Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811 in the village of Doborján in Hungary, now known as Raiding and a part of Austria. Both Liszt's grandfather and father worked in the service of the Esterházy family. His father played piano, violin, cello and guitar and knew Haydn, Hummel and Beethoven personally. At an early age, Liszt showed a keen interest in scared and gypsy music, as well as in his father's piano playing. The latter persuaded his father to instruct Liszt in the piano beginning at the age of seven. After appearing in concerts at the age of nine, several Hungarian magnates offered to fund Liszt's musical education. Once in Vienna, Liszt studied piano with Carl Czerny, who in turn had once been a pupil both Beethoven and Hummel. In addition, he received composition lessons from Antonio Salieri. His public debut as a pianist occurred on December 1, 1822. The concert was a great success for Liszt and he was later greeted in Austrian and Hungarian aristocratic circles, even meeting both Beethoven and Schubert.
Following his father's death, Liszt moved to Paris. In order to make a living, he gave piano and composition lessons from early in the morning to late in the evening. However, his first years in Paris would become influential on the remainder of his life. He was acquainted with a German violinist by the name of Chrétien Urhan, an early champion of Schubert's music, and whose own compositions had a markedly anti-Classical bent. He also met Hector Berlioz in 1830 and was greatly influenced by his music, particularly in orchestration. Most important, however, was a concert given by the great violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini in 1832. Impressed by the great technical abilities of Paganini, Liszt determined to become as great a virtuoso on the pianist as Paganini was on the violin.
During the 1830s, Paris attracted many of Europe's greatest pianists. The combined efforts of so many virtuosos raised the standard level of performance to a previously unimaginable height. It is also remarkable that Liszt was able to stand out in such a crowd. Whereas his contemporaries mastered a specific technique of piano performance, Liszt mastered them all. He quickly shot to fame and began touring Europe as a great piano virtuoso. He performed three or four concerts per week and it is estimated that he appeared in public well over a thousand times during his touring years. At these concerts, women fought over his handkerchiefs, tearing them to pieces and saving them as souvenirs. His stage presence was described as mesmerizing. Further adding to his reputation was his willingness to give away much of his profits to humanitarian causes.
Liszt officially made his debut as a composer in 1834, but it wasn't until much later that he turned his full attention upon composition. In 1847, persuaded by the Countess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Liszt gave up the life of a touring virtuoso. As a composer, he became a leading figure of the "New German School" of composition. Furthermore, he used his already established fame as a means of championing the works of Berlioz and Wagner. It was during this time that he composed or revised many of the works for which he is famous today.
In 1861, Liszt settled in Rome, though he took part in only a minor portion of the city's musical life. Beginning in 1869, he traveled extensively between Rome, Weimar and Budapest giving master classes in piano playing. Though it is remarkable that Liszt was able to handle so much traveling at an advanced age, it ultimately took its toll on him. In July 1881, he fell down a flight of stairs at a hotel in Weimar. The accident left him immobilized for weeks and led to further, and worse, health conditions. He later died in Bayreuth, Germany on July 31, 1886.
Franz Liszt
Biography
Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811 in the village of Doborján in Hungary, now known as Raiding and a part of Austria. Both Liszt's grandfather and father worked in the service of the Esterházy family. His father played piano, violin, cello and guitar and knew Haydn, Hummel and Beethoven personally. At an early age, Liszt showed a keen interest in scared and gypsy music, as well as in his father's piano playing. The latter persuaded his father to instruct Liszt in the piano beginning at the age of seven. After appearing in concerts at the age of nine, several Hungarian magnates offered to fund Liszt's musical education. Once in Vienna, Liszt studied piano with Carl Czerny, who in turn had once been a pupil both Beethoven and Hummel. In addition, he received composition lessons from Antonio Salieri. His public debut as a pianist occurred on December 1, 1822. The concert was a great success for Liszt and he was later greeted in Austrian and Hungarian aristocratic circles, even meeting both Beethoven and Schubert.Following his father's death, Liszt moved to Paris. In order to make a living, he gave piano and composition lessons from early in the morning to late in the evening. However, his first years in Paris would become influential on the remainder of his life. He was acquainted with a German violinist by the name of Chrétien Urhan, an early champion of Schubert's music, and whose own compositions had a markedly anti-Classical bent. He also met Hector Berlioz in 1830 and was greatly influenced by his music, particularly in orchestration. Most important, however, was a concert given by the great violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini in 1832. Impressed by the great technical abilities of Paganini, Liszt determined to become as great a virtuoso on the pianist as Paganini was on the violin.
During the 1830s, Paris attracted many of Europe's greatest pianists. The combined efforts of so many virtuosos raised the standard level of performance to a previously unimaginable height. It is also remarkable that Liszt was able to stand out in such a crowd. Whereas his contemporaries mastered a specific technique of piano performance, Liszt mastered them all. He quickly shot to fame and began touring Europe as a great piano virtuoso. He performed three or four concerts per week and it is estimated that he appeared in public well over a thousand times during his touring years. At these concerts, women fought over his handkerchiefs, tearing them to pieces and saving them as souvenirs. His stage presence was described as mesmerizing. Further adding to his reputation was his willingness to give away much of his profits to humanitarian causes.
Liszt officially made his debut as a composer in 1834, but it wasn't until much later that he turned his full attention upon composition. In 1847, persuaded by the Countess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Liszt gave up the life of a touring virtuoso. As a composer, he became a leading figure of the "New German School" of composition. Furthermore, he used his already established fame as a means of championing the works of Berlioz and Wagner. It was during this time that he composed or revised many of the works for which he is famous today.
In 1861, Liszt settled in Rome, though he took part in only a minor portion of the city's musical life. Beginning in 1869, he traveled extensively between Rome, Weimar and Budapest giving master classes in piano playing. Though it is remarkable that Liszt was able to handle so much traveling at an advanced age, it ultimately took its toll on him. In July 1881, he fell down a flight of stairs at a hotel in Weimar. The accident left him immobilized for weeks and led to further, and worse, health conditions. He later died in Bayreuth, Germany on July 31, 1886.