Were the virtuosi of Liszt's time all ladies' men?

[cuberdrift]

As far as I know Liszt's generation saw the peak of the concert pianist's popularity (correct me if I'm wrong).

Liszt and Chopin are about the only two people of the "virtuoso pantheon" that are still widely remembered today but afaik they had many rivals like Thalberg, Herz, Henselt, Dohler, Alkan, Dreyshock, and others.

My question is did those others also have huge groups of female followers or was it more exclusive to Franz? Did Liszt have a unique charm and personality that made him more popular and sexually appealing or was this something that these rivals also possessed to a comparable degree?

Also, do Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and other famed piano composers also fit into this list? Were they up to par in their performance abilities or were they seen more as composers than virtuoso pianists? Why didn't Liszt ask them to contribute to the Hexameron?

[nightwindsonata]

Well idk about the others but Alkan was a complete hermit. Thalberg was a virtuoso of the same caliber as Liszt, and toured even more widely than Liszt did, so I imagine he had his little entourage. Schumann was not a performer, his wife was; Brahms was a bachelor his whole life, and idk about Mendelssohn.

[ranjit]

Also, Chopin was not a ladies man, which he writes about somewhat bitterly in his memoirs.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Didn't one of the 19th century piano writers say something along the lines of "if a critic said something against Thalberg, all the girls in Europe would rise up in protest"? Maybe it was Lenz, I forget.

[cuberdrift]

Also, Chopin was not a ladies man, which he writes about somewhat bitterly in his memoirs.

Where did he write that? I'm curious.

Didn't one of the 19th century piano writers say something along the lines of "if a critic said something against Thalberg, all the girls in Europe would rise up in protest"? Maybe it was Lenz, I forget.

I believe it was Schumann that said that. It's a pity there aren't as many photos of him around as Liszt despite his popularity at the time. It's crazy how many photos of Liszt there are and how photogenic he seems in them compared to his contemporaries.

[lelle]

It seems like it varies from composer to composer just like it does with everyone else on this planet. Many seem to have had some type of issue with intimacy and/or with women in general (read up on Brahms). Others were seeking and living the married life (Schumann). Liszt is quoted as a ladies man but that seems to have been just one phase of his life and he also had long term relationships and family life.