Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the greatest piano virtuosos of all time. He was also a successful and prominent piano teacher and a major music reformer and innovator; the symphonic poem and the piano recital are attributed to him. From a early age, Franz was very gifted. When he was only nine years old, he gave a big concert on the piano in Baden.

Listz's classical compositions have been influenced by numerous composers. Niccolò Paganini, Frédéric Chopin, Vincenzo Bellini, Robert Schumann and Hector Berlioz, among others, provided a lot of inspiration. He appreciated his contemporaries Ludwig von Beethoven and Franz Schubert, whom he met both, less. Also the opera music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Carl von Weber didn't have to have much of Liszt. Conversely, Liszt's work had a great influence on music in the twentieth century and on later composers, of whom Claude Debussy is a well-known name.

Liszt was what was called a homo universalis in the time of the Renaissance: a versatile scholar. He studied theology and philosophy and was very interested in love and religion. Franz walked a lot, taught, wrote prose and worked for some time as a journalist ... In short, Liszt was a versatile cosmopolitan.