The piano music of Chopin and Schumann reached the highest level
attained during the Romantic period, in subtle originality of style and
deep human sentiment, respectively. Notwithstanding their preëminence
in these particulars, a master was destined to come who summed up the
entire development of piano technic in his achievements, the greatest
virtuoso of the century, to whose influence all piano playing since has
been obliged to acknowledge its indebtedness. In addition, his services
in breaking away from symphonic tradition, in achieving propaganda for
various composers of epoch-making works, including Wagner, in giving up
himself as teacher without remuneration, are equally significant.
=Liszt’s Early Life=.—Franz Liszt was born October 22, 1811, at
Raiding, Hungary. His mother was of Austrian birth; his father, a
Hungarian, occupying an official position on the estates of Prince
Esterhazy, was devoted to music. Liszt was a somewhat delicate child
of acute sensibilities, especially in the direction of music. At the
age of six he received piano lessons from his father. The intensity
of his interest in music and his phenomenal progress soon showed the
uncommon extent of his gifts. At the age of nine, he gave his first
concert before an audience composed largely of Hungarian nobility. His
performance was so extraordinary that some of those present agreed to
give Liszt a pension for six years to insure his proper education.
Accordingly, father and son went to Vienna, where the boy studied
the piano with Carl Czerny and composition with Salieri. Czerny put
Liszt through so thorough a course of discipline that at eleven years
of age Liszt was known for his playing from scores, and reading the
most difficult compositions at sight. In 1823, he gave two successful
concerts; Beethoven was present at the second, and publicly kissed the
boy in token of his approval. Liszt’s father now took him to Paris
to study at the Conservatory, but the director, Cherubini, refused
to allow him to enter because he was a foreigner. Liszt studied
composition, however, with Paer and afterwards with Reicha. In the
meantime, letters of introduction from Liszt’s Hungarian patrons soon
sufficed to make him known throughout the most aristocratic circles,
where he created an absolute furore. A public concert produced the same
results on a larger scale. Later, Liszt made two visits to England; he
was received at the Court of George IV, played in private, and gave
concerts. On returning to Paris, he completed an opera, which was
performed in Paris. This opera and other compositions of this period
have entirely disappeared. Tours through France and a third visit to
England followed. In 1827, Liszt’s father died, and his mother came
to Paris to live; he supported her by giving lessons, and was soon in
great demand as a teacher. An unfortunate love-affair caused him to
consider entering the church. He lost interest in music, fell ill,
and was supposed to be dead. Liszt gradually recovered, however.
He now underwent a remarkable series of formative influences; he
read widely, formed the acquaintance of many celebrated personages,
including Chateaubriand, Lamartine, Victor Hugo and George Sand, became
interested in the principles of St. Simonians, a somewhat socialistic
sect, dallied with free-thinking and revolutionary tendencies, formed
a friendship with the Abbé Lamennais, and became intimate with Berlioz
and Chopin.
[Illustration: FRANZ LISZT.]
=Period of Preparation=.—Of far deeper result was the appearance of
Paganini in Paris during 1831. Liszt bent all his energies towards
devising a transcendent piano technic to reproduce Paganini’s caprices
on the piano. It was at this time that he laid the foundations of his
gigantic achievements in piano technic, not merely in the interest of
virtuosity, but for extending the limits of expression. He was also
much affected by Chopin’s poetic individuality. In 1834, Liszt entered
into an intimacy with the Comtesse d’Agoult, which lasted for several
years. Three children were born of this union, of whom two survived.
One daughter married M. Ollivier, a French statesman, the other became
successively Mme. von Bülow and Mme. Wagner. During this period Liszt
composed much for piano, made many transcriptions, and began his
literary activity on musical subjects. He gave concerts, chiefly for
charity. In 1837, he made a trip to Paris to contest the supremacy of
the piano with Thalberg. Among his compositions of this period may be
mentioned the etudes, the Rossini transcriptions, many arrangements of
Schubert’s songs, the piano scores of several Beethoven symphonies,
besides opera-fantasies, original pieces for piano, etc.
=Professional Activity=.—In 1838, Liszt created an extraordinary
sensation by his concerts in Vienna, and from 1839 to 1847 lived
the life of a traveling virtuoso, giving an unparalleled series of
recitals throughout the length and breadth of Europe, which were a
series of triumphs such as no artist had ever before experienced. In
1832, he was made court music-director at Weimar, his duties only
requiring his presence for three months in the year. In 1847, Liszt
met the Princess von Sayn-Wittgenstein, who exercised a remarkable
influence over him. She persuaded him to give up his career as a
virtuoso, and turn to composition. From 1848 to 1861 Liszt passed the
most significant period of his life at Weimar. From his position as
conductor he was of inestimable service to the cause of romantic music
through his performance of operas and orchestral works by Wagner,
Berlioz, Schumann, Raff, Cornelius and others. He was equally active
with his pen in deference to the new artistic principles. To this epoch
belong Liszt’s most important orchestral works, the concertos and other
compositions for piano and orchestra, many transcriptions and editions
of the classics.
