There were several noted and famous piano teachers, or masters, as they were called, in Europe at the time of Franz Liszt. That he outshone them all is not surprising in view of his tremendous virtuosity at the piano. But he was not the only teacher to bring forth fine students.
Theodore Leschetizky
His students included many who went on to fame and fortune and their names are still known to musicians today:
- Ignaz Jan Paderewski, famed Polish pianist and politician
- Ossip Gabrilowitsch
- Mark Hambourg: see The Hambourg Conservatory
- Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, one of the foremost female pianists of the nineteenth century
- Artur Schnabel, renowned Beethoven scholar.
Anton Rubinstein
Had many very talented students but is remembered for his star performer:
- Josef Hofmann
There were other teachers such as Johann Nepomunk Hummel, Friedrich Kalkbrenner, Ignaz Moscheles and their colleagues who each produced one or two pupils who became famous performers, but the ideal of the 19th century was to study with Franz Liszt. And many did; some for a long period of time and many for shorter sessions. But to say that you had studied with Liszt brought you immediate carte blanche into many of the salons of Europe. Many would attend a master class just to be able to make this claim.
Liszt's Students
Those who became famous pianists included:
- Hans von Bulow, pianist and conductor
- Alexander Siloti, pianist and cousin of Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Peter Cornelius
- Felix Draesecke
- Julius Reubke
- Sofie Menter, who had a very successful career as a touring pianist
- Arthur Friedheim, who had a successful career in America
- Moritz Rosenthal, very famous as a pianist
- Emil Sauer, very successful in his career
- Alfred Reisenauer
It has been recorded that Liszt's roster of students filled five pages and this did not include the many who just attended one master class.
Liszt's Teaching
Liszt expected all of his students to come to him with a finely honed piano technique, and was indignant if someone approached him with woefully inadequate equipment. He would tell them to go to one of the many conservatories in the country and get a good grounding before returning to him. Interpretation was paramount with him. The true meaning of the music must be sought and the spirit of the music must shine at all times. One could not bring out the real meaning of the score without abundant technique of scale, chord, arpeggio and tone colors.
Franz Liszt died in Bayreuth in 1886.
For further reading about pianists see Rudolf Firkusny and Sara Davis Buechner.
Sources
Liszt by Bryce Morrison, Omnibus Press, New York, 1989
Life and Liszt by Arthur Friedheim, Taplinger Publishing Co, Inc., New York 1961
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