Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum - catalogue

We faced a rewarding and at the same time difficult task when at the 175th anniversary of Liszt's birth and the 100th anniversary of his death, we finally had the long-desired opportunity to present his former home as a museum to the public. Dezső Legány, the most excellent expert of Liszt's activity in Hungary tells us in his essay what Liszt's home was like. The introduction to the guide of the very first Liszt memorial room by Kálmán Isoz (1925) and to the catalogue of the memorial rooms, many times rearranged, by Margit Prahács (1968) give valuable information on how we arrived at the realization of the museum.

The latest rearrangement (still in the Academy's building in Liszt Square, opened in 1907) was carried out by János Kárpáti, whose study about Liszt's pianos is printed in this catalogue. Thus, all the four devoted scholars who prepared the way for the museum are present. In their writings and the description of items, there are names of those who enriched the collection with valuable relics: Jenő Hubay and his descendants, Mrs. Félix Szinyei Merse (transmitting the estate of István Thomán), Vilma Varga (pupil of Liszt), Rudolf Brandt, and many other donors. Countless people have helped to track down authentic documents connected with Liszt, alerted us to important and unknown information or latent relics. The catalogue shows just the tip of the iceberg, but we are grateful to all who have advanced the cause of the museum.