Death of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt died on 31 July 1886 in Bayreuth, aged 74. A Hungarian composer and pianist, Liszt was the greatest piano virtuoso of the nineteenth century, whose recitals caused a frenzy known as Lisztomania. He composed demanding piano works such as the Transcendental Etudes, the Hungarian Rhapsodies and the Sonata in B minor, and he invented the symphonic poem for orchestra. He championed younger composers, including Wagner, and taught many pupils for free. In later life he took minor orders in the Catholic Church, becoming known as Abbe Liszt, and his late music pointed toward modern harmony.

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