Franz Liszt (Hungarian Liszt Ferencz, German Franz Liszt) - Hungarian composer, famous virtuoso pianist, conductor, teacher, bandmaster, musical and public figure and writer about music

Franz Liszt "Hungarian Rhapsodies"

Hungary is a country with a vibrant cultural flavor. National music is filled with contrasts and is very different from European classics. In the Hungarian rhapsodies, Franz Liszt managed to embody all the colorfulness of the country’s culture.

To know Interesting Facts about the composer’s work in this genre, get acquainted with masterpieces classical music and also listen famous works can be found on this page.

History of creation

It is believed that it was Liszt who became the founder of the genre. Nevertheless, before him, the famous Czech composer Tomasek called some of his own works this way. The creation of the genre is attributed to Liszt, because he was able to create not only a certain structure of the rhapsody, but also classified specific characteristic features of the works, while Tomashek had these simple works, having no logical basis and similarity to each other.

Despite the fact that the composer is Hungarian by nationality, he did not know native language and spoke only German.
In the 15th Rhapsody, the composer quoted the Hungarian revolutionary song “Rakoczy March”. This essay is an example of the Verbunkosh style.
In Budapest, the composer became the first president of the National Academy of Music.
Franz Liszt especially loved works 12 and 14.
The second rhapsody sounds in the famous animated film " Tom and Jerry».
Together with Franz Doppler, the composer orchestrated six of his own rhapsodies. These include the second, fifth, sixth, ninth, twelfth and fourteenth.
In addition to the Hungarian Rhapsodies, Ferenc composed another work on the Spanish national theme.
The composer wrote a book about the Hungarian gypsies, about their national culture and music.
It is noteworthy that the first rhapsody was started before everyone else, but was completed after the writing of the second rhapsody. The composer worked on the composition for a long time.
Rhapsody refers to epic genre in art.
One of best performers Rhapsody is by the Hungarian pianist Gyorgy Csifra.
The culture of style is music similar to the music of joining a recruit. This explains the proud, heroic mood of the works.
The name of the genre goes back to the speech of the rhapsode. The rhapsode is a foreign analogue of the button accordion, a storyteller about historical events.

Liszt's most famous rhapsodies

Each of the rhapsodies deserves attention, but still, examples of the work of Franz Liszt are rhapsodies numbered: 2, 6 and 12.

Second Hungarian Rhapsody

Most characteristic work in this genre, is the most famous and performed.

The structure is two-part with an introduction, built according to the suite principle.

The slow introduction reproduces the speech of the rhapsode. Improvisation introduces the listener into the world folk life Hungary. The chord accompaniment is replete with grace notes and melismas, characteristic primarily of Hungarian music; it reproduces performances on stringed folk instruments of this country.

The first part is based on a slow lyrical folk song Lachance. The piece has a distinct Hungarian flavor, thanks to the dotted endings. The topic will vary further. The composer uses his characteristic methods of melodic development, namely the inclusion large quantity passages.

The second theme is presented in higher registers and has a dance character. Thanks to the introduction of material reminiscent of the playing of plucked string instruments, a light image is created. The theme is actively developing and leads to the return of the first two themes, namely the introduction and the main theme. We can say that part I has a three-part form with a varied reprise.

Part II is dance based on the national dance Frishka.

Frishka is the second part famous dance Czardas. Was popular thanks to Verbunkosh. The main features of the frishka are liveliness and swiftness. The dance allows you to display a picture of folk festive fun. Gradually the texture becomes more complex, and the theme accelerates to the limit. The wave-like dynamics either bring the listener closer or further away from the epicenter of events.

It is noteworthy that the composer uses the most characteristic harmony, namely the alternation of tonic and dominant. Thanks to numerous variations on the theme, the music does not become monotonous. After the grand climax, the movement begins to slow down. The code structure adds a special theatricality. The composition captivates the listener with its variety of musical themes.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (listen)

Rhapsodies in films

Many directors turn to the work of Franz Liszt; his rhapsodies can be heard in many modern films and TV series:

Work	Movie
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1	"Golden Earrings" (1947)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2	"National Justice" (2017)
	"Florence Foster Jenkins" (2016)
	"Birds of Neptune" (2015)
	"White God" (2014)
	"Stage Fright" (2014)
	"Boardwalk Empire" (2011)
	"Republic" (2010)
	"Majestic" (2001)
	"Shine" (1996)
	"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988)
	"The Outsider" (1982)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5	"Robinson Crusoe: The Great Blitzkrieg" (2008)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6	"Pelican" (1992)
	« Happy time"(1952)
	"Wherever She Goes" (1951)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12	"Trace of Macabre (1963)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14	« Kind heart"(2009)
	"Wakko's Wish" (1999)
	"Lisztomania" (1975)

^ Piano works

Sketches of the highest performing skills (1st edition - 1826, 2nd 1836, 3rd 1851)

