#FRANZ LISTZ SERIES#

#FRANZ LISTZ SERIES#

A series of musical events in 1830-31 cemented his renewed ties with humanity and confirmed the form his artistic voice would take. It took the 1830 revolution in France to present him with a solution.įor a young man with a passionate commitment to social equality and democracy, the overthrow of an autocratic monarch was profoundly inspiring: he immediately planned a Revolutionary symphony to express his sentiments, and although he never progressed very far with the idea, it had the effect of bringing him out into the world again. For several years he withdrew from the world, and even considered entering a seminary.

Liszt never forgot her, even making provision for her in his will. Though his feelings were reciprocated, her father objected and the girt was quickly married off to a socially acceptable suitor. Arranging for his mother to join him in Paris, he earned a living by teaching piano to the children of the rich and influential, falling deeply in love with the 16-year-old daughter of a cabinet minister. For him, music was a noble calling being 'a musician in the employ of the rich, who patronized me and paid me like an itinerant entertainer' he felt to be degrading. Already deeply disaffected with the life of a touring virtuoso, he found the prospect of prolonging it repugnant. The death of his father forced Liszt to re-evaluate his career choices.

Shortly after their arrival, Franz's father, aged 51, died from typhoid. Doctors recommended a cure at the baths in Boulogne, to which both father and son repaired. By the summer of 1827 Franz, still only 16, was exhausted and took to his bed in Paris. The next two years brought constant travel through much of Europe, financial rewards and the premieres of a stream of juvenile works, few of which have survived in their original form. By late 1825 Franz had even composed a one-act opera, Don Sanche, which was premiered in Paris to a mixed reaction. He also completed his musical education by taking private lessons from Anton Reicha and Ferdinando Paer.Ī visit to London in 1824 was a triumph, crowned by a private concert before George IV. By the autumn of 1823 Franz's father decided it was time to widen his son's audience and moved the family to Paris. Franz's reputation spread quickly, and before the end of 1821 he had been chosen as one of 50 composers (others included Beethoven, Czerny and Salieri) to write a set of variations to a waltz written by the composer/publisher Diabelli. As both Czerny and Salieri lived in Vienna, the family moved there in 1821.ĭuring his time in Vienna Liszt had the good fortune to meet Beethoven, who although profoundly deaf, attended one of his concerts and bestowed his blessing on the boy. His father secured Karl Czerny, an ex-pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven, as Franz's piano teacher, while Antonio Salieri taught him theory. As a direct result, young Franz was given an annual stipend for six years to enable him to concentrate solely on a musical career. This was followed by two more concerts performed before the cream of Austrian society. Three years later the boy was ready to make his concert debut in the nearby town of Sopron. Franz showed musical promise early, beginning lessons with his father before he was six by the age of seven he was writing music. The small town came under the administrative aegis of the Esterházy family who employed Adam as a steward.

The only child of Adam and Anna Liszt, Franz was born in Raiding, Hungary.

Franz Liszt (OctoJuly 31, 1886) was a major figure in 19 th-century music, an innovator in the way he combined a fierce and unquenchable creative fire with a fully developed connoisseur's appreciation of both the music of contemporary composers and of giant figures from the past.

Franz listz