Visiting Franz Liszt at his home in Sugár Avenue

Upon entering Franz Liszt’s former home at the Academy of Music, visitors are immediately struck by the spirit of the master, conveyed through his personal belongings, instruments, and the various portraits hanging on the walls.

How did he live here? How were the rooms arranged between January 1881 and April 1886, when Liszt actually lived within these walls? We have made an attempt to reconstruct what the neighborhood and the building looked like in the 1880s, when Liszt moved in. The exhibition shows who and how prepared the service apartment for him as described in one of his letters.

József Rippl-Rónai: Liszt Ferenc portrait (Liszt Museum)

We also have a picture of his daily routine. His daily activity included praying, composing, teaching, tending to official duties, correspondence, taking care of his students and engaging in everyday conversations with his guests and fellow professors. He often welcomed prestigious guests, organized soirées and intimate whist-parties with friends, during which they often consumed a bottle of fine cognac. Instrument makers, publishers, musician friends, owners of the visiting cards left behind and people from descriptions and letters come to life in our exhibition.

The building of the Old Academy of Music,1883

We also offer a closer look at the social life of the time by taking our audience into Liszt’s own salon and the adjoining chamber hall. The memories of contemporaries, guests, and students recall some of the exceptional moments from the life of the old master living in Budapest. These recollections allow us to look at Liszt as a teacher and as a dedicated president fighting to promote and improve the Academy. Liszt in Budapest was known as a cordial host, a composer working hard on completing some of his compositions, an abbé in deep devotion, the pianist meeting with fellow musicians for chamber music and living an overall joyful life socializing as a passionate card player with the wish to win.

Exhibition Album of Hungarian Composers, 1885 (Liszt Museum)

Budapest, 25 August 2020

Zsuzsanna Domokos

The exhibition is presented in Prezi. You can navigate through the paragraphs using the navigation buttons, the Space bar, or the arrow at the bottom of the screen. You can also use the mouse to override the default sequence, reposition any section, and zoom in or out using the scroll wheel.

Follow the links below to view the virtual exhibition, and enjoy browsing!

Section 1 – Academy of Music on Sugar street

Section 2 – Furniture, Liszt's everyday life in Budapest

Sections 3-4 – Compositions written in Liszt’s home at the Avenue

Section 5 – Count Géza Zichy

Section 6 – Liszt's visitors – Owners of visiting cards

Section 7 – The most important social scene: drawing-rooms

Section 8 – Franz Liszt’s friends and colleagues at the Academy of Music: I. János Verebi Végh Vice President

Section 9 – Liszt’s fellow professors at the Academy

Section 10 – Franz Liszt’s Hungarian students - I

Section 11 – Franz Liszt’s Hungarian students - II

Section 12 – Ferenc Liszt and the Pulszky family