Large studies after Paganini (1st edition - 1838, 2nd - 1851)

3 concert etudes (circa 1848)

2 concert etudes (circa 1862)

"The Traveler's Album" (1835-1836)

"Years of Wandering" (1st year: 1835-1854, 2nd: 1838-1859, 3rd: 1867-1877)

"Poetic and Religious Harmonies" (1845-1852)

"Consolations" (1849)

"Hungarian historical portraits" (1870-1886)

2 legends (1863)

2 ballads (1848-1853)

Sonata (1850-1853)

“Mephisto - Waltz” (circa 1860, first orchestral version)

Hungarian Rhapsodies (1st edition – 1840-1847, 2nd – 1847-1885)

Waltzes, gallops, polonaises, czardas, marches and others.

The quantitatively huge heritage of Liszt's piano music captures various genres: paraphrases (free fantasies on the themes of the works of other authors) and transcriptions (arrangements for piano of symphonic, organ, and vocal works); sketches; musical paintings - program pieces, mainly combined into cycles and collections; sonatas; Rhapsodies. Let's look at these genres in the given order.

Paraphrases on themes from operas gained wide popularity among pianists of the 20s and 30s. Just as in the times of Mozart and Beethoven there was a widespread fascination with salon variations, so now - already under the sign of the growing influence of romanticism - a type of free improvisational fantasy has become established, the source of which was the impressions of musical theater. It was the “theatrical” clarity of the paraphrases that met the demands of the new democratic audience that filled large concert halls. But under the hands of fashionable pianists (Hertz, Pixis, Thalberg and others), such paraphrases often turned into meaningless pieces that only stunned listeners with cascades of virtuoso passages.

And Liszt first paid tribute to this fashion. However, he soon set himself other, higher goals: paraphrases became a means of promoting both classical and, mainly, modern art. Mozart, Weber, Rossini, Bellini, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Wagner, Verdi, Erkel, Mossonyi - that's who he borrowed melodies from operas for his fantasies. Moreover, unlike salon pianists, who usually gave simple medleys of similar melodies, Liszt chose those musical images that helped him identify the ideological and artistic concept of this opera. Thus, turning to Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” he builds his fantasy on the contrast of images of inevitable fate (the Commander’s theme) with sparkling fun, the joy of life (variations on the theme of the duet of Don Juan and Zerlina, the theme of Don Juan’s aria). And Verdi’s paraphrase on the themes of “Rigoletto” is based on the famous quartet, in whose music the fates of the opera’s heroes seemed to cross. In addition, Liszt arranged for piano individual scenes from modern operas, which by that time were not yet well known. (Among them is the song of the spinner and the ballad of Senta from “ Flying Dutchman", chorus of pilgrims and Wolfram's romance from "Tannhäuser", "The Death of Isolde", excerpts from "Lohengrin", "Ring of the Nibelung", "Die Meistersinger", "Parsifal" by Wagner; episodes from “The Lombards”, “Il Trovatore”, “Aida” by Verdi; waltz from Gounod's Faust; Chernomor's march from Glinka's "Ruslan and Lyudmila", polonaise from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" and others).

Piano transcriptions of symphonies and overtures (both opera and concert) are dedicated to the same goal of promoting the best creations of world art. With the conviction of a democratic educator, List wrote about this: “The piano occupies the first place in the hierarchy of instruments: it is the most frequently heard and the most widely used... In the range of its seven octaves it contains the volume of a whole orchestra, and ten fingers of a man are sufficient to reproduce the harmonies carried out by the union of hundreds of musicians *.

* Liszt himself often proved this with his concerts, performing on the piano in the first movement the symphony that was then to be performed in the orchestra.

Through it, it becomes possible to disseminate works that otherwise, due to the difficulties of assembling an orchestra, would remain unknown. Therefore, in relation to an orchestral composition, it is the same as an engraving is to a work of painting, which it reproduces and distributes...”

These “engravings” were Liszt’s “piano scores.” Their significance is very great. On the one hand, they opened up new paths for truly artistic arrangements, displacing previous craft arrangements. On the other hand, they enriched the capabilities of the piano, revealing hitherto unknown orchestral effects, preparing the high achievements of Liszt’s own piano creativity.

His first “piano score” was Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique” (1833) - so perfect that Schumann considered it possible to make an analysis of the symphony in the “New Musical Journal” based on Liszt’s transcription. This was followed by Berlioz's overtures "The Secret Judges" and "King Lear", the symphony "Harold in Italy", Beethoven's symphonies (Fifth, Sixth, Seventh - 1837, the rest - 1865), overtures to Rossini's operas (William Tell), Weber (“The Magic Shooter”, “Oberon”), Wagner (“Tannhäuser”), Wedding March and Round Dance of the Elves from the music to “Dream in summer night"Mendelssohn and others.

