Liszt does not appear to have entered upon any course as pianist which
could be called original or marking out a new path until after Paganini
came to Paris, in 1831. This wonderful genius performed the most
astonishing and unheard-of things upon the violin. More than a year
before this time Robert Schumann had heard him in Milan, and was
already beginning to try to do for the piano some of the things which
Paganini did upon the violin, in his famous "Studies after Paganini."

Paganini's appearance in Paris set the town on fire, musically, and for
some time all attention was centered upon him, to the neglect even of
such well-tried favorites as Liszt had by this time become. This fact
and the inspiration of his novel playing inspired Liszt to new efforts
on his own behalf, and he now entered upon the career of original
mastery of the pianoforte and the new style which from this time
characterized his works. It is probable that some of his famous
"Studies for Transcendent Execution" date from this period, but as he
rewrote them twice afterward, it is not possible now to say which ones,
or to trace the steps by which he arrived at the many new effects in
piano playing which later came from his pen in such astonishing and
epoch-marking number.

Berlioz, the father of program music, came back from his residence in
Italy in 1833, and brought with him his fantastic symphony, "Episodes
in the Life of an Artist." This work Liszt set for the piano, and, if
I am right, it was the beginning of the enormous number of
transcriptions of orchestral works for piano which are to be found in
his works. Liszt had already made a certain mark as composer, his
operetta of "Don Sancho" having been produced in 1825.

When Liszt turned his serious attention to composition, which he must
have done about this time, he entered earnestly into the path of the
so-called "music of the future," although this term had not then been
invented. Berlioz had shown himself very bold in his modulations, and
the learned Fetis had advocated the closer association of keys which
distinguishes the harmonic practice of Richard Wagner from the rules of
the classic school. So it was with two fixed ideas that Liszt began to
write. First (from Berlioz), that music ought to signify something,
adhere more or less closely to a poetic or imaginative program; and,
second, that in trying to do this, one might go in any direction needed
for the desired tonal effect.