Liszt

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, and teacher of the Romantic period. Recognized as a child prodigy, he began performing publicly at age nine and studied in Vienna under Carl Czerny and Antonio Salieri. He achieved unprecedented European stardom in the 1830s and 1840s, provoking a fan hysteria known as Lisztomania. Liszt revolutionized the standard piano recital by playing entirely from memory and positioning the piano to face the audience. His extensive musical legacy includes inventing the symphonic poem, pioneering the masterclass, and developing a vast body of influential compositions such as the Hungarian Rhapsodies.