Hello, music lovers. Today I decided to write this analysis about these two undiscussable amazing composers that have one very important thing in common: the absolute focus on the piano.
I myself am a pianist and have been for a long time(up to a decade, which is more than half of my whole life), but what really made me want to write this little "study" is the fact that I am absolutely interested in music history.
For anyone who has interest in classical music, it might be common to come across this question: Who was the best pianist? Chopin or Liszt?
The answers here can vary dramatically, mostly because it's hard to establish the criteria by which you are answering this question. So, what I want to do here is explore some of these possible criteria to explain why there is not really an objectively truthfull answer.
He is the prince of the Romantic Period, the one Chopin everyone must've heard of. When it comes to fame, he's overtaking Liszt a little bit. But...why is that?
Well, accessibility, I'd say. Chopin has been way more depicted in culture than Franz Liszt has, and by that I not only mean movies or books, but also the fact that he's had his music much more passed on and used in this cultural scenario. Someone who's watched a movie in which a piece composed by him was part of the soundtrack, for example, might not even know his name, but still has been in touch with the one and only Chopin.
When Frédéric was only eight years old, he became a growing attraction in the aristocratic salons. At the same time, he had been performing public concerts for charity. So, since the very beginning, Chopin has been winning when it comes to accessibility.
Chopin was, in fact, a gifted pianist. But, even though he did write very difficult pieces, overall he was not very extravagant or performatic. It's said that he would stand very still and not move any part of his body except for his hands and arms during most of his performances.
With this in mind, we can say that, in comparison to Liszt's style of composing and performing, Chopin was way milder. This doesn't take away the fact that his music was(and still is, of course) very sentimental, this is the very justified reason to why he is considered the Prince of the Romantic Period.
The Young Franz Liszt had piano lessons with Carl Czerny, who had piano lessons with - ...I'm gonna say it... - Ludwig Van Beethoven.
In his book of memories "Recollections from my life", Czerny commented about Liszt, stating that he was impressively talented when it came to music, but...Czerny also said that Liszt was very chaotic when he was performing and did not understand the importance of expressivity.
At this point, Liszt was fastly developing his technical skills, but was a bit slower when it came to express himself through music.
When Liszt was already a famous pianist in Europe, he came to be surrounded by a social phenomenon that would later be called "Lisztomania". Now, what does it mean? Basically, the hysteric and obsessive relation his fans had with him, his concerts and his music. At this point in time, Lisztomania was really taking over all of Europe and Franz Liszt was basically a superstar.
Liszt's concerts started to have a strangely mystical character at that moment, for the public's reaction to his performances was hysterical at times. Musicologists affirm that Liszt's personality, other than his musical ability, was captivating and his stage presence was astounding in ways that fit with the mystical character of Lisztomania.
At some point, he decided to stop performing so he could focus on composing and transcribing, which was also one of his prime activities. His transcriptions of numerous pieces are still considered the best transcriptions to this very day.
So...
Who was really the greatest pianist here? Frédéric Chopin or Franz Liszt?
The truth is...there is no real answer to this question. Both of them had their own style of composing and performing and also they focused on different areas inside the music they wrote and performed.
Chopin was more sentimental, yet softer. Liszt was chaotic and had an intense way of playing the piano.
Chopin developed himself to become a full romantic. Liszt was more focused on his technique.
In the end, it comes to personal opinion whether Liszt is the best or Chopin is the best, but we must always keep in mind that both of them have indiscussable, gigantic value.
Thank you for your attention and vote! :)