Ferenc (Franz) Liszt (Hungarian Liszt Ferenc, German Franz Liszt; October 22, 1811, Doborian (Riding), Austrian Empire - July 31, 1886, Bayreuth, Germany) - Hungarian composer, pianist, teacher, conductor, publicist, representative of musical romanticism, founder of the Hungarian school of composers.

Ferenc Liszt was the first pianist to give solo concerts, which earned him the recognition of professionals and the public. Although there are no recordings of Liszt's playing, he is recognized as one of the most influential pianists of his era. He was also known for his philanthropy: he helped victims of natural disasters, orphans, taught talented students for free, contributed to the Beethoven Memorial Fund, and donated significant funds to open a conservatory in Budapest.

Many of his piano works are included in the "traditional repertoire" - in particular, "Hungarian Rhapsodies", "Sonata in B minor" and two piano concertos. Made numerous piano transcriptions of popular scenes from operas, symphonies, caprices by Niccolo Paganini, songs by Franz Schubert; his individual piano works are considered the most outstanding examples of piano mastery. He was the author of choral, vocal and symphonic music, and Liszt's organ works occupied a prominent place in the repertoire of organists.

Liszt's multifaceted creative activity spans about 60 years. During his lifetime, he created more than 1,300 works. The origins of F. Liszt's compositional style are considered to be French and German schools of composition, as well as Hungarian urban musical folklore. Some features of national music, such as verbunkosh and chardash dances, found their embodiment in a number of works, first of all, in "Hungarian Rhapsodies", as well as arrangements of folk songs.

The main principle of F. Liszt's creativity is programming. Most of his works are based on a poetic plot idea. With the help of the program, Liszt tried to make art more effective and figurative, more accessible to the listener. Liszt's works are generally characterized by a romantic conflict between the real and the personal, which is resolved through heroism. Some of Liszt's works are dedicated to heroic events or figures of the past, for example, "Mazepa" (the heroic image of the Ukrainian hetman was embodied), "Heroic March in the Hungarian Style", "Battle of the Huns". A prominent place is occupied by works inspired by the national liberation movement - "Funeral Procession", dedicated to the memory of revolutionaries executed in 1849, symphonic poems "Weeping for Heroes", "Hungary" and other works. The theme of the Motherland is also followed in such works as "Hungarian Historical Paintings", "Hungarian Coronation Mass" and many others.

During his lifetime F. Liszt actually wrote six works dedicated to Hetman Ivan Mazepa: the first etude for piano, 1827; Transcendental sketch part 4 "Mazepa", 1838 (dedicated to V. Hugo); Transcendental Etude Part 4 "Mazepa", 1840 (modified version of the work of 1838); Symphonic poem "Mazepa", 1851; "Mazepa" for two pianos, 1855 and for piano four hands, 1874.

A bold innovator, Ferenc Liszt enriched and expanded the expressive means of musical art. Liszt introduced elements of language intonations into the instrumental melody, emphasized declamatoryness coming from oratorical techniques, applied the principle of monothematism, the essence of which consisted in the formation of themes of different nature from a single thematic basis. Ferenc Liszt often used the so-called characteristic melodies that seemed to depict certain situations or the image of the hero, and the further development of such characteristic melodies depends on the development of the poetic image. Liszt's significant achievements are also in the field of harmonic thinking - he uses contrasting juxtapositions, altered harmonies, enharmonisms, etc. Bold innovation in the field of harmony in many ways predicted the development of the modern musical language. The chromaticisms used by Liszt not only enriched the romantic style of the last century, but also, more importantly, predicted the crisis of traditional tonality in the 20th century. The radical "music of the future" dreamed of by Liszt and Wagner brought to life whole-tone sequences, polytonality, atonality, and other elements typical of musical impressionism. Like Wagner, Liszt was a supporter of the idea of a synthesis of all arts as the highest form of artistic expression.