Liszt at the Piano

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Reproduction of an oil painting of Franz Liszt playing the piano for a group of friends, by Joseph Danhauser, 1840.

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Exhibited: The Beethovens on the Rhine (2020). Exhibition text: This painting was commissioned by the piano builder Conrad Graf. Franz Liszt is shown playing the piano for six of his friends, all of whom are notable Romantic artists. In the room from left to right are two groups of three artists: from the literary realm are the novelists George Sand (dressed as a man, reclining in an armchair and smoking a cigar), Alexandre Dumas, Sr. (sitting beside Sand) and Victor Hugo (leaning on the back of Sand’s chair); among the musicians are the violinist Nicoló Paganini, the opera composer Gioachino Rossini, and Liszt. The seventh person, sitting at Liszt’s feet, is his mistress Comtesse Marie d’Agoult; she was the mother of Liszt’s daughter, Cosima, who later would become Richard Wagner’s wife. The symbolic presence of the two greatest artists of the romantic era are also depicted, i.e., Byron and Beethoven. Lord Byron is represented by a portrait hanging on the wall. Beethoven is depicted by a large bust which is remarkably similar to the famous 1821 bust of Beethoven by Anton Dietrich. On the piano music stand are scores for a Fantasia by Liszt, as well as the funeral march from the Eroica Symphony by Beethoven (the work that Liszt transcribed for piano for the Album-Beethoven).

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This work may not be in the public domain and may be protected by copyright laws of the country of the copyright holder. The digital images attached to this record may be used for teaching or research purposes under the provisions of the fair-use statute of the copyright law of the United States. For further information see the Beethoven Center's website at https://www.sjsu.edu/beethoven/collection/library-materials/index.php

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