Franz Liszt: biography, interesting facts, work

Franz Liszt

In the pleiad of the names of the great figures of musical art of the 19th century, the name Franz Liszt takes a special place. His unique talent manifested itself in early childhood, was promptly noticed and supported by caring parents, making the world richer for one composer, pianist, and critic.

The whole fate of Liszt was closely connected with music, literally every step of his life is inseparable from creativity. He not only reproduced the great musical masterpieces, but also made an innovator in the matter of their adaptation for his beloved piano. Franz Liszt created his own works, absolutely unique and recognizable from the first notes, forcing the soul to freeze and tremble, giving in to the mood of the author, forever imprinted in his compositions. Coming from a small Hungarian village, he conquered the whole of Europe with his talent and charisma, his performances were accompanied by constant sold out.

A brief biography of Franz Liszt and many interesting facts about the composer can be found on our page.

Short Biography of Liszt

Franz Liszt was the only son in the family of Anne-Marie and Georg Adam Liszt, the keeper of a sheep herd who served in the estate of Prince Esterhazy. The child, who was destined to become a great musician, was born on October 22, 1811. The position of Adam was quite respectable at the time, because it was the sheep population that was the main indicator of wealth. But the range of his interests was by no means limited to paddocks and pastures. Due to the fact that the prince favored any kind of art, Adam joined the music, playing the cello in his orchestra.

His father very early began to introduce Ferenc to music lessons, which found a lively response in the boy's soul. In addition to his own classes, Adam arranged for his son to learn to play the organ and church singing. He was making great strides, and his father soon became puzzled by the question of public speaking. He managed to organize this too: the 8-year-old Ferenc began giving small concerts in the homes of noble grandees, instantly winning the hearts of listeners. It was then that a statement appeared that the world would soon receive a new Mozart.

His father decided to drastically change the life of his family in order to give Ferenc a chance to get a good musical education, and in 1821 he moved his wife and son to the capital of Austria. The talent and enthusiasm for his work helped Liszt to conquer not only the spectators, but also the masters of musical art that had already taken place. They undertook to teach him absolutely free of charge to Karl Cherni and Antonio Salieri. The performances of Ferenc became bright events, after one of which the boy was kissed by Beethoven himself. Such recognition gave Liszt even greater self-confidence and inspired to conquer new peaks. In 1823, he attempted to enter the Conservatory in Paris. Ferenc had all the chances, but his origin was an obstacle - they only took the French to study.

Failure did not break Liszt himself and his relatives - they stayed in Paris, and Ferenc began to earn by his creativity and performances. Success accompanied the novice musician, his fans became the best representatives of the high society. Ferenc was honored to play for members of the French royal family, which further strengthened the fame of an amazing child, gifted with an incredible talent.

The unexpected death of his father was crippled by Ferenc, and for several years he spent in a state of repressed loneliness, stopped appearing in the light and barely spoke. But in 1830, revolutionary events made Liszt wake up and continue his concert activities. During this period, personalities appear in his surroundings, whose names still symbolize the color of the culture of the time: George Sand, Hugo, Delacroix, Balzac. Berlioz, Chopin, Paganini had a special influence on the development of Liszt-composer. His field of interest is complemented by literature and theater. Ferenc lives an active and vibrant life, confirming that a talented person is talented in everything. But the largest part of his soul belongs exclusively to music, he invariably turned to it, even devoting time to other types of art.

Euro-trip

Then in the life of Ferenc came one of the most interesting periods: he left France for a few years and visited almost all European countries. In 1835 he began teaching at the Conservatory in Geneva, in parallel wrote articles for journalistic publications, worked on a collection of musical works "Years of wandering". Liszt came to Paris several times, but his performances there didn’t have the same popularity as before: the public found new idols. However, his name had already become quite famous in order to ensure a comfortable existence even abroad.

From the biography of Liszt, we learn that in 1837 the composer's journey brings him to Italy. Here he studies the local motives of folk music in different regions, creates literary essays about them, which are then published in Parisian publications. He holds several more successful performances, including the first solo in his career.

