Franz Liszt Part 18

"'Master Liszt being about to return to the Continent where he is eagerly expected in consequence of his astonis.h.i.+ng talents, and the Infant Lyra being on his way to London, the only opportunity which can occur for the inhabitants of Manchester to hear them has been seized by Mr. Ward; and to afford every possible advantage to the Voices and Instruments, he has so constructed the Orchestra, that the Harp, and Piano-Forte will be satisfactorily heard in every part of the house.'

"The young gentleman was honoured with a 'command' to perform before King George the Fourth at Windsor Castle. In the words of the _Windsor Express_ of July 31, 1824:

"'On Thursday evening, young Lizt (_sic_), the celebrated juvenile performer on the pianoforte, was introduced to the King at Windsor by Prince Esterhazy. In the course of the evening he played several pieces of Handel's and Mozart's upon the piano, which he executed in a style to draw forth the plaudits of His Majesty and the company present.'

"In the following year (1825), Master Liszt paid his second visit to England and again appeared in Manchester.

"At his third visit (in 1827), he made the acquaintance of the late Charles Salaman, two years his senior, who heard Liszt play Hummel's Concerto. In his pleasantly-written recollections of pianists of the past (_Blackwood's Magazine_, September, 1901), Mr. Salaman says:

"'Very shortly afterwards--just before Liszt's morning concert, for which my father had purchased tickets from his father--we became acquainted. I visited him and his father at their lodgings in Frith Street, Soho, and young Liszt came to early family dinner at my home. He was a very charmingly natural and unaffected boy, and I have never forgotten his joyful exclamation, 'Oh, gooseberry pie!' when his favourite dish was put upon the table. We had a good deal of music together on that memorable afternoon, reading several duets. Liszt played some of his recently published Etudes, Op. 6, a copy of which he gave me, and in which he wrote specially for me an amended version of the sixth study, Molto agitato.'

"Here is the programme of the morning concert above referred to:

NEW ARGYLL ROOMS

MASTER LISZT

Has the honour to inform the n.o.bility, Gentry, and his Friends, that his MORNING CONCERT will take place at the above rooms on SAt.u.r.dAY, JUNE 9, 1827

PART I

Overture to _Les Deux Journees_, arranged by _Mr. Moscheles_ for four performers on two Grand Piano Fortes, Mr. BEALE, Master LISZT, Mr. MARTIN, and Mr.

WIGLEY _Cherubini_

Aria, Mr. BEGREZ _Beethoven_

Fantasia, Harp, on Irish Airs, Mr. LABARRE _Labarre_

Duetto, Miss GRANT (_Pupil of Mr. CRIVELLI at the Royal Academy of Music_) and Signor TORRI _Rossini_

Concerto (MS.), Piano Forte, with Orchestral Accompaniments, Master LISZT _Master Liszt_

Song, Miss STEPHENS.

Solo, French Horn, Mr. G. SCHUNKE _G. Schuncke_

Aria, Miss BETTS _Rossini_

Duetto, Miss f.a.n.n.y AYTON and Mr. BEGREZ, "Amor! possente nome" _Rossini_

Fantasia, Violin, Mr. MORI

Scena, Mr. BRAHAM _Zingarelli_

Extempore Fantasia on a given subject, Master LISZT.

PART II

Quartet for Voice, Harp, Piano Forte, and Violin, Miss STEPHENS, Mr. LABARRE, Master LISZT, and Mr. MORI _Moscheles and Mayseder_

Aria, Miss f.a.n.n.y AYTON, "Una voce poco fa" _Rossini_

Solo, Guitar, Mr. HUERTA _Huerta_

Duet, Miss Stephens and Mr. BRAHAM.

Song, Miss LOVE, "Had I a heart."

