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Portrait of Liszt: By Himself and His Contemporaries
Franz Liszt has been described as "one of the most wonderful human beings that have ever lived, and one of the greatest and most original artists of the nineteenth century". Born in Hungary in 1811, at the very moment when the Great Comet blazed most brillantly in the heavens, he rapidly
achieved fame as a phenomenally gifted pianist, and in the course of his long life, which ended in 1886, he travelled extensively through Europe. So extraordinary was the enthusiasm--indeed, adulation--with which his magical playing and fascinating personality were received, that it promped Heinrich
Heine to coin the term "Lisztomania". Williams presents extracts from the diaries, letters, and reminiscences of Liszt's contemporaries that describe his bewitching playing and magnetic personality, along with newspaper reviews and passages from Liszt's own letters and writings. What emerges is not
only a uniquely comprehensive and extremely readable look at one of the most prodigiously gifted of all musicians, but also an absorbing picture of the rich musical tapestry and cultural life of nineteenth century Europe.
achieved fame as a phenomenally gifted pianist, and in the course of his long life, which ended in 1886, he travelled extensively through Europe. So extraordinary was the enthusiasm--indeed, adulation--with which his magical playing and fascinating personality were received, that it promped Heinrich
Heine to coin the term "Lisztomania". Williams presents extracts from the diaries, letters, and reminiscences of Liszt's contemporaries that describe his bewitching playing and magnetic personality, along with newspaper reviews and passages from Liszt's own letters and writings. What emerges is not
only a uniquely comprehensive and extremely readable look at one of the most prodigiously gifted of all musicians, but also an absorbing picture of the rich musical tapestry and cultural life of nineteenth century Europe.
756 pages, Hardcover
First published August 16, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 31, 2024
Un buen complemento a la biografía en tres tomos de Alan Walker y las cartas publicadas por La Mara. Me gusta que use fuentes tan diferentes. No obstante, a veces el relato es demasiado novelesco.
Lo dicho, está bien como complemento, pero no debe tomarse como una biografía rigurosa.
Lo dicho, está bien como complemento, pero no debe tomarse como una biografía rigurosa.
July 25, 2012
This is a biography of Liszt as told in the letters of Liszt and in the letters of others, both the luminaries of music and other fields of the day, as well as ordinary people who happened to cross paths with him.
The letters are presented in year-by-year chronological order with background sections between them as well as extensive explanatory footnotes. Though many of the incidents and quotations as related in this book are cited in the numerous Liszt biographies, far more background is provided as they are read within framing context of the original letter.
What comes across from those ordinary people as well as the great musicians of that time, and all time for that matter, is his borderline supernatural musical abilities. As observed by Carl Reinecke and others, he was the greatest performing musician of all time.
The letters also give a feel for an aspect of Liszt the man that is generally overlooked in other biographies, his apparently very brilliant mind. He was a total autodidact who attained vast erudition. He not only had a colossal memory for just music but for any other intellectual subjects as well. Speaking of his musical memory, he seemed to have the entire Western musical repertoire as it then existed committed to memory.
Numerous feats of Liszt's amazing musicianship were recounted in this book by first-hand observers that I had not crossed paths with in other biographies of him. Read them and wonder.
This is a must read for all Lisztians and serious students or aficionados of the piano and its history and literature. This is also an excellent supplement to Alan Walker's 3 volume definitive biography of Liszt.
The letters are presented in year-by-year chronological order with background sections between them as well as extensive explanatory footnotes. Though many of the incidents and quotations as related in this book are cited in the numerous Liszt biographies, far more background is provided as they are read within framing context of the original letter.
What comes across from those ordinary people as well as the great musicians of that time, and all time for that matter, is his borderline supernatural musical abilities. As observed by Carl Reinecke and others, he was the greatest performing musician of all time.
The letters also give a feel for an aspect of Liszt the man that is generally overlooked in other biographies, his apparently very brilliant mind. He was a total autodidact who attained vast erudition. He not only had a colossal memory for just music but for any other intellectual subjects as well. Speaking of his musical memory, he seemed to have the entire Western musical repertoire as it then existed committed to memory.
Numerous feats of Liszt's amazing musicianship were recounted in this book by first-hand observers that I had not crossed paths with in other biographies of him. Read them and wonder.
This is a must read for all Lisztians and serious students or aficionados of the piano and its history and literature. This is also an excellent supplement to Alan Walker's 3 volume definitive biography of Liszt.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews