RomanticFranz Liszt
Franz Liszt was born in Hungary.
Franz Liszt’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1811👶 Birth
Born in Raiding (Doborján), Hungary, on 22 October
- 1816🌍 Meanwhile
Maelzel patents the metronome (1815–16)
- 1822📚 Trainingage 11
Pupil of Czerny and Salieri in Vienna
- 1832❤️ Private lifeage 21
Hears Paganini and resolves to become ‘the Paganini of the piano’
- 1839🧳 Journeyage 28
Begins eight years of triumphant tours: ‘Lisztomania’
- 1840🎩 Careerage 29
Invents the solo piano recital
- 1840🌍 Meanwhile
Adolphe Sax invents the saxophone (c. 1840)
- 1848🎩 Careerage 37
Settles in Weimar as Kapellmeister
- 1850🎼 Workage 39
Conducts the premiere of Wagner’s Lohengrin; Liebesträume
- 1853🎼 Workage 42
Sonata in B minor
- 1854🎼 Workage 43
Les Préludes, symphonic poem
- 1869🌍 Meanwhile
The Suez Canal opens
- 1875🌍 Meanwhile
The Palais Garnier opera house opens in Paris
- 1886🕯️ Deathage 75
Dies in Bayreuth on 31 July
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Franz Liszt was born in Hungary. His dad had played in Haydn’s orchestra! At nine Franz gave his first concert, and everyone was amazed.
One day he heard the violinist Paganini and decided to become just as brilliant on the piano. He practised enormously and became the most famous pianist in the world. He was the first to give a whole concert alone, with no other musicians.
His concerts drove people wild: women fought to pick up his gloves! This was called “Lisztomania”.
Later he stopped touring, wrote great orchestral works and gave free lessons to hundreds of pupils.
Franz Liszt’s instruments
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