He always used the German version Franz, never the Hungarian language version Ferenc.įranz was a weak and sickly child, and was surrounded from his early childhood with music. His baptism record, written in Latin, gives his first name as Franciscus. Liszt was born in the village of Doborján, near Sopron, Hungary, now Austria).
Praise through the word and music is a sermon in sound." Among the composers I know, none has a more intense and deeper feeling for religious music than your humble servant." He possessed a fervent belief that as a musician he was in the position to connect others to God through his art, once stating, "The church composer is also a preacher and priest and where words cannot suffice to convey the feeling, music gives them wings and transfigures them." This is not unlike Martin Luther's assertion that, "Music is a gift and largesse of God…. Once writing to a friend, he stated, "I have taken a serious stand as a religious, Catholic composer. Though his lifestyle often belied his religious convictions, he nonetheless continued to espouse religious ideals in the most profound manner, especially as they pertained to music. Nothing seemed to me so self-evident as heaven, nothing so true and so rich in blessedness as the goodness and compassion of God." He once wrote his mother, "You know, dearest mother, how during the years of my youth, I dreamed myself incessantly into the world of the saints. His compositions for organ are lauded and well-established in the organ repertoire.įrom his earliest years, Liszt expressed a deep devotion to the Almighty and desired to enter the priesthood rather than pursue a career in music. Liszt was himself a composer of lieder and choral music, of symphonic poems and other orchestral works. Many of his piano compositions are among the most technically challenging in the repertoire. He also made many piano transcriptions of operas, famous symphonies, Paganini Caprices (some of the most demanding works of the violin repertoire), and Schubert Lieder.
Many of his piano compositions have entered the standard repertoire, including the Hungarian Rhapsodies, his Annees de Pelerinage, his Piano Sonata in B minor, and two piano concertos. He also contributed to the Beethoven memorial fund. His great generosity with both time and money benefited many people: victims of disasters, orphans and the many students he taught for free. He is credited with inventing the modern piano recital, where his virtuosity won him approval by composers and performers alike. Liszt studied and played at Vienna and Paris and for most of his early adulthood toured throughout Europe giving concerts.
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