Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Complete Piano Music, Volume 1

I consider Liszt the greatest man I have ever met. By this I mean that I have never met, in any other walk of life, a man with the mental grasp, splendid disposition, and glorious genius. This may seem a somewhat extravagant statement. I have met many, many great men, rulers, jurists, authors, scientists, teachers, merchants and warriors, but never have I met a man in any position whom I have not thought would have proved the inferior of Franz Liszt, had Liszt chosen to follow the career of the man in question. Liszt's personality can only be expressed by one word, "colossal. "

-Alfred Reisenauer (1863-1907), German pianist, composer, teacher and Liszt student.

Franz Liszt's influence on the nineteenth century was overwhelming and through his numerous students, his strong musical presence influenced piano