Born:

October 22, 1811; his father was an amateur musician working for the Esterházy family.

Birthplace:

Raiding in Hungary

Died:

On July 31, 1886 in Bayreuth due to pneumonia.

Also Known As:

Liszt was a composer of adventurous music, inventor of piano recitals, a piano virtuoso, performer, arranger and conductor. As a composer, he was well-received by the masses and adored by ladies. He was also a teacher and considered the figurehead of the New German School.

Liszt penned the term "symphonic poem." He was also a priest.

Type of Compositions:

He wrote music for the piano, orchestral music, choral music and opera.

Influence:

Liszt' first piano teacher was his father. Afterward, Karl Czerny took over his piano lessons. He studied composition and theory with Reicha and Paer. He was also influenced by the works of Niccolo Paganini (whose works he adapted to the piano). A group of nobles in Hungary helped him pay for his studies. In 1822, he gave his first public concert in Vienna. Two years later, he was performing in Paris and London. He was a court conductor in Weimar from 1848 to 1859 where he brought attention to the works of Richard Wagner as well as other composers. In 1870, he was named president of the Academy of Music at Budapest.

Notable Works:

Among his well known compositions are: "Transcendental Etudes," "Hungarian Rhapsodies," "Sonata in B minor," "Les Préludes," "Dante Symphony," "Totentanz" and "Faust Symphony."

Interesting Facts:

He was romantically involved with Countess Marie d'Agoult and Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein; both married women.

Later on in his life, he became a priest and wrote (among others) sacred music. It has been said that he was a very generous man who often extended help to other composers.

Music Sample:

Listen to Franz Liszt' "Hungarian Rhapsody" courtesy of YouTube.