Several times during his “European” period of life, Franz Liszt came to his homeland, to Hungary. There he was greeted with great honors, and fans were proud of their talented compatriot. Part of the funds received from the concerts, Liszt started up for the creation of the Hungarian Conservatory, to give a chance to go out to the people to the same talented young men as he himself had once been. Liszt managed to visit not only the European powers, but also the Russian Empire.

For ten years, this journey continued, and it bore remarkable fruits in the form of many musical and literary masterpieces. In 1848, Ferenc finally decided where he wanted to continue living, and stopped in the German city of Weimar. In addition to composing, Liszt began to accept students who came to Weimar from around the world. Here the composer finished all the previously started works and put in order.

Last years

After a mystical failure in love, Liszt hit religion. In the 60s, he even moved to Rome, where he received the dignity of a Catholic clergyman, began to carry out some services. This could not but be reflected in musical creativity: henceforth Liszt created works of exclusively spiritual subjects.

According to Liszt’s biography in 1875, he received an offer to become the head of the Hungarian High School of Music, returned to his homeland and continued to teach.

In 1886, Liszt celebrates his 75th birthday, leads an active concert activity, but the common cold unexpectedly knocks the composer down with his feet in a literal sense: pneumonia gave a heart complication, his legs began to swell, and soon he could not move on his own. Franz Liszt died on July 31, 1886, giving the last concert less than two weeks before his death.

Interesting facts about Franz Liszt

• The main motto, which Franz Liszt followed throughout his life, sounded like "Either well, or no way."
• Liszt created his only opera at the age of 14, and even then the work was a success, it was immediately staged. The score was lost, but it was discovered in 1903. The opera is called "Don Sancho".
• The rise of a musician’s career began in Vienna on December 1, 1822, and during life, Liszt became not just a performer and composer, but also a journalist, conductor, teacher.
• Ferenc's hands were as if made for piano - his brush had a large stretch, he could take almost two octaves. This was the virtuoso playing of the pianist and became the benchmark in the world of piano music.

• The sheet was so strongly emotional during the performance that it could break the instrument in the process - they could not withstand the strings and hammers.
• The style of the maestro's performance was unique: Liszt liked to play several instruments on stage, moving on to them in turn during the concert. This is exactly the scene that was watched by viewers in St. Petersburg in the Hall of the Nobility Assembly.
• Biography of Liszt says that during a visit to England, the composer was invited to play for Queen Victoria herself at her residence. When she appeared in the box, the concert was already in full swing. The appearance of the royal persona caused a noise in the hall, moreover, she quite loudly talked with the ladies who accompanied her. Then Ferenc stopped playing, and to the remark of one of the queen's confidants, he answered that he did not want to disturb Her Majesty from speaking.
• The virtuosity of Liszt’s performance is still striking. To the surprise of the public, he could play the piano in such a way that it gave the impression of a whole orchestra performing.

• The name of the composer is the Hungarian version of the German name Franz, and at the baptism in Latin it was recorded as Franciscus. Some sources use the German version, although it is generally accepted that "Ferenc".
• Beethoven, who had kissed Liszt as a child, was the idol of Ferenc long before that meeting. When the boy was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he pointed to the portrait of Beethoven and replied that he wanted to be like him.
• The future king of France, Louis-Philippe, while still a duke, organized a performance for the Liszt opera house in Italy. During the concert, the musicians from the orchestra were so enchanted by the game of the young talent that they missed the place where they themselves should have entered.

• Paganini's creativity admired Liszt so much that he created several etudes imitating a competition between a virtuoso violinist and a no less brilliant pianist. Adapting the works of Paganini for piano, Liszt called them transcendent - “transcend,” “transcend,” because of the incredible complexity. Their performance requires true talent from a pianist, and not everyone is able to reproduce his plans by a great composer.

Mystical love story of Franz Liszt

The first serious love of Franz Liszt was Marie d Agu, the socialite, who was shining in the salons of that time. With her musician introduced George Sand. Marie, who adored modern art and wrote romance novels, was captivated by a young talent. She accompanied the composer on his trip to Europe, leaving home and family. For several years of marriage, Marie and Ferenc had three children - two girls and a boy. However, Marie could not stand the way of life that her husband led - she, like any mother, wanted to have her own permanent home, to settle down somewhere and stop moving from place to place. In 1841, she returned to her mother with the children.