Along with the opera, symphonic music Liszt was also attracted to the organ. His transcriptions of six preludes and fugues, as well as a g-minor fantasy and fugue by J. S. Bach were an important milestone in the promotion of the works of the great master. Following Liszt, his students and followers created a number of remarkable piano arrangements of Bach’s organ works (K. Tausig , F. Busoni and others).At the same time, she herself piano music enriched with new organ effects.

Just as consistently, Liszt promoted the best of the world's song heritage: the first such arrangement - Schubert's "Rose" - was made in 1835, the last - two songs by Rubinstein - in the early 80s *.

* Liszt arranged for piano songs and romances by Schubert (50 works), Beethoven (19), Schumann (15), Robert Franz (13), Weber (12), Rossini (12), Mendelssohn (9), Chopin (6), Russian composers (Alyabyev, Bulakhov, Mikhail Vielgorsky, A. Rubinstein) and others. Liszt also has processing own songs (24).

In these transcriptions, Liszt sought to improve the capabilities of singing on the piano. Inventively moving the melody vocal voice from one register to another, with both hands taking part in its implementation, Liszt simultaneously developed the “second plan” of the song, contained in its accompaniment.

This is where the “multi-layered” piano texture that was mentioned above arose. All this required truly creative imagination and deep penetration into the content and mood of this work. To this end, Liszt often added an introduction and conclusion to it, increased or reduced the number of varied verses, changed harmony and tonality, freely combined two songs together in order to create a more complex holistic composition, etc. Liszt's vocal arrangements represent high school piano transcription. Many generations of pianists and composers have studied and continue to study with it.

^ The nature of Franz Liszt's music

Progressive, democratic orientation creative activity Liszt is associated to a large extent with the liberation struggle of the Hungarian people. The national liberation struggle of the people against the yoke of the Austrian monarchy. Merged with the struggle against the feudal-landlord system in Hungary itself. But the revolution of 1848 - 1849 was defeated, and Hungary again found itself under the yoke of Austria. A significant part of Franz Liszt’s works uses Hungarian musical folklore, which is distinguished by its great richness and originality. Rhythms, modal and melodic turns, and even genuine melodies of the Hungarian folk music(mainly urban, such as “verbunkosh”) received creative implementation and treatment in numerous works by Liszt, in their musical images. Liszt did not have to live long in Hungary itself. His activities mainly took place outside his homeland - in France, Germany, Italy, where he played an outstanding role in the development of advanced musical culture. Liszt's close connection with Hungary is evidenced by his book about the music of the Hungarian gypsies, as well as the fact that Liszt was appointed the first president of the national music academy in Budapest. The inconsistency of Liszt's work arose in the desire for programmatic, concrete imagery of music, on the one hand, and sometimes in the abstraction of solving this problem, on the other hand. In other words, the programming in some of Liszt’s works was abstract - philosophical character(symphonic poem “Ideals”). Amazing versatility characterizes Liszt’s creative, musical and social activities: a brilliant pianist who belonged to greatest performers XIX century; great composer; social and musical figure and organizer, who stood at the head of the progressive movement in musical art, fighting for program music against unprincipled art; teacher - educator of a whole galaxy of wonderful musicians - pianists; writer, musical critic and a publicist who boldly spoke out against the humiliating position of artists in bourgeois society; conductor - such is Liszt, man and artist, creative appearance and intense artistic activity which represent one of the most outstanding phenomena in musical art of the 19th century century.

^ III. Hungarian Rhapsodies by Franz Liszt

About the genre “rhapsody”

The rhapsodies were created in the following order: No. 1 - around 1851, No. 2 - 1847, No. 3-15 - around 1853, No. 16 - 1882, No. 17-19 - 1885. Six of them (Nos. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14) arranged for orchestra by Liszt and Franz Doppler.
The initial sketch was “Hungarian Melodies and Rhapsodies” (twenty-one plays, 1840-1848). Most of the tunes contained here were included in the nineteen rhapsodies that were later written. “I drew wealth there,” Liszt wrote about these topics, “where I found it: first in my own childhood memories, which go back to Bihari and other gypsy celebrities, and then in the fields, in the very depths of the gypsy orchestras of Edenburg, Pressburg, Pest, etc. d., finally, I remembered and reproduced many motives in my own way, characteristic features, who with rare generosity informed me either on the piano or in recordings...”

The genre of instrumental rhapsody is Liszt's invention, although this name (from the ancient Greek "rhapsode", a performer of epic songs) was used before him, for example, by the Czech composer Tomasek. Liszt interprets the rhapsody as a virtuoso concert fantasy in the spirit of paraphrase, where folk themes are used instead of operatic melodies. These are the themes of Hungarian and Gypsy songs and dances, most of which are taken from a collection of Hungarian folk melodies recorded by Liszt.

