription (2)
Various works (5)
Chamber Music (1)
transcription (1)
Symphonie en quatre parties avec un alto principal ("Harold en Italie" Berlioz) S.472 R.138
Playing time: 44 min 20 sec
Lied (1)
etc (1)
Various works (5)