[Flying Angel]

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was born in Hungary, the son of a steward in the employ of a wealthy family. A stipend from a group of Hungarian noblemen enabled him to pussue his musical studies in Paris. There he came under the spell of French Romanticism, with whose leaders he, like Chopin, formed close friendships.
The new concertgoing public favored spectacular soloists. Like the sensational violinist Paganini, who appeared in Paris in 1831, Liszt met this need. He was one of the greatest of pianists -- and showmen. An actor to his fingertips, he prsessed the personal magnetism of which legends are made. Instead of sitting at the piano with his back to the audience or facing it, as had been the custom previously, he introduced the more effective arrangement that prevails today, which showed off his chiseled profile as he crouched over the instruemtn, thundering and caressing the keys. Countesses swooned, while less exalted ladies fought for his snuffbox and tore his handkerchief to shreds. Liszt encouraged these antics as a necessary part of the legent. But behind the facade was a true musician.
Inseparable from the legend of the pianist was that of the lover. Liszt never married, yet his personal life for the better part of fifty years was marked by unhappy endings to relationships. One woman who played an important role in his career was Countess Marie d'Agoult, who wrote novels under the pen name of Daniel Stern. The two shared an idyllic relationship in Switzerland that lasted for a number of years, and one of their three children, Cosima, subsequently became the wife of composer Richard Wagner. After their bitter parting, the countess satirized Liszt in her novels.