Franz Liszt was born in 1811 in the Kingdom of Hungary, then part of the Habsburg Empire. His nationality is often disputed, as many records were destroyed by the Ottoman Turks. It is generally claimed that he is Hungarian or German, although a small group recognize him as Slovak. Adding to the debate, his musical character is often described as being French.
His father dreamed of being a musician and studied piano, violin, and guitar while attending college. Due to his poverty, he had to give up his musical lessons and was employed by Prince Nikolaus II Esterhazy. On several occasions he sat in with an orchestra on second cello, keeping his love of music alive.
Liszt’s father claimed that by the age of nine the boy had played all the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others. He was forced to buy more than eight thousand pages of new music from the masters so that the young Franz could continue playing. In 1820 he played for an elite group of high society who offered to buy his education abroad, but it was two more years before the prince considered a leave of absence from his father.
Franz’s first lessons in Vienna were difficult for him because his instructor forced him to learn the correct fingerings. Liszt tried to outwit his teacher by telling his father that the teacher was trying to show him illogical fingerings. The lessons continued after Liszt’s father found out about his son’s deceit.
The first performances in Vienna established him as a child prodigy, but tragedy soon struck. The sudden death of his father and a failed love affair in France plunged him into a depression. He did not play or compose for a few years, until the revolution took over Paris.
Travels and tours throughout Europe allowed Liszt to meet many leading composers and artists of the day. He had many love affairs and also some children. He eventually ended up in Weimar, where he wrote the Liebestraum.
The Liebestraum is a delicate piece of music written in its own romantic style. Playing it requires dexterity in both hands and a mastery of feeling that takes time to master. No classical pianist’s repertoire is complete without the Liebestraum.
Liebestraum is German for “love dreams.” The name Liebestraum is often used to refer to the third of the pieces, although it is actually the name of the entire set. All three parts are based on poems by Ludwig Uhland and Ferdinand Freiligrath. Each poem describes a different type of love: exalted love, erotic love, and mature love.
The third movement of the Liebestraum is the best known. It is also a reliable test of a pianist’s skill. At that time, a version of the Liebestraum for piano and aloud and another for piano with two hands were published.
Throughout his varied life, Franz Liszt created fascinating works such as the Faust Symphony and the Liebestraum. He is often called the greatest pianist that ever lived, and the Liebestraum is a great argument in favor of him.