The musical language of the rhapsodies has a distinct national character due to its reliance on urban Hungarian folklore, the so-called. Verbunkosh style. Its features:

Proud, passionate, pathetic character;

Free, improvisational style of presentation;

Acute rhythm with frequent accents, dotted lines, syncopations, in particular, special dotted cadences (“with spurs”);

The use of hemiolic modes with level 2, including the Hungarian (Gypsy) scale.

Most famous work Verbunkos style - the famous “Rakoczy March” (Hungarian “Marseillaise”), which Liszt used in his 15th Rhapsody.

Deeply national in musical language, Liszt's Hungarian rhapsodies objectively responded to the growth of national self-awareness of the Hungarian people during the period of their struggle for national independence. This is their democracy and the reason for their widest popularity.

It is curious that Liszt retains a similar ratio of parts in the “Spanish Rhapsody” (circa 1876): the slow part (cis-moll) is built on a variation of the theme of the folia, close to the sarabande; the fast movement (D major) is also based on the variation principle, but in the continuation of the themes, features of a freely interpreted sonata form are revealed ( main party- D-dur, secondary - F-dur, final - E-dur).

The best examples of Liszt's rhapsodies are 2,6,12,14.
^ 2. The structure of F. Liszt’s rhapsodies
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies objectively responded to the growth of national self-awareness of the Hungarian people during the period of their struggle for national independence. This is their democracy, this is the reason for their popularity both in Hungary and abroad. In most cases, each Liszt rhapsody contains two contrasting themes, often developing variations. Many rhapsodies are characterized by a gradual increase in dynamics and tempo: a passionately recitative theme of a significant nature turns into a dance that gradually accelerates and ends with a violent, rapid, fiery dance. These are, in particular, the 2nd and 6th rhapsodies. In many piano texture techniques (rehearsals, jumps, different kinds arpeggios and figurations) Liszt reproduces the characteristic sonorities of Hungarian folk instruments. The second rhapsody belongs to the most characteristic and the best works of such kind. A short recitative and improvisational introduction introduces the world of bright, colorful pictures of folk life that make up the content of the rhapsody. Grace notes are sounds characteristic of Hungarian folk music and reminiscent of the singing of singers - storytellers. Accompanying chords with grace notes reproduce the jingling of the strings of folk instruments. The introduction goes into the liver with dance elements, which then turns into a light dance with variation development. The sixth rhapsody consists of four clearly demarcated sections. The first section is a Hungarian march and has the character of a solemn procession. The second section of the rhapsody is a quickly flying dance, enlivened by syncones in every fourth measure. The third section - song and recitative improvisation, reproducing the singing of singers - storytellers, equipped with grace notes and richly ornamented - is distinguished by a free rhythm, an abundance of fermatas, and virtuosic passages. Fourth section - fast dance, painting a picture of folk fun.
^ 3.Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

(Music analysis)
Composed in 1847.

The Second Rhapsody belongs to the most characteristic and best works of this kind. A short recitative-improvisational introduction (Lento a capriccio) introduces us to the world of bright, colorful pictures of folk life that make up the content of the rhapsody:

The sound taken by the grace note and the “singing” of its melodic ornamentation are characteristic of Hungarian folk music and resemble the singing of singer-storytellers. Accompanying chords with grace notes reproduce the strumming of folk instruments. The intro transitions into a song (Lassan):

The most typical form for Liszt's rhapsodies is based on a contrasting comparison of two sections - slow and fast (lashan and frishka).

The first, slow section of the rhapsody - lashan - has a pronounced Hungarian national character, especially due to the dotted endings characteristic of the verbuncosh style. Its genre basis is a song with dance elements (thanks to the dotted rhythm of the accompaniment). During the second performance, the theme of the song varies texturally, is decorated with a typical Liszt virtuoso passage and moves into the second, dance theme. The high register, grace notes, reminiscent of the playing of folk plucked string instruments, create a very gentle, light image, and the constant organ point emphasizes the folk flavor. After the variational development of the dance theme, the first two themes (intro and song) reappear, similar to a reprise in 3-part form.
The 2nd, fast section of the rhapsody - frishka - is built on the free variational development of the dance theme of the 1st section. The content is a picture national holiday, during which the dance becomes more and more temperamental and fiery. Characterized by an ever-increasing acceleration of the tempo, a complication of the texture, dynamic waves from p to ff, conveying the attenuation and resumption of the dance.

An extremely interesting technique, characteristic of folk instrumental music of various nations, including Hungarian: strumming on alternating dominant and tonic harmonies, colored with numerous variations.

Having reached enormous strength and swiftness, the dance then gradually subsides, the movement slows down - only echoes of the dance; The melody, sounding alone against the background of the accompanying dancing figures, depicts, perhaps, a lingering couple of dancers; Yes, and she stops. But the merry, festive crowd comes running again, the dance resumes with the same fiery swiftness, everything began to spin and spin in a whirlwind of exuberant dancing!

In the development of thematic material, a predominant role is played by techniques of ornamental variation associated with folk instrumental practice.

