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Franz Liszt was a Great Romantic Composer

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According to De Portales, Liszt had a struggle in himself between the virtuoso and the composer and he knew that he had to choose. He chose to go with the composer and in 1847 his virtuoso career was over (De Portales 111-112). Another reason he made the choice was that in 1847 Liszt once again fell in love upon meeting a princess, named Carolyne Sayn- Wittgenstein, in Kiev. She gave him a large sum of money after a charity concert and he deeply desired to meet her to thank her (De Pourtales 117). They met and fell in love. In 1848, after knowing each other for a couple of months they went back to Weimar together, even though she was married to another man (De Pourtales 121-122). Liszt accepted a job at the Grand Duke of Weimar’s court and became the Kapellmeister in Weimar and also the conductor (Perenyi 238, Kamien 238). This even though it by the romantic era was more normal for musicians to be independent (“Liszt, Franz”). His reason was not because he needed money, he was the first pianist performer who could support himself by doing what he did, he wanted to start composing (Franz Liszt). He stayed at his position in Weimar from 1848 until 1861 (“Liszt, Franz”). His new orchestra one of the first in Germany (De Portales (114). He managed to make the orchestra bigger and to obtain more skilled players. He made sure to give them better pay and better pensions. The orchestra had 45 members (“Liszt, Franz”), which was a normal size for a romantic orchestra

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