Liszt, Schumann

[Helen]

hi guys!

thx for your great replies to my rachmaninoff topic.  i'm gonna do the same for liszt and schumann, ne interesting facts about these composers?

[amee]

Apparently Liszt got so many letters asking for a lock of his hair, he had to buy a dog and get snippets of his dog's hair to give to his fans!

[amee]

Schumann was manic-depressive, and his personality swung wildly between two poles - one extroverted and hard-working, the other languid and self-absorbed.  He even gave names to his two characters: Florestan for the outgoing one and Eusebuis for the other.  This manic depression was also accompanied by hallucinations later in his life.  When he was 44, he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself into a river.  However he was fished out alive, and spent his final two years in an asylum.

[chopinetta]

schumann was the one who said this: "Hats off, gentlemen. A genius!"

he said that on chopin.

anyway, liszt got sooo many fans who steal his hankerchiefs and stuff! and he was very handsome when he was a young man!

[amee]

Liszt was given many medals and decorations from various countries, including a bejewelled sword of honour presented by his fellow Hungarians, which he would wear on stage.  One person wrote:

"Liszt alone, of all warriors, is without reproach.
For despite his big sword, we know that this
Has vanquished only semiquavers
And slain only pianos."

Actually, Liszt frequently slew his pianos.  The instruments back then did not have the iron frame of today, and they were totally unable to withstand the onslaught of his bigger works.  Sometimes he left a trail of broken debris behind him!  This is why he always requested a backup piano whenever he performed, ready to be rolled on stage at a moment's notice.

[chopinetta]

gee! liszt must be a "destroyer of the piano" he's into banging stuff. while chopin plays pianissimo...

schumann was sent to an assylum? that's sad, Antonio Salieri (mozart's rival) was sent there too, i don't know if this is true, it's what the movie "Amadeus" says.

[amee]

This is off subject but speaking of Mozart, his composing skills were amazing.  Ideas just literally flowed out of his head and onto the page.  Once he was approached by a begger on the street and Mozart found he did not have his wallet with him.  So he whipped out a sheet of paper, scribbled some staves on it, and in the space of a few minutes composed a minuet and trio.  He directed the begger to a music shop, who's owner bought the music on the spot!

[chopinetta]

wow! mozart is a musical genius! but he is not a genius in handling money. he ended poor because he didn't know how to budget. when he was young, his father was the one who spent his money, and wisely, mozart was probably extravaggant. he died at age 35, very young!

[amee]

Yes Mozart spent his money on luxuries his budget could not afford.

[amee]

In regards to that "hats off, gentlemen.  A genuis!" phrase by Schumann -

He exclaimed it the moment he heard Chopin's la ci daren variations on a theme from Mozart's Don Giovanni.