Liszt was a precocious child who began studying the piano when he was five and composed his first piece when he was eight. At only nine years of age, he made his first public appearance. He went to Vienna to study under Salieri and Karl Czerny and while there gave several concerts. He moved to Paris in 1823 to continue his studies and in 1824 made his Paris debut. He was lauded as the greatest piano virtuoso of his time and travelled extensively around Europe giving concerts. He was appointed musical director in 1843 at the Weimar court and in 1848 moved to Bayreuth in Germany where he continued to compose, conduct and perform. He lived for a time in Rome, where he composed numerous religious pieces. His most famous works include, perhaps his greatest work, the Piano Sonata in B, the Dante and Faust Symphonies, Totentanz (or the Dance of Death) for piano and orchestra, Tasso, Les Preludes, numerous Hungarian Rhapsodies, Legends, Cristus, and the Paganini Variations. |
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