Composers, Performers and Critics

Many consider Franz Liszt the greatest piano virtuoso of the 19th century. For the first four decades of his life, he travelled across Europe, astounding audiences with his technical versatility and mesmerizing stage presence. But Liszt was more than a performer. His invention of the Tone-Poem (a single-movement work of loose construction inspired by a literary subject) revolutionized symphonic music. And his dedication to promoting the works of friends and colleagues made him a respected conductor. Committed to the belief that music could be used as a force for good, Liszt worked hard to institute reforms in the church, conservatory and concert hall. He was a tireless teacher who dedicated most of his life and finances to supporting his students.

Liszt wrote countless letters every day. Some were updates to friends and family with long descriptions of his travels and adventures. Others, like this one, were dashed off quickly to colleagues. In this case, Liszt writes:

You must have received the proofs several days ago of:
1) The Italian “Soirées”
2) The 9th, 11th and 12th Etudes
3) The Concert Piece for the poor Italians (on this subject, I should like to remind you that “Papa Ricordi” agreed with me that the price for this piece should be 150 francs).

Liszt then asks that each piece be “carefully corrected” and sent to the appropriate publisher.

Like the other music example in this exhibition, this manuscript was prepared by a copyist and then corrected by the composer. The manuscript is not dated, but it was likely completed in 1843 as a final step before publication; the corrections match the final, published version. As one can clearly see by the numerous corrections, some of which are pasted into the score, Schumann was making changes to the quartet right up until the time of publication. These changes were no doubt the result of hearing the work performed by friends and colleagues, the final step in the completion of most compositions.

Hans von Bülow embodied the ideal of the nineteenth-century musician. Remembered today for his considerable gifts as a conductor, von Bülow was also an acclaimed concert pianist and composer. He began piano studies at age nine with Friedrich Wieck, father and teacher of Clara Wieck-Schumann, and quickly distinguished himself as a concert artist. His association with Franz Liszt (beginning in 1850) was a critical influence in his life and led him to the music of Richard Wagner. During the 1850s and 1860s, von Bülow built his reputation as a concertizing pianist, composer and increasingly as a conductor of challenging contemporary works. The present letter was written shortly before von Bülow was appointed Kapellmeister in Munich. Posted from Berlin in December 1863, von Bülow writes of his arrival in Dresden for a concert and asks his correspondent whether musicians can be arranged to perform Rubinstein’s Piano Quartet. Albeit brief, the letter underlines the itinerant life and multi-faceted skills of a successful musician, and in the case of von Bülow, his emphasis on contemporary repertoire.

Busoni was the consummate musician: a pianist, composer, conductor, pedagogue, essayist and critic. The child of two musicians, Busoni was a prodigy who made his performance debut at age seven. He was deeply influenced by Liszt, Brahms and Anton Rubinstein, all of whom Busoni knew on a personal level. Busoni spent much of his career in transit from one country to the next, often serving in multiple capacities. He made a considerable impact as a concert pianist and conductor, renowned for his ability to perform and interpret contemporary music. Busoni also left a considerable legacy as an essayist. His Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music (1907) is a provocative analysis of the contemporary music environment and prescient advocacy of new approaches to composition. Busoni was also highly successful as a pedagogue, almost single-handedly training a new generation of musicians that shared his progressive ideas, including Kurt Weill, Edgard Varèse, and Luigi Russolo. The present postcard is to his mother Anna, also an accomplished pianist, detailing his frequent engagements in the month of February 1897. Of particular interest is the variety of cities visited in rapid succession (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Arnhem, The Hague, Rotterdam, Vienna, &c.) for concerts. Busoni also notes his correspondence with Hugo Wolf and a mutual colleague Casetti. Ever the good son, Busoni closes the postcard by asking his mother to write “at least a single sentence” to him in Berlin.