Franz Liszt’s Story
Listen While You Read
This is a composition by Franz Liszt entitled Consolation in D Flat, No. 3 and is being performed by the well-known vituoso Arthur Rubenstein.
Growing Up In Hungary
Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and pianist born in Raiding, Hungary on October 22, 1811. He is considered one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era and one of the greatest pianists of all time.
At the age of five years old, Franz was already attracted to the piano and was soon given lessons by his father, Adam, who played the cello in court concerts for Prince Nicolas Esterhazy.
Franz Liszt (1811-1866)
Franz began to compose at the age of eight and at the age of nine made his first public appearance as a concert pianist at Sopron and Pozsony (now Bratislava, Slovakia).
His playing so impressed the local Hungarian magnates that they put up the money to pay for his musical education for the next six years. His father took him to Vienna, where he had piano lessons with Carl Czerny, a renowned composer and pianist. He gave several concerts in Vienna with great success.
Noteworthy Career Debut in Paris
The Liszt family moved to Paris in 1823. Despite his musical prowess, Franz was refused admission to the Paris Conservatoire because he was a foreigner. Instead he studied with Anton Reicha, a theorist and Fernandino Paer, the director of the Théâtre-Italien in Paris and a composer of light operas.
Franz Liszt after Paris debut
Liszt’s Paris debut on March 7, 1824, was sensational. Other concerts quickly followed, and for the next two years he was performing regularly across England, France and Switzerland.
Illness and A Time of Reflection
The grueling concert tour schedule caused him to suffer from nervous exhaustion, at which time he stopped performing and seriously contemplated becoming a priest.
He returned to Paris where earned a living as a piano teacher and once again became gravely ill; he was considered so close to death that his obtiuary appeared in a Paris newspaper.
Depression and Self-Doubt
After his illness Liszt underwent a long period of depression and doubt about his career as a musician.
For more than a year he did not touch the piano. He was dissuaded from joining the priesthood only through the efforts of his mother.
Self-Education and New Music Influences
During this time he spent a lot of time reading and discussing literature and politics with leading intellectuals such as Lamartine, Victor Hugo and Heinrich Heine.
Between 1830 and 1832 he met three men who were to have a great influence on his artistic life.
The first was Hector Berlioz, who had just introduced his Symphonie Fantastique and from whom he learned how to compose for the Romantic orchestra.
The second was Nicolo Paganini, the violin virtuoso, which inspired him to transfer some of Paganini’s fantastic violin effects to the piano, writing a fantasia on his La Campanella (see his next story) .
The third was Frederyk Chopin whose poetical style of music had a profound impact on Liszt. In fact, Liszt introduced Chopin to the woman that he would be romantically connected to for the next eight years, the writer George Sand.
Liszt playing for George Sand, her lover Alfred de Musset, Victor Hugo and others
Composing His Own Works
Liszt returned to the music world in 1834 as a composer. His compositional works encompass a wide range of genres, including solo piano works, orchestral pieces, choral music, and songs. He is particularly known for his piano works, including his "Transcendental Études," "Hungarian Rhapsodies," and "Années de pèlerinage." He was also a pioneer in the development of the symphonic poem, a form of program music that tells a story through music..
The First Concert Showman and “Lisztomania”
He was also known for his virtuosic and innovative piano playing, and was considered a pioneer in the field of piano technique. He was the first to give complete solo piano recitals, introducing the concept of modern piano concerto.
He was most famous for his flamboyant performances. Women were said to experience fits of hysteria at his concerts, starstruck by his handsome appearance and swooning at the beauty of the music. Witnesses are reported to have said that Liszt's playing raised the mood of audiences to a level of mystical ecstasy. This phenomenon became known as “Lisztomania”.
“When formerly I heard of the fainting spells which broke out in Germany and specially in Berlin, when Liszt showed himself there, I shrugged my shoulders pityingly...Thus I explained this ‘Lisztomania’... how convulsively his mere appearance affected them! How boisterous was the applause which rang to meet him!...What acclaim it was! A veritable insanity, one unheard of in the annals of furore”
Liszt was what we would call today a “showman”. To get a sense of what one of his ground-breaking piano concertos might have been like, watch Liberace’s 1986 performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra below.
While Liszt most likely did not wear the costumes that Liberace loved to flaunt, he did exhibit the same type of genius in his piano playing. Note the flourish in Liszt’s raised hand (above), and look for this style in Liberace’s playing.
Click here to read Liberace’s story.
A Ladies Man
Liszt’s charisma and charm also caused women from a variety of backgrounds and social classes to fall in love with him. Here are some of his most well-known affairs:
Countess Marie d’Agoult (1805-1876)
Was a romantic-period author and historian who, like George Sand, wrote under a man’s pen name - Daniel Stern.
Countess Marie d'Agoult: Liszt's most famous affair was with the Countess Marie d'Agoult, whom he met in 1833. She left her husband and three children to be with Liszt, and they lived together for several years. They had three children together, but eventually separated in 1844.
Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein: After his relationship with d'Agoult ended, Liszt began a relationship with Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein. She was married, but her husband was in the process of obtaining a divorce. Liszt and Carolyne never married, but remained close for many years.
Olga Janina Radziwiłł: Later in life, Liszt became involved with Olga Janina von Meyendorff, a Russian princess who was more than 40 years his junior. They met when she was just 16 years old, and the two began a relationship that lasted until Liszt's death in 1886. Although there is no evidence that they ever married or had children, their relationship was said to be quite close and affectionate.
Agnes Street-Klindworth: Agnes was a Hungarian pianist whom Liszt met in Weimar in the 1870s. They had a close relationship, and Agnes helped Liszt with his music and career. They remained friends until Liszt's death in 1886.
A Retreat To Solitude
Liszt’s later years were filled with sadness: in 1859 he lost his 20 year old son, Daniel and three years later his daughter Blandine.
He retreated to a solitary life from that point on.
“I carry a deep sadness of the heart which must now and then break out in sound.”
Liszt turned to religious pursuits and became a Roman Catholic abbé. He continued to compose and perform, but also devoted himself to charity and educational work, particularly in the fields of music and religion.
He died on July 31, 1886, in Bayreuth, Germany.
