Liszt, FRANZ, pianist and composer, was born at Raiding, in a German-speaking district of Hungary, on October 22, 1811. His father, Adam Liszt, steward of Prince Esterhazy's estates, had himself musical gifts, and guided the precocious talents of his son with great judgment. At the age of nine Franz played in public at Oedenburg, and afterwards at Presburg, when several Hungarian noblemen offered the means for his education, and he was taken to Vienna, where he studied under Czerny and Salieri. On December 1, 1822, he appeared at a concert there, and the audience were in raptures with his playing; April 13, 1823, was the date of a memorable concert, after which Beethoven ascended the platform and kissed the boy—a reminiscence to which he always alluded with veneration. He proceeded to Paris, and, though admittance to the Conservatoire was denied by the inflexible Cherubini, he continued his studies under Paer and Rcicha. He soon became a favourite in Paris salons, and made a tour to Vienna, Munich, Stuttgart, and Strasburg, with unmistakable success. He visited England thrice in 1824-27, but met with scarcely so much appreciation. In 1827 his father died, and he entered on a great mental struggle. He was repelled by the then low estate of musical art and artists, and his strong religious feelings drew him towards the church. He was also fascinated by Saint Simonianism, and at intervals the attractions of the world influenced him strongly. In 1831 he heard Paganini, and was fired by the resolve, which he carried to triumphant issue, to become the Paganini of the pianoforte. He became intimate with most of the great littérateurs then in Paris, more especially with Lamennais, Lamartine, Victor Hugo, and George Sand, who exercised a marked influence upon him, as did also Chopin. From 1835 to 1845 dates his relationship with the Countess d'Agoult (q.v.), known in literature as Daniel Stern, who bore him three children, one of whom, Cosima, became the wife of Von Bülow, and subsequently of Richard Wagner. The enthusiasm which his playing excited in Paris, as elsewhere, has been graphically depicted by Heine. In 1849, at the height of popularity, he retired to Weimar to direct the opera and concerts, and to devote his time largely to composition and teaching. Here he brought out remarkable works denied a hearing elsewhere—e.g. Wagner's Lohengrin and Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini; and the little town became the centre of musical life in Germany. Here, too, commenced the close relationship with, and incalculable services rendered to, Wagner. In 1861 he resigned his appointment, and his life was subsequently divided mainly between Weimar, Rome, and Budapest, in which latter city he was in 1870 appointed president of the Academy of Music. In 1865 he received minor orders in the Church of Rome, and was afterwards known as Abbé. The record of his visit to London in 1886 is that of a triumphal progress. His influence was irresistible. Passing through Paris, he travelled to Baireuth, where, after attending several of the festival performances, he was attacked by hopeless illness, and breathed his last on July 31, 1886.
All things considered, he may be regarded as at the time the foremost figure in the musical world. As a pianist he was simply unapproachable; he exercised a charm bordering on the fabulous. His supreme command of technique was forgotten by hearers in admiration of the poetic qualities of his playing. That he was equally unique as a teacher is amply evident from the enthusiastic veneration of his pupils, among whom are many of the greatest living masters of the pianoforte. His literary works on music, though rather rhapsodical, are of real value; they include monographs on Chopin and Franz, and a volume on the music of the Gypsies. His influence in bringing to a hearing some of the greatest works of other musicians was invaluable. As a composer there is some difficulty as yet in properly estimating his work. His transcriptions for the piano, at least the later ones, are universally considered the finest ever made; his Hungarian rhapsodies may be deemed the highest reach of this form of composition. His pianoforte works are of enormous number, and not yet completely known. All his original works have a very distinct, sometimes a very strange individuality. He has the merit of creating, in his twelve symphonic poems, a new form of orchestral music. Their most distinctive features are the carrying out of a definite 'programme,' and the Wagnerian use of the Leitmotiv, by which unity is given to the whole piece. One or two masses, the 'Legend of St Elizabeth,' and a few other works, embody his religious aspirations, with reverence for old forms. His songs have a peculiar charm. As a man he possessed a most striking personality, and exercised a powerful fascination on all who came in contact with him. To call his generosity prudence is to do honour to the title. The whole proceeds of every one of his concerts subsequent to 1847, which must have amounted to an enormous sum, were devoted to the benefit of others.
See his Letters (trans. 1894); the Lives by Miss Ramm (2 vols. Leip. 1880-93, trans. 1882), Nohl (trans. Chicago, 1884), Martin (1886), De Beaufort (1886), and A. Gollerich (Leip. 1888); the Recollections (1888) of Miss Janka Wohl; and the Correspondence, 1841-61, between Wagner and Liszt (Eng. trans. by F. Hueffer, 2 vols. 1888).