Franz Liszt's Travels Through the Kingdom of Hungary
The temporary exhibition is available until November 2025.
The aim of the Franz Liszt’s Travels Through the Kingdom of Hungary exhibition is to present the most important towns and places that played a significant role during Liszt’s short visits and extended stays in Hungary. The exhibition is divided by region; the introduction is followed by three showcases about Western Hungary, two about Southern Hungary while the last five cases focus on Budapest and its surroundings. Four out of the showcases here provide details about Liszt’s journey in Transylvania. Liszt’s most important works that are linked to Hungary, such as the Gran Mass, the Coronation Mass, the Legend of St. Elizabeth and the Hungarian Rhapsodies, have also been given a separate case, while the last showcase shows the different travelling opportunities available to Liszt.
Franz Liszt’s visits to Hungary were always significant cultural, social, and political events. He spent his childhood years in his native country (1811–1823) and later lived in Vienna, Paris, and various cities in Western Europe. In 1838, while in Venice, Liszt heard about the tragic floods in Pest, which awakened his patriotic feelings and prompted him to give a charity concert in Vienna for the benefit of the victims. In 1839, sixteen years after leaving his homeland, he was delighted to return to Pest-Buda after receiving an invitation from a Hungarian delegation. This visit was a turning point in Liszt’s relationship with Hungary. At the turn of 1839/1840, he received a warm welcome during the short and successful month he spent in Hungary. The visit exceeded all expectations: he established relationships that lasted for decades with all social classes, especially with the Hungarian aristocracy, the wealthier middle class and important figures in the musical life of the time.
He visited Hungary less frequently before the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, but all of these rare visits were a defining event in Liszt’s life. In 1846, he made a national tour, while in 1848, he spent a few days in the western part of the country. In 1856, Liszt arrived in the country for the premier of the Gran Mass. In 1858, he conducted his Mass and was ordained a Franciscan Confrater. In 1865, on the 25th anniversary of the National Music School – which he had helped to establish with his donations – he conducted the Legend of St. Elizabeth at the Vigadó. In 1867, he came to Pest-Buda for the premiere of the Hungarian Coronation Mass composed for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph I as king of Hungary. After 1869, and especially from the foundation of the National Hungarian Royal Academy of Music in 1875 until his death in 1886, his stays in Hungary are no longer considered as visits, since Budapest, along with Weimar and Rome, became his third home. In the period between 1839 and 1886, Liszt’s network constantly expanded, and he became acquainted with many of the leading families of the Hungarian nobility, as well as churchmen, intellectuals, and musicians. His acquaintances influenced his relationship with Hungary for many decades, and an extensive series of letters has been left behind for the future. In addition to those already mentioned, almost all of his compositions with a Hungarian theme were created in connection with these people and his visits.
The exhibition presents Liszt’s fascinating travels throughout Hungary. As he spent most of his time in Hungary after the Compromise of 1867, the cases focus primarily on his travels within the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary in the strict sense, and therefore this exhibition does not include his visits to the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.
The exhibition could not have been realized without the support of the Liszt Museum Foundation and the Péter Horváth Stiftung.
