essant industry in musical study and practice,
for the boy was working at composition with Salieri and Randhartinger,
as well as the piano-forte with Czerny, he found time to indulge in
those strange, mystical, and fantastic dreams which have molded his
whole life, oscillating between pietistic delirium, wherein he saw
celestial visions and felt the call to a holy life, and the most
voluptuous images and aspirations for earthly pleasures. Franz Liszt
at this early age had a sensibility so delicate, and an imagination so
quickly kindled, that he himself tells us no one can guess the extremes
of ecstasy and despair through which he alternately passed. These
spiritual experiences were perhaps fed by the mysticism of Jacob Boehme,
whose works came into his possession, and furnished a most delusive and
dangerous guide for the young enthusiast's fancy. But, dream and suffer
as he might, nothing was allowed to quench the ardor of his musical
studies.
Eighteen months were passed in diligent labor under the guidance of the
masters, who found teaching almost unnecessary, as the wonderful lad
needed but a hint to work out for himself the most difficult problems,
and he toiled so incessantly that he often became conscious of the
change of day into night only by the failure of the light and the coming
of the candles. Finally, by advice of Salieri, after eighteen months of
labor, he determined to appear in concert in Vienna. On this occasion
the audience was composed of the most distinguished people of Vienna,
drawn thither to hear the young musical wonder of whom every one talked.
Among the hearers was Beethoven, who after the concert gave the proud
boy the most cordial praise, and prophesied a great career for him.
The elder Liszt was already in Paris, and it was determined that
Franz should go to that city, to avail himself of the instructions of
Cherubini, at the Conservatoire, who as a teacher of counterpoint had
no equal in Europe. The Prince Metternich sent letters of the warmest
recommendation, but they were of no avail, for Cherubini, who was
singularly whimsical and obstinate in his notions, refused to accept
the new candidate, on account of the rule of the Conservatoire excluding
pupils of foreign birth, a plea which the famous director did not
hesitate to break when he chose. Franz, however, continued his studies
under Reicha and Paer, and, while the gates of the Conservatoire were
closed, all the salons of Paris opene
|