| Phoenix – Lisztomania Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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You couldn't be more wrong. Artists like Hector Berlioz, Clara Wieck, and Frédéric Chopin ostracized and distanced themselves from Liszt in the 1840s as a result of the public's reaction to him. Franz Liszt changed the way the public perceived musicians, especially pianists, by really putting himself out there. The piano recital is what it is today because he was the first to create programs comprised solely of piano music to be performed by a single artist in a large concert hall as opposed to simply in a salon. Liszt didn't only play in higher society ranks, he toured all over Europe and played in all sorts of arenas. He exposed himself to the population on all levels or society, even going as far as spending time with gypsies in both Russia and Hungary because he was interested in their musical culture. It was that kind of eccentric behavior that made him so unique, along with his virtuoso piano playing and composition, and made the public love him so much. If you're truly under the impression that all classical composers were "Rock Stars" then just look at Mozart and Beethoven. They were practically considered to be servants to the public, court musicians who had to work within limits. Liszt broke down every single stigma surrounding that kind of musicianship and made himself a star. He was the first. |
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