Franz Liszt - Early Life

 

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist born on October 22, 1811, in Raiding, Hungary (now Austria), who became one of the most influential figures in 19th-century Romantic music.​

Early Life

Liszt showed prodigious talent from childhood, trained initially by his father Adam, who served at the Esterházy court, and later by Karl Czerny and Antonio Salieri in Vienna. He made his public debut at age nine and received Beethoven's reputed kiss of approval in 1823 before moving to Paris. Despite rejection from the Paris Conservatoire as a foreigner, he supported his family through lessons after his father's death.​

Career Peak

In the 1830s-1840s, Liszt toured Europe as a piano superstar, inventing the recital format and thrilling audiences with technical brilliance. He composed works like "Années de Pèlerinage" inspired by his relationship with Marie d'Agoult and nature. As Kapellmeister in Weimar from 1848-1861, he pioneered symphonic poems such as "Les Préludes" and promoted composers like Wagner.​

Later Years and Legacy

Liszt took minor Catholic orders in 1865, earning the title "Abbé Liszt," and focused on religious music like the oratorio "Christus" while teaching in Rome, Budapest, and Weimar. He founded the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music and innovated harmony anticipating 20th-century styles. Liszt died on July 31, 1886, in Bayreuth, Germany.