Works on national - Hungarian - themes occupy important place V creative heritage. According to the composer, he “drew wealth... from the very thickness of the gypsy orchestras.” At the end of the 1830s. Liszt begins to create the collection “Hungarian Folk Melodies”, later - starting in the 1850s. - it becomes the basis of “Hungarian Rhapsodies”.

Of the nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies, most were created in the 1850s, and only the last four were created in the 1880s. Liszt was not the first to name piano works rhapsodies - in 1815 this was done by Vaclav Jan Tomasek, a Czech composer. But in Liszt, the basis of a rhapsody - a virtuosic instrumental work in free form with a touch of improvisation - is not operatic melodies, but folk ones - songs and dances. It is in this vein that the rhapsody genre is developed in the works of other composers, and therefore Liszt is considered the founder of this genre.

Most of Liszt's rhapsodies are based on folklore sources(there are only three exceptions - Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth). Some of them have program titles: “Heroic Elegy” (Fifth), “Pest Carnival” (Ninth), “Rakoczi March” (Fifteenth).

The form of Liszt's rhapsodies is generated by the traditions of Hungarian folk music: the slow, proud male circle dance (lasshu) is followed by a fast, temperamental dance (friss). This is, for example, the most famous - the Second Hungarian Rhapsody (the Spanish Rhapsody has a similar structure). The slow movements have a different genre nature: palotash - a Hungarian two-beat procession dance, epic narrative, improvisational recitative. The fast parts are based on czardash - a fiery dance.

Emerging in the wake of the growth of national self-awareness of the Hungarians, Liszt’s rhapsody and in the region musical language have their source in Hungarian musical folklore. This is expressed in the modal organization (the so-called “Gypsy scale”, also called “Hungarian” - with two increased seconds, on the second and sixth degrees in major and on the third and sixth in minor), and in rhythmic features (syncopation, characteristic dotted rhythm in cadences), in the structure of melodies (repetition of quart chants). The texture and methods of development are also genetically related to the folk music-making of the Hungarians. Many pianistic techniques are figurations, various options arpeggios, rehearsals, wide leaps - stem from the peculiarities of the sound of cymbals and other musical instruments Hungarian people, and melismatics - from the violin. Characteristic of Hungarian musical folklore are unexpected changes in tempo and character of movement, and ornamental variation in the alternation of harmonies - tonic and dominant.

Despite the presence common features, each of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies is deeply individual. The composer himself was especially fond of the Fourteenth Rhapsody - he highly valued this work of a heroic nature, characterized by freedom of development musical material. The Twelfth Rhapsody is characterized by the greatest improvisation. The sixth is based on a simple dance melody, which receives masterly variation development.

The greatest popularity fell to the Second Hungarian Rhapsody in C sharp minor. It is surprisingly diverse in thematic material, the national nature of which is already obvious in the introduction. The epic theme of a recitative style is presented in the middle register; it acquires special significance thanks to the chords that complete each phrase (the grace notes that decorate these chords evoke an association with the jingling of string instrument, which becomes an expressive touch to the image of the singer-storyteller that appears in this recitative theme).

The national character is clearly expressed in the first – slow – section of the rhapsody. In its first theme - a song - the features of the verbuncosh style are expressed in the characteristic dotted figures that complete each sentence (the so-called “cadence with spurs”). The form of the slow section has the features of a tripartite with elements of variation: the first theme is carried out twice, colored by textural changes and passages, then replaced by the second theme - light, having a dance nature, carried out at the organ station (this detail of the texture also shows a connection with the folk musical tradition), after which the intro theme and song theme return.

A vivid picture of the national holiday appears in the second – quick section. Its basis is dance theme, which appeared in the middle part of the slow section. As development progresses, the tempo accelerates, the texture becomes more complex, dynamic “waves” extend from extremely quiet sonority to ff(the dance then subsides, then resumes).

In the Hungarian Rhapsodies, the “orchestral” interpretation of the piano inherent in Liszt clearly manifested itself, and therefore it is not surprising that their transcriptions for symphony orchestra appeared.

The influence of music on a person 03.04.2016

Dear readers, today I invite you to plunge into Magic world music by the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. I hope that our musical journey will be interesting for you, you will learn something new for yourself and, of course, you and I will listen to a lot of music.

Lilia Szadkowska, a reader of my blog and a music teacher with extensive experience, will talk about Franz Liszt. Those who often visit the blog know Lilia from some articles. Lily told us about and. And not so long ago we had a pleasant time. We are very pleased with your response. And thank you very much to Lilia for her interesting stories. And now I give the floor to Lilia. We meet her wonderful article about the eternal wanderer Franz Liszt.

Eternal Wanderer

Hello, our dear readers! I really hope that your first meeting with Vienna and the Viennese classics did not leave you indifferent. Today we are going to visit again Viennese classics. You remember that it was Vienna that became the scene of many historical and musical events, it was Vienna that gave us many great names, it was Vienna that gave us the opportunity to get acquainted with the music of the future, it was Vienna that captivated our eyes!

