Saturday, February 7, 2015

Liszt's Final Decade by Dolores Pesce


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.

No comments:

Post a Comment