Composer Study is simple. Pick a composer to listen to over a period of time. Every once in a while, play a composition by him or her. Listen to it. Think and talk about it. This month, we are listening to compositions by Franz Liszt.
Biography:
Franz Liszt was a composer and teacher and possibly the greatest pianoforte virtuoso of all time. He was born in Hungary in October 1811. He toured as a concert pianist from ages 9-15. Then, his father died in 1826, and he no longer traveled. He taught and composed, and arranged the works of other composers for the keyboards. In 1839, he started traveling again and gave solo piano recitals. He was an innovator of program music, meaning music associated with novels, stories, and works of art. His concerts were the equivalent of Liberace, Elton Jon, and Lady Gaga – flashy, showy, and captivating. He passed away in 1886 from pneumonia.
Pieces:
And here is one more that I can’t get to embed… but it’s glorious.
Hungarian Rhapsodies https://youtu.be/uNi-_0kqpdE
Resources
Websites:
Books:
- Franz Liszt: Musician, Celebrity, Superstar by Oliver Hilmes
- New Illustrated Lives of Great Composers: Liszt by Bryce Morrison
Videos:
Audio:
Photo of Composer: By Henri Lehmann – The original uploader was Todeswalzer at English Wikipedia., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1839557
