Franz liszt biography timelines

Brief biography of Franz Liszt
during the years 1832 - 1857

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) began writing the Concerto No. 1 in E Major for Piano and Orchestra during his first “years of pilgrimage” (1835 - 1839). Sketches for the main theme of this concerto exist from around 1832. Liszt apparently completed the Concerto in 1849, but kept revising it until 1856, even after giving its premiere in Weimar on February 17, 1855, with Liszt at the piano and Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869) conducting. It was published in Vienna by Haslinger in 1857. Liszt dedicated the concerto to the pianist, composer, and publisher Henry Litolff. The work was dismissed by the public as a “triangle concerto” (from the sparkling Scherzo movement).

1838 - 1847 Virtuoso Years

His first years of pilgrimage preceded his “virtuoso years” (1838 - 1847). During this time Liszt partook in the famous “ivory duel” with Thalberg in which Liszt traveled back to Paris to compete against Thalberg in pyrotechnical improvisations. Legend has it that Liszt won the “duel” without a doubt, but in truth history states both were equal in the competition but not in their artistic genius. To compare the two, the following is a review of Liszt’s first concert in Berlin in 1841 by the mus

Today we’re going to discuss the life, times and history of Franz Liszt. He was the rock star of the Romantic era, and was a touring vagabond for most of his life.

Despite his many love affairs, and the constant performing and traveling, you’d think his personality would be that of a party animal. However, it seems like Liszt was a rather deep thinker and quite serious – he was definitely a multifaceted man.

There’s also a tendency to assume that his rise to stardom came easily and naturally – but the truth is that he was in danger of becoming one of those child wonders. You know the kind – a really famous kid who turns into a washed-up adult.

But his extreme dedication pushed him through that early adult phase where everyone thought he would be nothing, and he achieved significant stardom and respect.

Aside from just being a composer and virtuoso pianist, Liszt wore many other hats, including that of an arranger, music teacher, philanthropist, and author (among other talents).

Without further ado, let’s get started!

History of Franz Liszt: Early Life

Liszt was born on October 22, 1811, and died on July 31, 1886, living to the respectable age of 75.

He was born in the village of Raiding in Hungary, which is actually preserved as a museum nowadays, so if you want, you can go and visit Liszt’s birthplace.

His parents were Adam Liszt and Anna Lager, and he was an only child.

His father, Adam, was a musician, and it was he who began to teach Liszt piano when he showed an interest at age 6.

The Language of Liszt

Before we get into Liszt’s childhood, let’s talk about the languages he spoke and his nationality. Liszt always identified as Hungarian, even though he actually couldn’t really speak Hungarian, and he never lived there exclusively.

Liszt, himself, said:

“It must surely be conceded to me that, regardless of my lamentable ignorance of the Hungarian language, I remain from birth to the grave, in heart and mind, a Magyar.”

Hungarian composer and pianist (1811–1886)

"Liszt" redirects here. For other uses, see Liszt (surname).

The native form of this personal name is Liszt Ferenc. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era, and his piano works continue to be widely performed and recorded.

Liszt achieved success as a concert pianist from an early age, and received lessons from esteemed musicians Carl Czerny and Antonio Salieri. He gained further renown for his performances during tours of Europe in the 1830s and 1840s, developing a reputation for technical brilliance as well as physical attractiveness. In a phenomenon dubbed "Lisztomania", he rose to a degree of stardom and popularity among the public not experienced by the virtuosos who preceded him.

During this period and into his later life, Liszt was a friend, musical promoter and benefactor to many composers of his time, including Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Richard Wagner, among others. Liszt coined the terms "transcription" and "paraphrase", and would perform arrangements of his contemporaries' music to popularise it. Alongside Wagner, Liszt was one of the most prominent representatives of the New German School, a progressive group of composers involved in the "War of the Romantics" who developed ideas of programmatic music and harmonic experimentation.

Liszt taught piano performance to hundreds of students throughout his life, many of whom went on to become notable performers. He left behind an extensive and diverse body of work that influenced his forward-looking contemporaries and anticipated 20th-century ideas and trends. Among Liszt's music

Franz Liszt (born Raiding, October 22, 1811; died Bayreuth, July 31, 1886) was a Hungariancomposer and pianist. Liszt (pronounced like “list”) was one of the most influential musicians of the 19 th century. He was the greatest pianist of his time and went on lots of tours through Europe where everyone filled the concert halls to hear him. He wrote a lot of music for piano. Many of his piano pieces were harder to play than anything that had been written before. In this way he developed the technique of piano playing, setting new standards for the future. In his compositions he often used new ideas which sounded very modern in his time. He was very helpful to other composers who lived at that time, helping them to become better known by conducting their works and playing some of their orchestral pieces on the piano.

Early years

Liszt’s father was an official who worked for Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, the same noble family who employed the composer Joseph Haydn. When he was seven his father started to teach him the piano. He was a child prodigy, and within a year or two he was already playing in concerts. He was so promising that some rich Hungarians said they would pay for his music education.

In 1821 his family moved to Vienna. He had piano lessons from Czerny and composition lessons from Salieri. He soon became famous although he was still a young boy, and he met famous musicians like Beethoven and Schubert. Beethoven is supposed to have kissed him on the forehead.

In 1823 his family moved again, this time to Paris. He wanted to go to the Conservatoire to study music but Luigi Cherubini would not let him in because he was a foreigner (i.e. not French). So he studied music theory privately with Reicha and composition with Paer. Soon he was asked to play the piano everywhere in Paris. He travelled to London. On his second visit there in 1825, he played to King George IV at Windsor.

Liszt continued to