Franz Liszt

“1811-1866”

The Virtuosic “Ladies’ Man”

 Franz Liszt
1811 - 1866

A brief look into the life and legacy of one the greatest pianist and piano composers to
have lived.
Little Liszt vs Master Liszt
Little Liszt vs Master Liszt - Beginnings

- Father was prominent pianist/musician

- Started learning piano at age six(6) after showing interest
- Played through most of the compositions of the great piano masters of that time,
Including Mozart, Bach and Clementi
- Father purchased over eight thousand (8,000) pages of music
- Liszt earned a six (6) year scholarship to study in Vienna
Little Liszt vs Master Liszt - Creating a Prodigy
- Studied in Vienna with Czerny, a renowned piano teacher and “star-pupil” of
Beethoven
- Was said to have talent but no knowledge for proper finger technique and very
chaotic playing.
- Presented a concert at age eleven (11), in which Beethoven and Schubert were both
present and impressed. (especially Beethoven)
- Moved soon after due to father’s work situation (1823)
- Soon became the breadwinner of the family (age 12) with his father acting as his
manager.
Little Liszt vs Master Liszt - Death of a Child Prodigy
- Father was known as “Liszt”
- Young Franz was assigned the title “Little Liszt” in France
- Became known as “Master Liszt” in England from touring with his father
- Composed few pieces that were of very low quality, of which he was embarrassed
- Composed in the style of the Viennese school of music.
- Composed an opera at age fourteen (14)
- Grew weary of music and decided to follow another of his passions, Religion
- Father died soon after and he composed a Funeral March
- Began reading to compensate for lack of proper education
Franz, Franz the Ladies’ Manz
Franz, Franz the Ladies’ Manz
- Stopped touring and started teaching across France, where his mother lived.
- Met Mendelssohn and Chopin around age twenty (20), but made a very bad
impression on both.
- Liszt was inspired by Chopin’s poetic style of composition
- Saw Paganini perform live in 1832 and was inspired to achieve greatness
- Fell in love at age 16 with his student Caroline de Sain-Crique (age 17), both shared
a passion for Religion
- Had a love affair with Adele de Laprunarede and spent the winter of 1832-1833
together.
- Had even another love affair with Marie d’Agoult, and sired three (3) children with
her.
The Great Eight
The Great Eight - The Fight for Greatness
- Around the time of his 3rd major affair, he composed some of his greatest
compositions (Transcendental Etudes)
- No publisher wanted them
- Advised by Czerny to tour Vienna to get rid of the notoriety of his former
compositions
- Did very badly in Germany
- Made the acquaintance of Schumann and Mendelssohn
- Headlined a concert organized by both “piano friends”, at which Mendelssohn
performed
- Continued touring
The Great Eight - An Era of Virtuosity
- Moved to London in 1840 to continue touring and did exceptionally well
- Family would frequently come along, but strained relations
- Started becoming a superstar
- Separated from wife
- The term “Lisztomania” was dubbed
- Created the major part of his legacy during these eight years
- Was known to “raise the mood of audiences to a level of mystical ecstasy”
- Received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Konigsberg in 1842
- Met Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein
- Stopped touring and settled into composition
The Quieter Years
The Quieter Years
- Took position as Kapellmeister Extraordinaire in Weimar, Germany
- Settled in Weimar with Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein
- Continued promoting other musicians
- Experienced problems attempting to get married to Carolyne
- Experienced great personal sorrow during the 1960’s
- Death of Daniel (20), Blandine (26)
- Retired to a quiet monastery outside Rome, but still took part in Rome’s musical life
- Came out of retirement to compose for major events and give masterclasses
A Sorrowful End
A Sorrowful End
- Had a bad fall in 1881, right before returning to Weimar
- Presented with dropsy, asthma, insomnia, cataract of the left eye and heart disease
- Was “plagued with desolation, desperation and a preoccupation with death”
- Represented his sorrows and fears in his music
- “I carry a deep sadness of the heart which must now and then break out in song”
- Officially died of pneumonia, though his many illnesses contributed to his death
- Believed to have contracted pneumonia during the Bayreuth Festival hosted by
Cosima
- Was buried in the municipal cemetery of Bayreuth, against his wishes
The Legend That Lives On
The Legend That Lives On

Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #12: 7:40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZfJX6nJoUk
The Legend That Lives On

An example of Liszt’s “chaotic” style: 7:00

An obsession with death, and a passionate expression of his greatest sorrows: 9:51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGBXA1tBiLw
The Legend That Lives On

Inspired by Victor Hugo’s poem “Mazeppa”

An etude of “great transcendence”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOqRn2KkADw
The Legend That Lives On

A tribute to his homeland: The Hungarian Rhapsodies

Hungarian Rhapsody #2: 5:28, 7:25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdH1hSWGFGU

Liszt in the modern day world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1JKd1C7izQ
Franz Liszt
1811-1866
The End