Franz Liszt Bio & Analysis
"An Abbe, honorary canon of Albano, a sincere mystic and at the same time one of history's most publicized lovers, incredible showman, hypnotic virtuoso, astonishing amalgam of magician, zealot and philanthropist, Liszt is easily the most colorful personality in the history of music" (Lieberson 256.) From his dazzling beginning in the musical circles of Vienna as a child prodigy of eleven years old, Ferenc (Franz) Liszt would establish himself as the leading piano virtuoso and one of the foremost progressive forces in music of his day. Franz Liszt was born in Raiding, Hungary (now part of Austria) about thirty miles from Vienna, Austria (Longyear 105.) His Father was steward to the family of Esterhazy and a good amateur musician; consequently, he was also Liszt's first piano teacher. Young Liszt's extraordinary abilities were recognized without delay and he was soon taken to Vienna to study piano under Czerny and composition under Salieri (the former teacher of Schubert, an acquaintance of Liszt's.) His phenomenal aptitude for the piano at the age of eleven was greeted with a kiss from Beethoven, and praised endlessly by the musical circles of the day. In 1823, Liszt went to Paris, where he studied music theory and compositio
Many of his most frequently performed large compositions were written during this period as well as revisions of most of his early compositions into final form. His most representative works of this period were his piano transcriptions, which were most often operatic works such as "Isoldens Liebstod" from the final scene of Wagner's Tristan un Isolde. ) Many of his piano works during this period also used these clashing harmonies which many thought were utilized with the forehandedness of Musorsky. His restless intellect, and unceasing creativity helped him seek the "new" in music. ) He spent much of his time as a touring virtuoso and thus had little time for composition, although he did begin to write songs and sketches of several works to be completed in Weimer after retiring from performing. Similarly, this period was also the beginning of his use of the symphonic poem which in one way was derived from the concert overtures of Beethoven and Mendelssohn but was also like the programmatic symphonies of Spohr and Berlioz, thus creating a midway between overture and symphony (Longyear 109). Furthermore , as musician, Abbe, philanthropist, teacher, lover etc. "Ecolgue" or "Spossalio" to full fledged symphonic poems of piano such as "Valleen d'Obermann" and even dissonances anticipating "strange harmonies of the future" in "Il Penserosa. He even became an Abbe as sinners do in romantic novels. )" Because of all of these innovations Liszt has established himself as one of the most important composers in music history, regarded by some, such as Bartok, to be more important in development of music than either Wagner or Richard Strauss.
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