Our story will be accompanied by poems by the famous poetess Lina Tomchi.

We will meet a very bright and multifaceted personality, an educated person, a brilliant pianist, composer, innovator and music critic - Franz Liszt. Musician and humanist, a man of bold convictions and boundless kindness.

Franz Liszt. A little biography

F. List was born on October 22, 1811 in the small village of Doboryan, near the Austrian border (Austrian name Riding) in the family of Anna Lagger and Georg Adam List. The son who was born became their only child. The name given at baptism was written in Latin as Franciscus, and in German sounded like Franz. But the Hungarian Ferenc is most often used.

Music lessons

Already in childhood he showed amazing talent, and this lucky star seemed to accompany him all his life. The father was an amateur musician and began teaching his son music early, giving him lessons. Already at the age of five, he could pick out any of the melodies he heard on the piano, and at seven he freely improvised and amazed with his virtuosity and technique, which was extraordinary for his age. The father treated his son’s talent very carefully and encouraged his success in every possible way. In the house there hung a portrait of Beethoven, who was the idol of Adam, and later became the idol of his son. When asked by his elders what he wanted to be, Liszt pointed to a portrait of Beethoven and answered: “Just like him!”

Doborjan (Hungary)

The place where the family lived gave the child rich musical experiences. From early childhood, he was fascinated by the cheerful dances of Hungarian peasants and the melodies of gypsy songs, which were embodied in his musical works.

“...He grew up among gypsies from childhood.
And with endless delight
I was ready to listen to their songs.
The child's hearing was bewitched.
The dancing captivated the gaze without words..."

After three years of music studies, Ferenc gives her first public piano concert in the neighboring village of Sopron, where she treated the young musician very favorably. And then his father began to take him to the houses of noble nobles. The public enthusiastically accepted his performances and called him the new Mozart. He was only 8 years old. These concerts changed Liszt's fate. Five noble nobles provided patronage genius child, allocating money for further professional music education.

Vienna... It opened up the edges of talent...

The family moved to Vienna. Here since 1821, young talent takes composition lessons from Salieri and piano lessons from Karl Czerny, who also teaches the boy free of charge. These lessons helped him improve his piano skills. It is with Cherny that he hones his performing arts. Liszt's Vienna debut took place on December 1, 1822. Critics and the public were delighted, thanks to which Liszt was assured of full houses and fame.

It is in Vienna that the meeting with the idol of the family takes place, of which the musician was proud all his life. Beethoven at that time no longer heard anything, but he watched Liszt’s hands as they flew across the keyboard, observed with what ardor the young musician devoted himself to music. And Beethoven predicts a great piano future for him!

Paris and London. New Mozart

In the winter of 1823, the Lists moved to the capital of France. My father hoped that Ferenc would enter the conservatory. However, he was not accepted because he was a foreigner. But the fame of the miracle child, the new Mozart, opened the doors of the most aristocratic salons in Paris. Within a few weeks of his arrival, Franz Liszt was playing for the royal family. The success of this performance was tantamount to recognition from all of Paris.

Once he played for the Duke of Orleans - the future king of France Louis-Philippe. The enchanted Duke helped organize a concert at the Italian opera house. The orchestra musicians were so carried away listening to Liszt's solo part that they forgot to enter on time. One of the reviewers wrote: “... Liszt shocked the orchestra so much that it was speechless.”

The triumphant performance of Franz Liszt finally cemented his fame as the new Mozart. London also greets the young pianist with enthusiasm, where he was treated like a true artist, a real maestro. He returns to Paris again, where the stormy atmosphere of the romantic city captures the composer. He is interested in theater, literature, philosophy, meets and communicates with V. Hugo, O. Balzac, G. Berlioz, E. Delacroix, George Sand and many other representatives of art.

F. Liszt at the piano. At his feet is Marie d'Agoux. J. Sand sits in the center with his hand on Dumas. Hugo and Rossini stand behind, with his arm around Paganini's shoulders.

Liszt's rare talent and persistent pursuit of perfection played a decisive role in his work. At the same time, acquaintance with the work of the three great composers Berlioz, Chopin and Paganini also influenced him strong influence. Liszt was fascinated by the richness of the scores of the young Berlioz and the soft lyricism of Chopin, but Paganini, the Italian virtuoso violinist, became his idol.

Franz Liszt. Works. Creation

Liszt sets out to create an equally brilliant piano style; he even copies Paganini’s behavior on stage. He writes etudes on themes of Paganini, where, as it were, a genius pianist competes with a genius violinist. Liszt made arrangements of Paganini's works for piano of dizzying complexity and called them transcendental, which means transcending, surpassing, going beyond. Paganini's "Campanella" in Liszt's adaptation sparkled with new colors. She became rich and luxurious, a masterpiece for all time!

