Franz Liszt piano music is famous and widely acknowledged. Franz Liszt, who performed in many concerts throughout Europe during the 19th century. He was taught to play many works as a young child by his father Adam, who was also a very skilled pianist. Franz was already famous in his youth, and by the time he was 12 he was already a well known pianist and supported on tours to Paris, London, and Zurich by wealthy patrons. Adam joined the Franciscans as a monk, which was a major influence on Franz as many of his pieces were religious. After his father died he attempted to join the monastery in Paris although his confessor didn't allow it. More information about his background from another maestro is available at http://www.maurice-abravanel.com/liszt_franz_english.html
Liszt is regarded as one of the most prominent artists of the Romantic movement. This movement, primarily taking place in the 19th century, recalled earlier values and stories of the people of Europe. It was focused on emotions and feelings and was a backlash against the Rationalism prevalent in the 18th century. Liszt was friends with many other famous composers like Wagner, and eventually his daughter married Wagner, although this caused some problems because Wagner was Protestant and Liszt's daughter also converted to Protestantism.
Composer Liszt was well known for several innovative techniques that he introduced during his concerts. This virtuoso even had the ability to play two pianos at once. He is known for adding length and complexity to other works and creating large scale structures; some examples of this include extending the traditional sonata form and unifying multimovement works. Liszt is the inventor of the symphonic poem, later used by composers such as Strauss. Earlier works were usually made up of several movements, Liszt unified them into single works by replacing the gap between movements with a musical bridge that connected them. More on his musical techniques can be found at http://www.d-vista.com/OTHER/franzliszt2.html
Liszt is also famous for altering the earlier, more calculated Classical forms into emotional and spontaneous Romantic forms. He moved away from set patterns and a metronomic beat, inventing new themes and modulations to unusual keys without using cues to warn the listener. These pieces were more passionate than his predecessors', and the maestro also played for patients in hospitals to serve as therapy.
The composer is well known for his religious works, and some of his compositions were written so that he could express his religious experiences to his fans. Years of Pilgrimage, one of his best known works, is a set of three suites with varying styles which make the audience feel his spiritual experiences. Liszt also wrote essays, and argued in many of them that the music in his works were sent as the voice of God and the musician was expressing forces he could not understand and only felt. More details on this are explained at http://www.liszt.dk This Romantic ideal allowed his performances to be infused with displays of passion, which made him very popular among the women in the audience and made rival pianists extremely jealous. Although he was known for grandiose gestures, he did teach many other students, as well as spending lots of his earnings for philanthropic causes. Liszt piano music continues to express the artist's spirituality and passion today.
