Franz Liszt

1811 – 1886 · died at about 75^[1][2]

Music

Fun Facts About Franz Liszt

• Franz Liszt's fans fought over his cigar stubs and coffee dregs and ripped his silk handkerchiefs and velvet gloves to shreds as souvenirs, a craze dubbed "Lisztomania".^[1]
• Beethoven reputedly walked onstage at the boy Liszt's final Vienna concert in 1823 and kissed him on the forehead.^[1][3][4]
• After hearing Niccolò Paganini in 1832, Liszt resolved to become as great on the piano as Paganini was on the violin, sometimes practicing up to 14 hours a day.^[1][5][6]
• In 1865 Liszt received four minor church orders, including that of exorcist, and was afterward often called "Abbé Liszt".^[1]
• Liszt's daughter Cosima married Richard Wagner, and Liszt is buried in Bayreuth, where he went in 1886 to support the Wagner festival she ran.^[1][7][8]
• Chopin was annoyed when Liszt added elaborate embellishments to one of his nocturnes, telling him to play the music as written or not at all, which forced an apology.^[9][10]
• Franz Liszt was alive at the same time as Niels Bohr — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1885–1886).^{[1][2][11][12]}
• Franz Liszt and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry died on the same day of the year, July 31.^{[1][2][13][14]}

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era, and his piano works continue to be widely performed and recorded.^[1]

Contemporaries

Victor Hugo

74 yr overlap

Giuseppe Verdi

73 yr overlap

Charles Darwin

71 yr overlap

Otto von Bismarck

71 yr overlap

Ralph Waldo Emerson

71 yr overlap

Richard Wagner

70 yr overlap

Frederick Douglass

68 yr overlap

Herman Melville

67 yr overlap

Queen Victoria

67 yr overlap

Walt Whitman

67 yr overlap

Susan B. Anthony

66 yr overlap

Florence Nightingale

66 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Franz Liszt

When was Franz Liszt born?

Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811, and died on July 31, 1886.

How old was Franz Liszt at death?

Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811, and died on July 31, 1886, at age 74.

What was Franz Liszt known for?

Franz Liszt was known for: Piano virtuoso, composer of the Hungarian Rhapsodies. Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era, and his piano works continue to be widely performed and recorded.

Who was alive at the same time as Franz Liszt?

Franz Liszt's closest contemporary was Victor Hugo. Their lives overlapped for 74 years.