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The Liszt Family

Father:  Like Franz, Adam Liszt (1776-1827) was a religious man.  He studied in two Franciscan monasteries, first in Malacka and then in Tyrnavia, Slovakia.  The influence of these monasteries resulted in Franz's first name (he was baptized Franciscus).  After being dismissed from the monasteries due to his "inconstant" nature, he was employed as a clerk in the Esterházy estate, although he would continue to visit the monasteries for the remainder of his life.  He was an amateur pianist, singer, and cellist for the Esterházy orchestra.  He became acquainted with Haydn this way.  Right before Liszt’s birth, Adam was transferred to Liszt’s birth city, which was a primary source of sheep for the Esterházy’s.  He was a sheep accountant or ovium rationista there.

Grandfather:  Georg Liszt was the man responsible for making the spelling of the "List" family name more Hungarian.

Mother:  Maria Anna Lager (1788-1866) came from a working class family.  As a young girl she grew up in poverty in the town of Krems, Austria.  She was employed as a chambermaid in nearby Vienna.  Met her husband in Mattersdorf in the summer of 1810 and married him in January 1811.  Franz was their only child.

Liszt's Nationality

     Numerous academic sources defend Franz Liszt as being Hungarian (in cultural views, attitude, mentality, etc.)  Arguments that Liszt was "less Hungarian" because German was his first language are ungrounded; this was a common situation for many Hungarians of the time.  Liszt regretted not learning the Hungarian language fluently.  Letters and diary entries prove this fact, as does a letter to his mother in which he begins in poor Hungarian, apologizes, and continues in French.  This is the language with which he was most comfortable.  Another historical document notes that during a piano recital in the 1840's, Liszt appeared in Hungarian dress to protest Austrian power.  His ancestry was marked by Hungarian pride too; his paternal grandfather Georg changed the spelling of his last name to the Hungarian style.

Franz Liszt as Pianist

     Liszt was historically important as a virtuoso pianist.  Both his innovative techniques and stage presence assisted in his name becoming synonymous with piano virtuosity.  His celebrity status was not used entirely for personal benefit; his popularity also brought unfamiliar compositions (during that time) to large audiences.  How did Liszt achieve such mastery of the instrument?  Determination!  A physical advantage could have been the lack of webbing between his fingers.  A cast of his hand still exists, and this feature possibly increased Liszt's hand span.

     Franz progressed very rapidly as a pianist.  He began lessons at the age of six after by eight or nine years of age, he could by numerous works by Bach, Clementi, Hummel, Mozart, as well as skillfully improvise on his own themes.  His first public performance was at the age of nine playing a concerto and improvising on popular melodies.

Liszt the Teacher

     In addition to an obvious recorded legacy that will continue indefinitely, Liszt has left an educational legacy as well.  This is immediately evident when considering his students:  Eugen d'Albert, Arthur Friedheim, Sophie Menter, Moriz Rosenthal, Emil von Sauer, and Alexander Siloti.  He was instrumental in the founding of the Liszt School of Music in Weimar and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest still functioning today.

Franz Liszt's Views on Music

     Franz Liszt displayed a two-part importance.  He was passionate about the development and appreciation of the music of his time while also championing a larger repertory of earlier compositions. 

     Concerning his importance to the evolution of music, Liszt envisioned a "Music of the Future" in which art, literature, and music would all be synthesized.  He greatly admired the music of Wagner and Berlioz for this reason.  He a leader of the New German School.  His contributions to expanded the craft of composition are mentioned in the “compositions” section of this site.

     Concerning his respect for music of the past…He also helped make Beethoven’s compositions more accessible to the public through his performances of compositions including the Hammerklavier sonata and Ninth Symphony.

Writings of Franz Liszt

     Franz Liszt wrote biographical works about Chopin, Robert Franz, and Robert and Clara Schumann, analytical works about Beethoven's Fidelio, Berlioz's Harold in Italy, John Field's Nocturnes, Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wagner's Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, and the music of the Hungarian gypsies.   His other writings concerned the Goethe Foundation at Weimar, the state of music in Italy, and an obituary for Paganini.  His letters and essays combined encompass six volumes.  One controversial writing is Liszt's Manual of Pianoforte Technique which he is rumored to have written.  Alan Walker doubts that this ever existed, but if this "lost work" is found, it would prove to be a wonderful resource to aspiring pianists.

Franz Liszt Today - Entertainment

     Every once in a while, directors of movies take an interest in the life of Franz Liszt.  In 1960, Song Without End portrayed Franz Liszt's betrayal of his current lover with a married Russian princess (see biography).  A Hungarian-Russian film was produced in 1970 titled Franz Liszt: Dreams of Love.  1975 saw the premier of Lisztomania starring Roger Daltry and directed by Ken Russell.   Later, in 1982, Hungarian television filmed a twenty-four episode film titled Ferenc Liszt. 

Franz Liszt Today - Museums

     Some of Liszt's homes have been turned into museums.  One of these is the Franz Liszt museum at Marienstraße 17, in Weimar, Germany.  One of the exhibits here is a plaster cast made of Liszt's hand during his lifetime.  His fingers, although thin, were not abnormally long; but he appears to lack webbing between his fingers.  This probably allowed him to have a much larger hand span than normal.

Franz Liszt Today - Recordings/Performances/etc.

     Well, first of all, pianists are addicted to playing his compositions.  They can be heard constantly in solo recitals and new recordings are frequently produced.  But one can't mention Liszt recordings without mentioning Leslie Howard.  This Australian pianist recorded everything Liszt wrote for piano!  This includes unpublished works that are only available in their original manuscript copy.  It didn't happen overnight, taking nearly fifteen years.  And make sure that you reserve an entire bookshelf, make that a bookcase, for the collection...a meager 95 CD's!  Recognition Howard is getting for this feat includes Gramophone Grands Prix du Disque awards, a special award from the Hungarian government, and an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for largest recording project.

     When discussing historic performances of Franz Liszt repertoire, a name not as familiar as Leslie Howard's is Christina Kiss.  This pianist shares a small national connection with Liszt, she is of Hungarian-American.  She is performing the complete works of Liszt at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.  This undertaking is just as amazing as Leslie Howard's recording; maybe more amazing due to the added pressure of an audience.

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