"It's a matter of record that Liszt could sight read anything, and it's said that musicians who watched him do so would leave his residence talking not among themselves but actually to themselves."
And what were they saying to themselves? How can he do this? He is a genius. He holds within his head the music before his time and of his time. I say these things to myself, as well.
My interest in Liszt did not begin when I first played a simplified version of Liebesträum. When I was a young adult I found this piece to be too sentimental. I really wasn't fond of the Romantic Era. However, later as an adult, I was taking piano lessons from a teacher who admired Liszt. She introduced me to literature outside of what I knew. I realized he had a wide variety of sound and some so sublime that I had to stop to really listen. He lived into his seventies, which is rare for a composer of the 1800's. He retired from concertizing when it was thirty eight years old and devoted his life to composing and serving others. He often taught piano lessons at no charge.
As I explored the plot for my novel Rubato I wanted to include Liszt and show through his own words how he influenced my main character Judith. I studied two of his books and read opinions from other musicians about his life and music. I wanted to know where the autograph manuscripts were of his piano pieces and when I searched through online archives I found that the No. 8 Hungarian Rhapsody was missing the first page. In that discovery a plot emerged. These questions formed the foundations of my story. Why is an autograph manuscript so important to musicians? Is there money in holding and auctioning off these manuscripts?
Liszt held mental manuscripts in his head. He could play a piece never before seen, perfectly. He could also memorize it upon first run through. That means he had a virtual mental library of all the composers he played. No wonder he could transcribe orchestral pieces for the piano and literally play all the top hits at his famous salon concerts to the masses. He was the first pianist and composer to have concerts featuring only himself and his music. By the time he retired thousands bought tickets and came to hear him play. He was simply, a rock star in his day.
“Although Liszt was clearly a musical genius, he insisted on projecting a tonal, romantic “beauty” in his music, confining his music to a narrow range of moral values and ideals.”
Letters of Franz Liszt: Volume 1
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There is still time to read my novel about a pianist and teacher who finds a Liszt autograph manuscript and ends up dead. Who killed her to get the treasure? The mysterious student who comes from out of town to study with her? The colleague from Hungary who wants the manuscript more than anything?