=Later Life=.—In 1859, opposition to Liszt’s progressiveness became so
pronounced that he resigned. He did not leave Weimar, however, until
1861. The rest of his life was somewhat irregularly divided between
Rome, Weimar and Budapest. During the first few years at Rome he
composed chiefly church music and oratorios; in 1865, he took minor
orders in the Church of Rome. From 1869 on, persuaded by the Duke and
Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, he passed portions of every year at Weimar in
a beautiful house especially furnished for him by the Duke. Pupils
flocked to him, he held a sort of musical court, and was treated with
the respect due to royalty. His later years were full of activity,
and generous sympathy to all that was worthy, and he was the constant
object of homage and affection. In 1886, Liszt became overtaxed by a
series of trips to hear his own works performed, including a reception
in his honor at London. He also made exceptional effort to attend a
performance of “Tristan and Isolde” at Bayreuth. A cold was speedily
followed by pneumonia, from which he died on July 31, 1886.
=Liszt’s Personality and Character=.—Liszt’s character was remarkable
for its conspicuous virtues and almost equally prominent faults. His
was a large, noble nature, with deep humanitarian traits. His life was
one long service to his art, accompanied in his later years by devotion
to the church. Though not highly educated, except in experience of men
and the world, he had an extremely keen mind, omnivorous in its tastes,
and his interests were wide and penetrating. Perhaps his salient
characteristics were generosity and unselfishness. Often during his
career as a virtuoso he gave freely of the proceeds of his concerts
to charity. After the close of his concert-tours he taught for years
without remuneration. His help to younger artists was incalculable
in its extent. As conductor at Weimar his motto was to help living
composers first, and by his energy he did valiant work in helping
Wagner’s cause. Largely endowed with wit, a fund of irony and charm of
manner, men and women alike almost literally fell at his feet, and it
is all the more admirable that in spite of the homage so unsparingly
lavished upon him, he did not swerve from his artistic purposes. The
strain of mysticism so marked in his youth, became later so pronounced
that he felt compelled to give it expression by entering the church.
=Liszt as a Pianist=.—Liszt was the most phenomenal pianist in
the history of music. Other pianists have surpassed him in single
qualities, but no one has united in so stupendous fashion as much
as he. Beginning with a strictly classical education, Liszt evolved
a new technic which completely summed up the difficulties of piano
playing. In velocity, wide stretches, double-notes, octaves, and a
whole system in itself of interlocking passages, he all but attained
the impossible. He carried independence of fingers, especially in fugue
playing, to a pitch hitherto unequalled. His performance of brilliant
music represented the last word in bravura; in the classics his
interpretation was, as Wagner says: “not reproduction, but production,”
so vivid and glowing was it. His so-called “orchestral style” in its
bold color and rich pedal effects was as distinct from the piano
playing before him as the modern orchestra was from that of Mozart
and Haydn. As he assimilated everything in the field of piano playing
before him, so has everything since him been forced to take his method
into account.
=Liszt’s Compositions=.—Among Liszt’s chief compositions are the
“Faust” and “Dante” symphonies, with choral epilogues; twelve symphonic
poems, a form which he invented, and which is epoch-making in the
development of music; many shorter orchestral works; two concertos,
the Hungarian fantasy, the “Dance of Death” for piano and orchestra,
besides several compositions for the same combination on themes of
other composers; the oratorios “St. Elizabeth” and “Christus,” a
Solemn Mass, the Hungarian Coronation Mass, several other masses,
twelve sacred hymns for chorus, five psalms, and many other pieces
of church music, choruses for men’s voices, several compositions for
solos, chorus and orchestra for various festival occasions; fifty-five
songs for voice with piano accompaniment; three collections containing
twenty-five pieces for piano, entitled “Years of Pilgrimage,” a
collection of the piano pieces named “Poetic and Religious Harmonies,”
twelve “Etudes of Transcendent Technic,” three concert studies, a
sonata, two ballades, two “Legends,” a concert solo, afterwards
arranged as a “Pathetic” concerto, a Valse Impromptu, two polonaises,
six Consolations, a Spanish Rhapsody, and nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies
are the best known of the piano music. There are five ballades for
declamation with piano accompaniment. For organ, there is a fantasy and
fugue on a choral from Meyerbeer’s “Prophet,” a fugue on B. A. C. H.,
and variations on a theme from a Bach cantata.
