8 - Final Words

Summary

The preceding chapters have revealed many facets of the public and private Liszt. In public he cultivated above all else an image of dignified musical elder statesman, manifest in portraiture and in person, and in his advocacy for fellow musicians. But beneath this proud self-presentation was a vulnerability related to his need for public recognition as a composer in the aftermath of negative criticism in Vienna and various German cities in the late 1850s and Paris in 1866. Even as Liszt harbored an aversion to these locales, he craved public vindication of his works in their musical venues. This inner conflict reemerged each time one of the cities invited him to attend a performance of his music. Gradually Liszt confronted them all, culminating in his Paris success in the final year of his life. Yet he hesitated to accept the redemption of the two works that had suffered most at the hands of prior critics, the Dante Symphony (G14) and the Gran Mass (I2). The latter carried a painful memory of betrayal by his supposed friend Hector Berlioz, a hurt Liszt could not completely put behind him. These earlier experiences also colored his advocacy for fellow musicians. Though Liszt rarely missed an opportunity to hear Berlioz's music performed, he wavered when asked to support a memorial to the man. And though Liszt's kindness extended to many aspiring musicians, particularly those who subscribed to the aesthetics of the New German School, he at times singled out for support composers whom he expected to receive negative criticism. He empathized with their anticipated hurt.

In addition to past criticism of his music, the public's continuing desire for the pianist Liszt factored into the aging musician's vulnerable self-image. This study has explored his professional aspirations and modus operandi after he vowed in 1877 to perform publicly no longer. It has focused particularly upon Liszt's strong desire to contribute as a composer to the music of the Catholic Church. As we have seen, his publication efforts in the sacred music realm again sometimes encountered disappointing rejection.