For several years, Ferenc was lonely, completely devoting himself to music. Giving concerts in Kiev in 1847, he learns that a certain lady paid 100 rubles for the ticket instead of one, and wants to meet a generous stranger. She is Caroline Wittgenstein. The wife of the venerable prince was a fan of Liszt’s creativity, attended all his concerts, and her adoration soon melted the heart of the musician. Caroline's husband did not want to give her a divorce, despite the fact that they had not lived together for many years. Then the lovers left for Europe and began to live a civil marriage. For a long time they did not leave attempts to get married, they even turned to the Pope himself, but, unfortunately, they always ran across an impenetrable wall. When the pontiff refused them to marry, Caroline considered that the Lord himself opposed their relationship. From that moment on, they communicated only by correspondence, filled with tremendous tenderness and gratitude to each other for happy years. During their novel, Liszt created many beautiful works imbued with romantic motifs that still resonate in the hearts of lovers.

Creativity and works of Franz Liszt

In his works, Liszt was inspired by the great composers of the past and his famous contemporaries. From Beethoven, who was literally worshiped at that time, Liszt took the dramatic tension and heroics of his works, the brightness of emotions and colors from Berlioz, and from Paganini - virtuoso complexity and mystical demonism. Liszt’s music is attributed to the flow of romanticism, like most works of art of that time. In general, he very deeply penetrated with all the impressions of his life, transferring them into his own masterpieces and manner of performance. Wherever Ferenc visited, he noticed the national features of music, and subsequently harmoniously used them. French romanticism brought incredibly bright and opposite images to Liszt’s music. Italian opera masterpieces - sensuality and passion, hysterical vocals. German school - deep and expressive means of the image, unusual forms. Later Liszt imbued with the Russian musical tradition. At the same time, the general structure of Liszt’s musical works is described as national-Hungarian, since it was the musical impressions of childhood that became the basis of his work. In particular, Liszt liked to watch the dancing and singing of local Gypsies in his homeland.

The creative heritage of Franz Liszt is huge and diverse. He created 300 transcriptions of great works for piano, differing by the incredible accuracy of the transfer of all features of the original. More than 60 masterpieces created by Liszt for orchestral performance. Also, whole programs for piano concertos, symphonies, and symphonic poems were published from the pen of Liszt. Liszt’s most famous masterpiece is his Hungarian Rhapsodies, which is based on gypsy motifs that impressed Ferenc in childhood. The cycle was created from 1847 to 1885, and the genre of instrumental rhapsody is considered another innovation of Liszt.

Filmography

The figure of Franz Liszt often attracted the attention of filmmakers. In 1970, the film "Franz Liszt - Dreams of Love" was released by director Marton Keleti. The joint work of the USSR and Hungary relished the lovers of classical music and admirers of the composer. The film reveals the entire biography, but only a small segment of Liszt’s life, when he visited Russia with his concert program. Here he is met by the brilliant Russian composer M. Glinka. In addition, a separate storyline is devoted to his meeting with Princess Caroline Wittgenstein. It is to her that he dedicates the famous "Dreams of love."

In 1975, director Ken Russer presented a postmodern tale about the famous composer. Franz Liszt appears as a kind of idol of the public, a real superstar. Crowds of fans chase after him, and his personal life is incredibly rich.

Films in which Liszt's music sounds

Undoubtedly, without Franz Liszt, it is impossible to imagine the cultural life of nineteenth-century Europe. But in modern reality, his works remain interesting and relevant, find a lively response in the hearts of people. This means that it’s not for nothing that the gifted boy reached for the piano, it’s not for nothing that his father stepped out into the unknown once, hoping for the only chance to bring his son to the people. The personal passions of Liszt were not in vain, leaving their imprint of romance and sensuality in his works. Franz Liszt lived his life exclusively for music - he listened to it, he created it, he studied and described it, and also skillfully taught others about it all.