=Liszt’s Arrangements=.—Of almost equal importance with Liszt’s
original compositions are his matchless transcriptions. Instead of a
trivial and literal process of transcribing, he penetrated the intimate
spirit of the piece, and translated it into his own piano idiom, often
adding considerably but always with supreme artistic effect. What is
lost in fidelity of transfer is more than gained in added charm, new
harmonic significance and a subtle enhancing of individuality. Liszt
started the evolution of his epoch-making technic while experimenting
with his arrangement of Paganini’s caprices, and of Berlioz’ “Fantastic
Symphony.” He made easy arrangements from operas of Rossini, Mercadante
and Donizetti. Then he turned to setting Schubert’s matchless songs for
the piano, arranging in all fifty-seven; he continued by making piano
scores of Beethoven’s symphonies, of Rossini’s overture to “William
Tell,” and to Weber’s overtures “Jubilee,” “Freischütz” and “Oberon.”
He also made many transcriptions from Wagner’s operas, including “The
Flying Dutchman,” “Tannhäuser,” “Lohengrin,” “Die Meistersinger,”
“Tristan and Isolde” and “Parsifal,” besides a fantasy on themes from
“Rienzi,” and an arrangement of the “Walhalla” motive from “The Ring of
the Nibelungs.” Liszt’s arrangements of six preludes and fugues as well
as the fantasy and fugue in G minor by Bach are not only remarkable for
the extent to which they reproduce organ-effect, but as pioneers in the
transfer of organ pieces to the piano, in which Liszt has been followed
by Tausig, d’Albert and Busoni. In addition he transcribed fourteen
songs by Schumann, thirteen by Franz, eight by Mendelssohn, seven by
Beethoven, six by Chopin and two by Weber, besides an arrangement from
Mendelssohn’s music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “piano scores”
of the septets by Beethoven and Hummel. Liszt arranged Weber’s “Polacca
Brillante,” Op. 72, and Schubert’s Fantasy, Op. 15, for piano and
orchestra. There are also many transcriptions of pieces by Palestrina,
Di Lasso, Arcadelt, Mozart, Glinka, Dargomischky, Saint-Saëns, Verdi,
Raff, Gounod, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky, César Cui and others. Liszt
scored the accompaniment of several Schubert songs for orchestra, he
also orchestrated several of the Schubert four-hand marches. He also
arranged many of his own songs, orchestral and choral works for piano
and for organ. His transcriptions as a whole are monumental not only on
account of their artistic merit, but because they served an educational
purpose in spreading the works of little known composers. In this way
Liszt cultivated the public taste for Schubert’s songs, and brought
Wagner within the reach of the average concert-goer.
=Liszt as Writer=.—As a critic, Liszt must stand as a pioneer although
in a different direction from Schumann. Liszt’s early essay on the
position of the artist is extremely significant; his criticisms during
the Weimar period, especially his analyses of Wagner’s operas were
of great value; his “Life of Chopin,” while untrustworthy in detail
and somewhat overdrawn, is nevertheless graphic; “The Gipsies and
Their Music” is picturesque if not entirely accurate. Liszt’s letters
contain glimpses of his high qualities as well as vital presentations
of his musical views. The correspondence between Wagner and Liszt gives
conclusive evidence of the latter’s unselfishness in Wagner’s behalf.
=Liszt’s Position and Influence as a Composer=.—Liszt’s rank as a
composer was undoubtedly overshadowed by his fame as a pianist and
teacher, and by his facility as an arranger. For many years neither
critics nor public would acknowledge his creative gifts. Whatever our
opinion of the symphonies, the symphonic poems and the concertos,
there is no doubt that Liszt rendered an inestimable service to the
development of music in breaking away from the sonata form, and in
demonstrating that form and substance can go hand-in-hand without
detriment to organic unity and coherence. His forms are novel, his
orchestration highly effective in spite of the achievements of Berlioz
and Wagner in this direction. Liszt’s church music and his oratorios
are worthy efforts towards a reform of ecclesiastic music. His songs
are truly spontaneous lyrics, which are not appreciated at their true
value. In spite of Liszt’s unquestioned attainments as a composer,
there is a suggestion of skilful assimilation in his individuality
rather than of unique and unquestioned personality. Nevertheless his
influence has been vast. In his old age he encouraged Borodin and
Glazounoff, he conducted works by Rimsky-Korsakoff, he made his pupils
play Balakireff’s “Islamey.” In turn, the “new-Russian” school owes
much to him. Tchaikovsky could hardly have written his symphonic poems
without Liszt’s pioneer work to show the way. Saint-Saëns admits a
similar influence. In fact, the entire development of the symphonic
poem is directly due to Liszt; it is so considerable in extent that
the details cannot be examined here, but while both Wagner and Berlioz
contributed much to the growth of orchestral style and individuality
of expression, the originality of the symphonic poem form belongs
entirely to Liszt. Thus Liszt’s share in the evolution of ultra-modern
orchestral music, as well as in the development of piano playing, is
very important, and the greatest living composer, Richard Strauss,
although also influenced by both Berlioz and Wagner, frankly avows
himself to be a disciple of Liszt.