Franz Liszt

(1811-1886)

Liszt was the most flamboyant pianist of the 19th century. Many scholars today consider him to have been the greatest sight-reader and improviser who ever lived. He roomed with Chopin for a while and Chopin himself was envious of how well Liszt could play Chopin’s Etudes. Liszt was the first pianist to play a modern type of concert featuring music composed by multiple other composers. His own best-known compositions are probably the Hungarian Rhapsodies and Liebestraum. Serious musicians often study the Transcendental Etudes, which are dedicated to Liszt’s teacher Carl Czerny.

Hungarian Rhapsodies & Liebesträume