Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Ferenc Liszt, (born Oct. 22, 1811, Raiding, Hung.—died July 31, 1886, Bayreuth,
Ger.), Hungarian composer and pianist. Encouraged by his father, who was a talented amateur musician,
Liszt developed an early interest in music and began composing at age eight. He studied piano with Karl
Czerny and composition with Antonio Salieri in Vienna, making his debut there in 1822. After a Paris
success in 1823, he toured Europe, but his father’s early death (1828) and a disastrous love affair led to
a desire to give up music for the priesthood. Hearing violinist Niccolò Paganini perform in 1831, Liszt was
inspired to develop his own technique to the utmost and to compose his first mature pieces, including
the Transcendental Études (1837) and Paganini Études (1839). An affair with Countess Marie d’Agoult
resulted in the birth of his daughter, Cosima (1837–1930), who would marry his friend, the composer
Richard Wagner. Liszt’s brilliance and success were at their peak during the 1840s, when he toured
Europe as a virtuoso, earning great adulation for his panache and his astounding technique. He ceased
concertizing in the late 1840s to devote himself to composition and furthering the work of progressive
composers. In the 1850s he wrote many of his most ambitious works, including A Faust Symphony
(1854) and the Piano Sonata in B Minor (1853). In 1865 he took minor Roman Catholic church orders,
though he never became a priest. His later output is remarkable in anticipating many 20 th-century
developments; for instance, his development of chromatic harmony influenced atonal music.