Franz Liszt was something of a pop star in his time. His
face was well known thanks to innumerable portraits, and his music was known
throughout Europe. Unlike today’s pop stars, however, he didn’t try to look
like he did at age 30. Nowadays, we have Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart, with
their face lifts and dyed hair, and fans who don’t seem to realize that these
guys are senior citizens. But Liszt went out of his way to look old. Portraits
of him show a man with gray hair, a big nose, and all the warts and jowls of an
old man. Liszt wanted to be seen as an “elder statesman” when it came to music.
List’s Final Decade chronicles his later years through his
letters. He bared his soul to a pair of women, writing about his fatigue (no
wonder, since he was old) and his dwindling composition. He also dwells upon
accusations of Anti-Semitism, thanks to a pamphlet in which he allegedly
advocated sending the Jews back to the Middle East. In his letter, he says “I’m
told that the Jewish aristocracy are ignoring it” and seems grateful. He also
aroused outrage when he called Hungarian music “Gypsy in origin” when Hungarian
critics claimed it was composed for the nobility and merely performed by Gypsy
ensembles. Whether or not Liszt was truly an Anti-Semite we’ll never know, but
these accusation might have more to do with paternalistic ignorance than being “anti”
anything.
The one thing I find about this book to be a little weak is
that fact that the letters were written late in his life. They show a
seriousness that he was not known for earlier, and writes as though he were a philosopher
contemplating life and death. I often wonder why Liszt’s personal life didn’t
ruin his career. He lived with an older divorced noblewoman and had children with
her, despite them not being married. This may be the norm nowadays, but in the
1800’s cohabitation was no accepted. Keep in mind that he later joined a
clerical order, so he was supposed to be celibate.
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