Franz Liszt

Romanticism

He headed the 'New German School' centred on programme music.

💡 Did you know? Liszt was the greatest piano virtuoso of his time and arguably the first superstar in music history.

Hungary

He considered himself Hungarian all his life, though he barely spoke the language.

💡 Did you know? Liszt was born in what is now Austria to Hungarian parents and felt Hungarian all his life, though he barely spoke the language.

piano virtuoso

Many consider him the greatest pianist of all time.

💡 Did you know? His role model: the 'devil's violinist' Paganini, whose virtuosity he vowed to transfer to the piano.

Lisztomania

Ladies fainted and fought over his gloves: pop-star worship in the 19th century.

💡 Did you know? Women fought over Liszt's discarded gloves and cigar stubs: Heine coined the term „Lisztomania“ for the hysteria.

Hungarian Rhapsodies

No. 2 is the most famous: a fixture of concert halls and even classic cartoons.

💡 Did you know? The „Hungarian Rhapsodies“ turn gypsy and folk melodies into sparkling virtuoso pieces: one of them even featured in a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

symphonic poem

Orchestral music that tells stories and ideas e.g. 'Les Préludes'. Richard Strauss later carried the genre on.

💡 Did you know? The „symphonic poem“ (a one-movement orchestral work based on an extra-musical idea) was Liszt's trailblazing invention.

the piano recital

He was the first to play whole evenings alone and from memory and turned the piano so the audience saw his profile.

💡 Did you know? Liszt invented the solo recital by a single pianist: unthinkable until then; he coined the term „recital“ for it.

Weimar

There he conducted premieres of Wagner operas and championed young composers.

💡 Did you know? In Weimar Liszt championed the „music of the future“ and promoted young composers, including the still-controversial Wagner.

Richard Wagner

Wagner married Liszt's daughter Cosima: after years of Liszt's support.

💡 Did you know? Richard Wagner married Liszt's daughter Cosima; the father-in-law Liszt being only a little older than the son-in-law Wagner.

Abbé

The one-time pop star received minor orders in Rome and wore a cassock from then on.

💡 Did you know? He never became a full priest: he was not permitted to say Mass.

Bayreuth

During his son-in-law Wagner's festival: he is buried there too.

💡 Did you know? Liszt died in 1886 during the festival in Bayreuth, his daughter's Wagner town: almost as a servant of the Wagner cult.

nothing (free)

Hundreds of students attended his masterclasses; he donated large parts of his earnings.

💡 Did you know? The Beethoven monument in Bonn was funded largely with Liszt's money.

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and the greatest piano virtuoso of the Romantic era: the first true superstar in music history.

💡 Did you know? The hysteria at his concerts was so great that Heinrich Heine coined the term „Lisztomania“ for it.

Liebestraum No. 3

Liszt's rapturous piano piece, actually a love poem set to music: a melody wreathed in rippling runs.

💡 Did you know? Liszt sparked a Europe-wide hysteria dubbed ‘Lisztomania’: a forerunner of Beatlemania.