Born: October 22,1811
Birthplace: Raiding in Hungary
Died: July 31,1886 in Bayreuth
Also Known As: Composer of adventurous music, inventor of piano recitals, piano virtuoso, performer, arranger and conductor, composer who was well-received by the masses and adored by ladies, teacher, figurehead of the New German School, he penned the term "symphonic poem", priest.
Type of Compositions: He wrote music for the piano, orchestral music, choral music and opera.
Influence : His father was Liszt' first piano teacher. Afterwards, Czerny took over his piano lessons. Reicha and Paer taught him about composition and theory. He also liked the works of Paganini whose works he adapted to the piano. A group of nobles in Hungary helped him pay for his studies.
Notable Works: Among his well known compositions are: Transcendental Etudes, Hungarian Rhapsodies, Sonata in B minor, Les Préludes, Dante Symphony, Totentanz and Faust Symphony,
Interesting Fact: He was romantically involved with Countess Marie d'Agoult and Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, both married women. Later on in his life, he became a priest and wrote ,among others, sacred music.
Music Sample: Hungarian Rhapsody
