LISZT, FRANZ. 



479 



musical notes much earlier than the alphabet, 

 and wrote them much more readily and easily. 

 The smallness of his hands was to him a source 

 of great vexation ; with all his efforts, he could 

 not stretch them across an octave. Sometimes 

 even, a tenth would occur for the left hand 

 while the right was occupied among the upper 

 keys. For a while he was in despair, but hit 

 on a hnppy expedient, to the great delight of 

 lookers-on. While the right hand played the 

 chord, and the left the bass, he struck the tenth 

 note with his nose. During his childhood he 

 was remarkably healthy, but during boyhood 

 his strength declined, he appeared to sicken, 

 and at last was unable to stand. A burning 

 fever seemed to consume him, and his slender 

 form visibly wasted. He was reported dead, 

 a coffin procured, and preparations were made 

 for his burial ; but an improvement began, and 

 the boy recovered. It is a remarkable circum- 

 stance that, while Liszt was never otherwise 



FRANZ LISZT. 



visited by heavy sickness, he had a similar 

 illness in his transition from boyhood to youth, 

 and a second time he was reported dead. 



His early education was received from the 

 priest. There were no schools for youth in 

 the village, whose inhabitants were mostly 

 serfs, and his parents considered him too young 

 to be delivered over to a town educational 

 establishment. He did not even learn to speak 

 the Hungarian language. His parents con- 

 versed in German, which was at that time in 

 Hungary the language of state affairs and of 

 the better sort of society, and so it came to 

 pass that the great musician, though born a 

 Hungarian, never learned his native language. 



He seldom went beyond the limits of the lit- 

 tle village where he was born, and only then 

 to accompany his father to Eisenstadt and 

 Oe:lenburg, whither he went on business con- 

 nected with his stewardship. When in the 

 presence of strangers he betrayed no timidity, 



but sat down to the piano with the same quiet 

 ease that was a characteristic of Liter years. 



At the age of nine he made his first appear- 

 ance in public, in assisting at a concert given 

 by a blind man. During the day he was at- 

 tacked by intermittent fever, but he went to 

 the concert and played while his teeth chat- 

 tered, played with perseverance, power, dis- 

 cretion, and execution that worked irresistibly 

 on his audience. So glowing were the descrip- 

 tions of his proficiency that he was called to 

 play in the presence of royalty, where his 

 talent was triumphantly recognized. Six of 

 the nobility united in a contribution which 

 should insure six hundred Austrian gulden a 

 year to be devoted to his education ; the home 

 in the Hungarian village was abandoned, and 

 the family went to Vienna, where the young 

 prodigy was put under the instruction of the 

 celebrated Czerny. He had studied for a year 

 and a half when it was decided that he give 

 his first public concert. The 1st of December 

 was fixed upon, and a fine audience assembled. 

 With beaming face and sparkling eyes he sprang 

 to the platform and played with evident joy 

 and satisfaction. His performance was pro- 

 nounced phenomenal, and the name of " Little 

 Hercules " was given him. A second concert 

 was given, four months later, which Beethoven, 

 coming from his retirement, graced by his 

 presence. At its close the audience pressed 

 around him, and Beethoven sprang forward, 

 seized him in his arms, and kissed him. With 

 this concert began his European fame as a 

 pianist. His father journeyed with him to 

 Paris, giving concerts in the principal cities by 

 the way, and hoping to enter him in the Con- 

 servatory, presided over by Cherubini, in the 

 French capital. But when they were ushered 

 into the presence of the great composer, and 

 were informed that no foreigner could be re- 

 ceived, father and child turned away with heavy 

 hearts. Though refused at the Conservatory, 

 Liszt was received in private circles, and in the 

 salons of the aristocracy his genius found rec- 

 ognition. His first public appearance in Paris 

 was on March 8, 1824, in the Italian Opera- 

 House. His success was without parallel, and 

 ended in an ovation such as is rarely given to 

 any artist. After this there was no musical 

 soiree without him. His praises were sung, 

 his picture was displayed in the windows of 

 the print-shops, and a cast of his head was 

 made in plaster-of-Paris by Dr. Gall, the phre- 

 nologist, to make studies in pursuit of his sci- 

 ence. Near the close of the Parisian season, 

 his father determined on going to England, 

 where his genius astonished the musical society 

 of London as it had that of Paris. During hia 

 stay in Paris he composed his first operetta, 

 "Don Sancho," produced on Oct. 17, 1825. 

 After it had been twice more represented, 

 with favorable reception, the score was de- 

 livered over to the Academic Royale, and never 

 again saw the light the lot of all the first 

 pieces of young composers. The compositions 