Fantasia, Flute, Master MINASI _Master Minasi_

Song, Miss GRANT, "The Nightingale" _Crivelli_

Brilliant Variations on "Rule Britannia,"

Master LISZT _Master Liszt_

Leader, MR. MORI Conductor, Mr. Schuncke

THE CONCERT WILL COMMENCE AT HALF-PAST ONE O'CLOCK PRECISELY

Tickets, Half-a-Guinea each, to be had of Mr. LISZT, 46, Great Marlborough Street, and at all the princ.i.p.al Music Shops.

"Thirteen years elapsed before Liszt again favoured us with his presence. He had in the meantime pa.s.sed from boyhood to manhood, from having been a prodigy to becoming a mature artist. The year was 1840--an important one, as we shall presently see. He appeared, for the first time, at the Philharmonic Concert of May 11, 1840, which was conducted by Sir Henry Bishop. Liszt played his own version of Weber's Concertstuck in which, according to a contemporary account, 'pa.s.sages were doubled, tripled, inverted, and _transmogrified_ in all sorts of ways.' Be this as it may, the Philharmonic Directors showed their appreciation of his performance by a presentation, an account of which appeared in a snappy and short-lived paper called the _Musical Journal_.

Here is the extract:

"'Liszt has been presented by the Philharmonic Society with an elegant silver breakfast service, for doing that which would cause every young student to receive a severe reprimand--viz., thumping and partially destroying two very fine pianofortes. The Society has given this to Mr.

Liszt as a _compliment_ for performing at two of its concerts _gratuitously_! Whenever did they present an Englishman with a _silver breakfast service_ for gratuitous performances?'

"The foregoing is written in the strain which characterised the att.i.tude of a section of the musical press towards the great pianist. His use of the word 'Recitals' appears to have been as a red rag to those roaring bulls. The familiar term owes its origin to Liszt's performances. The late Willert Beale records that his father, Frederick Beale, invented the designation, and that it was much discussed before being finally adopted. The advertis.e.m.e.nt reads thus:

"'LISZT'S PIANOFORTE RECITALS

"'M. Liszt will give at Two o'clock on Tuesday morning, June 9, 1840, RECITALS on the PIANOFORTE of the following works:--No. 1. Scherzo and Finale from Beethoven's Pastorale Symphony. No. 2. Serenade, by Schubert. No. 3. Ave Maria, by Schubert. No. 4. Hexameron. No. 5.

Neapolitan Tarentelles. No. 6. Grand Galop Chromatique. Tickets 10s. 6d.

each; reserved seats, near the Pianoforte, 21s.'

"The 'Recitals'--the plural form of the term will be noticed--took place at the Hanover Square Rooms, and the piece ent.i.tled Hexameron (a set of variations on the grand march in I Puritani) was the composition of the following s.e.xtet of pianists: Thalberg, Chopin, Herz, Czerny, Pixis, and Liszt, not exactly 'a _singular_ production,' as the _Musical World_ remarked, but 'an uncommon one.' In connection with the 'Recitals,' Mr.

Salaman may be quoted:

"'I did not hear Liszt again until his visit to London in 1840, when he puzzled the musical public by announcing "Pianoforte Recitals." This now commonly accepted term had never previously been used, and people asked, "What does he mean? How can any one _recite_ upon the pianoforte?" At these recitals, Liszt, after performing a piece set down in his programme, would leave the platform, and, descending into the body of the room, where the benches were so arranged as to allow free locomotion, would move about among his auditors and converse with his friends, with the gracious condescension of a prince, until he felt disposed to return to the piano.'

"The _Musical World_ referred to the 'Recitals' as 'this curious exhibition'; that the performance was 'little short of a miracle'; and that the Hexameron contained 'some difficulties of inconceivable outrageousness.' Another specimen of critical insight may be quoted--it refers to Liszt's partic.i.p.ation in a concert given by John Parry:

"'On being unanimously recalled, he tore the National Anthem to ribbons, and thereby fogged the glory he had just achieved. Let him eschew such hyper-erudite monstrosities--let him stick to the 'recital' of sane and sanative music, and he will attain a reputation above all contemporary musical _mono_-facturers--and what is more, deserve it.'