Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt was born in Hungary or Germany or Austria. Apart from this fact, not much else is known about him. 

We do know, however, that Beethoven took a shine to the young Liszt and took to kissing him about the face. Once Liszt got older he asked Beethoven to stop and, to be fair to the older man, he did so immediately.

Liszt has built up a reputation as a punk-rocker of his day. He used to insist on breaking at least three pianos during each of his increasingly diabolical performances.  That's diabolical in the sense of being devilish, not crap. 

Anyone who thinks that Liszt was crap is an idiot. He was a genius and his music is awe-inspiring today. But he was a man out of time. His peers thought him a charlatan a fake and a show-off. A bounder and a prick.

One mocked,

"He would contort his face pretending to feel emotions; looking to heaven, he tried to act as if seeking inspiration from above"

Imagine one of today's rock stars trying that stunt!

When playing pieces by Beethoven, our hero would add cadenzas, tremolos and even trills, willy-nilly, presumably as payback for all that sloppy-kissing.

In the mid-1800's Liszt met Johannes Brahms in a tavern in Stuttgart. They became firm friends and  could often be found drinking, carousing, gorging and puking together. Thus the expression "Brahms and Liszt" was born which only co-incidentally rhymes with pissed.

Check out Liszt. He may have been a show-off but he had lots to show off.