COMPOSER OF THE WEEK: 15. Franz Liszt

Born: October 22, 1811; Raiding, Austria (Present)

Died: July 31, 1886; Bayreuth, Germany

Nationality: Hungarian

Occupation: Composer, pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, organist

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger and organist of the Romantic era who was born on October 22, 1811 and died on July 31, 1886.

Franz Liszt (1867)

Liszt gained fame in Europe during the early 19th century for his outstanding virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was a friend, musical promoter and benefactor to many composers of his time, including Frédéric Chopin, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg, and Mikhail Glinka.

Liszt giving a concert for Emperor Franz Joseph I on a Bösendorfer piano

After watching a charity concert hosted by virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini on April 20, 1832, for the Parisians who were victims of cholera, Liszt determined to become a virtuoso of the piano, as Paganini was on the violin.

Niccolò Paganini

A prolific composer, Liszt was one of the representative musicians of the New German School. One of Liszt's musical contributions was the creation of the symphonic poem that introduced literary elements to music.

One of Franz Liszt's pianos from his apartment in Budapest

Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest

Liszt died in Bayreuth, Germany, on July 31, 1886, at the age of 74, and was buried in the municipal cemetery of Bayreuth on August 3, 1886. Liszt's official cause of death was pneumonia, which was presumed to be contracted during the Bayreuth Festival hosted by his daughter Cosima. After the death of Liszt, questions as to whether medical malpractice played a part in his death have been posed.

Tomb of Franz Liszt, Bayreuth

Thank you.

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Franz Liszt (1858)

Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano, Josef Danhauser (1840)