Grey clouds franz liszt biography
* 1811-10-22 (Raiding)
† 1886-07-31 (Bayreuth, 74yo)
(born: Franciscus Liszt)
Teachers:
Adam Liszt, Carl Czerny
Important pupils:
Walter Bache, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Franz Bendel, Hans von Bronsart, Ingeborg von Bronsart, Hans von Bülow, Pauline Fichtner-Erdmannsdörfer, Marie Jaëll, Karl Klindworth, Sara Magnus, Anna Mehlig, Sophie Menter, Laura Rappoldi-Kahrer, Julie Rivé-King, Anton Rubinstein, Giovanni Sgambati, William Sherwood, Carl Tausig, Józef Wieniawski, Eugen d’Albert, Conrad Ansorge, Arthur Friedheim, Arthur de Greef, Rafael Joseffy, Frederic Lamond, Adele aus der Ohe, Paul Pabst, Max Pinner, Alfred Reisenauer, Martha Remmert, Moriz Rosenthal, Emil von Sauer, Alexander Siloti, Bernhard Stavenhagen, Vera Timanova, José Vianna da Motta, Juliusz Zarębski
Commercial recordings (000)
Non-commercial recordings (000)
Piano rolls (000)
Concert programs (1405)
Liszt’s concertography is the crown jewel of this site and has been a continual work-in-progress ever since I was 19 years old. As such it is not without a share of personal joy I look through the first finished HTML version, as it happens on Liszt’s 210th birthday. Its sources range from letters and diaries, articles and reviews, posters and ads, but it rests predominantly on reports within the contemporary press – upwards 900 of them as of 2021. A work like this of course has no definite end. New posts are still being added to my agenda with it, and even broadly new information continue to come to light more as a function of work than luck. It is inching towards that goal of being as complete as one can reasonably hope to make it in our time however, and by now it traces Liszt’s career both thoroughly and with few major omissions. Several research publications have been of help to me along the way, of which I’d particularly like to single out Professor Michael Saffle‘s staggering survey of Liszt’s tours through Vormär Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 � July 31, 1886) was a virtuoso pianist and composer. Possibly the greatest piano virtuoso of all time, Liszt studied and played at Vienna and Paris and for most of his life toured throughout Europe giving concerts. Liszt was well respected as his virtuosity had been admired by composers and performers alike throughout Europe, especially for his exuberant piano transcriptions of both operas and famous symphonies of the time, and Schubertsongs, reducing the cost of hearing such music. His great generosity with both money and time were also much appreciated. Liszt was born in the village of Doborj�n, near Sopron, Hungary, in what was then the Austrian Empire. Since the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, the city is now Raiding, Austria. His baptism records are in Latin and lists his first name as Franciscus. The Hungarian variant Ferenc is often used, though never by Liszt himself. His parents were his Hungarian father �d�m Liszt and Austrian-born mother Anna Liszt, n�e Lagen. Liszt displayed incredible talent at a young age, easily sight-reading multiple staves at once. He got his first lessons from his father, �d�m Liszt, who worked at the court of count Esterh�zy, at six. Local aristocrats noticed his talent and paid him a scholarship, so that he went with his family to Vienna, and later to Paris. As a result, Liszt never fully learned Hungarian; his later letters and diaries show that he came to regret this deeply. In one letter to his mother Liszt begins in faltering Hungarian, apologises and continues in French (his preferred language). In Vienna he was educated in the technical domain by Carl Czerny. His father had wanted him to be taught by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778�1837), but Hummel's fees were too high. Antonio Salieri taught him the technique of composition and fostered young Liszt�s common musical taste. He and Fr�d�ric Chopin were friends early in lif Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811, in the village of Raiding, in the Kingdom of Hungary, which is now part of Austria. His father, Adam Liszt, was an accomplished musician who played several instruments and worked for the Esterházy family, a notable Hungarian noble family. Recognizing his son’s prodigious talent early on, Adam Liszt provided Franz with his first piano lessons at the age of seven. By the time he was nine, young Franz was already performing in public, demonstrating his extraordinary gift for music. In 1821, the Liszt family moved to Vienna, a major cultural center in Europe. Here, Franz studied under Carl Czerny, a former student of Beethoven, for piano, and Antonio Salieri for composition. His time in Vienna was pivotal; he absorbed the rich musical traditions of the city and was exposed to the works of leading composers and performers of the time. Liszt’s debut in Vienna at the age of 11 was a great success, earning him the admiration of the musical elite, including Beethoven, who reputedly gave him a kiss on the forehead, a mark of great respect. Following the death of his father in 1827, Liszt and his mother moved to Paris, where he was denied entry to the Paris Conservatoire due to his foreign origin. Undeterred, he continued his studies privately with prominent teachers, including Anton Reicha and Ferdinando Paer. Paris was a thriving hub of musical activity, and Liszt soon became a fixture in the city’s salons, where his virtuosic performances won him acclaim. He befriended many of the leading artists and intellectuals of the day, including Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, and the writer George Sand. By the 1830s, Liszt had established himself as one of the greatest pianists of his era. His technique was unparalleled, and his performances were characterized by a dramatic flair that captivated audiences. He embarked on extensive tours across Europe, wher I never cease to be amazed by the vast amount of music which awaits our exploration. There are so many composers from past centuries - not mention the present day - who are little-known but whose music is well worth our time. What is often even more surprising, though, is the fact that there is often a vast amount of music and information connected with the most famous names in the history of music which can remain unknown to all but the most ardent specialist. In this post I want to attempt to give some sort of context to one of the most remarkable lives in the history of western music. His name is well-known but it didn't take me long to realise that his long life led to the creation of a vast musical legacy, most of which is little-known or understood. The musician in question is Franz Liszt. To give an idea of the incredible amount of music Liszt composed, his work list in the 2000 print edition of Grove - just the list of titles of his music - runs to more than 86 pages. The Hyperion recordings of the complete piano works played by Leslie Howard - just the piano works - runs to 99 CDs totalling some 121 hours of music. It's a daunting body of work, stemming from an amazing life. To say there's more to explore than this article could ever share is the understatement of the century. And composing wasn't really the main thrust of Liszt's life. He was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the 19th century - many would say the greatest - the first real performing superstar. He was committed to music of the past (something unusual for the time), and also to new music written by composers largely shunned by the mainstream, such as Berlioz and Wagner. He was a man of conflicts and contradictions, a man of strong religious impulse and devotion, yet also a man who loved women passionately and was a party to two celebrated and scandalous relationships, among other liaisons. As Grove nea Liszt, Franz - Biography
Biography
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
Rise to fame
Virtuoso pianist
The Life and Work of Franz Liszt