Franz Liszt. Campanella. Performed by Evgeny Kisin

Franz Liszt. Tarantella

“...The great Paganini conquered him with his art, Touching the souls of the shrine with his bow, he discovered something new in him...”

Liszt used the limitless possibilities of the piano to embellish the theme that captivated him: sonorous trills, passages, thunderous chords and octaves. The music sounded as if a whole orchestra was playing. He played so brilliantly that he had practically no rivals.

Becoming an early idol of Europe...

“...Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Krakow...
Cities flashed before him.
She showed him signs
The audience is always paying attention..."

After the death of his father, Liszt worked with triple strength, giving music lessons, and toured a lot. Thanks to the concerts that he gave in different cities and countries, his name became widely known. The thirst for creativity overwhelms Liszt. He tries himself in opera genre, writes piano pieces, symphonies, and rhapsodies one after another.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt

Liszt's most famous Rhapsody No. 2 sounds in the animated film “Tom and Jerry.” And it was after watching this film that two-year-old Lang Lang fell in love with the piano so much that he decided to become a pianist.

...The acoustics of the palaces trembled,
Only he sat down at the piano.
The game sounded divine.
God himself blessed him...

The Love of Franz Liszt

In 1834, he met Maria d'Agoux, who had a huge influence on his work. The beauty of the Parisian salons captivated Liszt. In the name of love, she leaves her family, home and goes with her beloved to seek happiness in a foreign land. From 1835 to 1839 they travel through Switzerland and Italy. Happiness from mutual love, the beauty of nature, emotions and impressions from travel give birth to a new musical cycle “Years of Wanderings” - the first year - Switzerland and “Years of Wanderings”, “Second Year” - Italy, the concept of which is also very romantic.

Franz Liszt. Years of Wanderings. Year I – Switzerland

Performed by the wonderful pianist Alfred Brendel.

F.List. Years of wandering. Italy

Around the same period, Liszt thought a lot about the power of art, about the fate of the artist. He contributes his thoughts to the book “Letters of a Wandering Bachelor,” and also shares his thoughts with friends in the form of open letters published in a Parisian music newspaper. In Switzerland he teaches at the conservatory. In Italy he gives many concerts (mostly charity ones). The proceeds are used to erect a monument to Beethoven in Bonn, and these funds also go to help flood victims in Hungary.

"Charity concerts
The tide gave new strength.
Applause followed.
The spirit soared on the wings of Glory"

In their marriage they had three children, but the union with Maria soon fell apart. In 1841, Marie returned with her children to her mother in Paris. In parting, she told Liszt: “Everything was fine with us, have at least a few quiet months. But you wander around the world like an eternal wanderer..."

Triumph

The period from 1839 to 1847 is one of the most fruitful in his work. Intensive concert activity in France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Russia. Everywhere he was received with thunderous applause. And of course, Hungary accepted its idol as its national hero. Franz Liszt allocated money from charity concert for the creation of the Hungarian Conservatory.

Hungarian Conservatory

At his concerts, he played works by various authors, including his own compositions on the themes of the composers’ favorite melodies. His brilliant piano playing opened new era in the development of piano art. Liszt “turned” the piano into an orchestra and brought the piano to the concert stage. He was the first pianist who dared to perform alone in a concert, occupying the attention of listeners for several hours only with playing the piano. “Starting with Liszt,” said V.V. Stasov, “everything became possible for the piano.”

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 by F. Liszt

Meeting with Russia

Liszt visited Russia 3 times (in 1842, 1843 and 1847). For weeks now, St. Petersburg newspapers and magazines have been writing about upcoming concerts in Russian capital Franz Liszt is a brilliant pianist and composer. And then Vedomosti reported: “Finally, the eagerly awaited Liszt arrived in St. Petersburg on the 4th of this month.”

The first concert took place in the filled-to-capacity hall of the Noble Assembly. On the stage there were 2 Lichtenthal grand pianos, specially brought for him. The pianos were turned in opposite directions so that the audience could enjoy not only the refined profile of the pianist, but also his unique game. Having finished one piece, he moved on to another piano, and so his magic continued for several hours.

He also amazed with the richness of his repertoire: Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Paganini, etc. of course, your dizzying fantasies. The people of St. Petersburg were delighted. Instead of 5 concerts, he gives about 20. Endless ovations, cordial meetings with music lovers, acquaintances with Russian composers Serov, Stasov, Varlamov, Glinka. He highly appreciated the music of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” and wrote his own composition on the theme “Chernomor March”

March of Chernomor from the film "Glinka". In the role of F. Liszt S. Richter

Rakoczi march. F.List

Tsar Nicholas I attended one of the concerts and remarked favorably: “I have a regiment stationed in Hungary, so we are compatriots.” Liszt's response was impudent. He played “Rakoczi's March” - the anthem of the Hungarian revolutionaries, a kind of Marseillaise, where the whistle of Hungarian sabers was easily recognizable. The performance was brilliant, but Liszt was kept under police surveillance.

Crossroads of love

In February 1847, Liszt gave concerts in Kyiv. The ticket costs a ruble, but a certain lady pays 100 rubles for the ticket. Who is this mysterious stranger? Ferenc soon learns that her name is Caroline Wittgenstein. She is smart, pretty, married. Liszt thanks Caroline for his generous donation; in return, she invites him to her luxurious estate, where she admits to the maestro that she has not missed a single concert and that she has long been passionate about his music. A spark runs between them and Caroline soon decides to break with the past, even if she faces poverty and disgrace.

“Everything that I have done over the past twelve years, I owe to the Woman whom I suffered to call my wife, which, however, was prevented by the evil and petty intrigues of individual people. The name of this woman I love is Princess Caroline Wittgenstein, née Ivanovskaya.”
F. Leaf.

From a letter from Franz Liszt to Caroline Wittgenstein:

“Believe me, Caroline, that I am as crazy as Romeo, if, of course, it can be called madness... To sing for you, love you and give you pleasure; I want to make your life beautiful and new. I believe in love - for you, with you, thanks to you. Without love I don't need either heaven or earth. Let us love each other, my only and glorious Love. I swear to God that people will never be able to separate those whom the Lord has united forever..."

“...I love you madly, like Romeo,
I miss your eyes.
I don't need heaven without you.
I am always ready to sing for you..."

Franz Liszt and Caroline settle in Weimar. And this period (1848-1861) is the brightest, most fruitful in the composer’s work. He carries out many major plans, acts in a new capacity - conductor of the Weimar court opera house. Meanwhile, life gave not only joy.

Liszt and Caroline travel to Rome, where the wedding was to take place. But the night before, the princess received a refusal from the Pope. It was a terrible blow for them; moreover, Caroline accepted this news as God's punishment. For 14 years, they did everything possible to get the right to marriage and a happy family life. Unfortunately, the story does not have a happy ending, but thanks to it World culture enriched with many beautiful melodies.

F.List. Dreams of love. Performed by Chinese pianist Lang Lang

And again the composer’s life passes in tireless work. The composer teaches in Weimar, Budapest, and travels to Rome. The musician performs in many cities as a conductor and pianist. Years go by, and Liszt, as always, is surrounded by students and admirers. But the nagging feeling of loneliness never goes away.

The years 1885 and 1886 are marked by Listist celebrations in connection with his seventy-fifth anniversary. But Liszt’s health is deteriorating and his heart is worried. On the night of July 31, 1886, he died. “Tired of burning, Franz Liszt’s comet of happiness went out”

God's blessing. Alone with myself

Do you know that:

The motto that Liszt followed throughout his life: “Good or nothing”

It is in Vienna that the dizzying career of a talented musician who grew up in outstanding composer, pianist, teacher, conductor, and publicist.

The only opera “Don Sancho” was written at the age of 14 and staged at the same time. The opera's score, long considered lost, was found in 1903.

Sometimes Liszt would place several instruments on stage and travel between them, playing each with equal brilliance.

The emotional pressure and force of hitting the keys were such that the brilliant musician left behind torn strings and broken hammers.

He could masterfully reproduce the sonority of a full orchestra on the piano, and he had no equal in reading notes from sight.

When Liszt was on tour in England, he received an invitation to perform at the royal residence. However, Queen Victoria arrived late. She sat down in the box for a long time and talked with the ladies of the court. Liszt defiantly interrupted the game. “It seemed to me that the sketch was too short,” the dignitary remarked, to which Liszt replied: “I was simply afraid of preventing Her Majesty Queen Victoria from talking.”

Liszt became the greatest pianist

Cast of Liszt's hand.

In the house of the Liszt Museum

The table at which the composer worked.

Favorite piano “...My piano is for me the same as for a sailor his frigate, for an Arab his horse, moreover, until now it has been my “I”, my language, my life! He is the guardian of all that moved my soul in the ardent days of my youth; I will entrust to him all my thoughts, my dreams, my sufferings and joys.”
F Sheet

Franz Liszt Museum.

With warmth and love to you, <
Liliya Szadkowska.
See you again on the pages of Irina’s blog.

I thank Lilia for such an interesting story. We met a great musician who lived an amazing life. She had everything: poverty and wealth, love and contempt, extraordinary talent and simply fantastic performance.

And here's another small nuance about the composer. You looked at the photograph of a cast of Franz Liszt's hand. The stretch of his hand was such that he could reach almost two octaves. And to this day, his virtuosity remains a reference point for modern pianists, and his works are the pinnacles of piano virtuosity.

Listen to good music, fill yourself with beauty, and I invite you to my updated music living room. You can choose what you like - both from the articles, and you can also listen to my favorite performers. So there is still a small page of music for children. I will definitely expand it.