Wilhelm von Lenz was a a personal acquaintance of the famous romantic composers of the mid 19th century. His accounts tell us how the author experienced and evaluated the lives and careers of Franz Liszt, Fréderic Chopin, Carl Tausig and Adolf von Henselt.

A classic of piano literature, first published in German in 1872, with the first English edition appearing in New York in 1899. Wilhelm von Lenz, pupil and friend of both Liszt and Chopin and who also knew Tausig, Henselt and Cramer, provides unique, intimate portraits of these legendary musicians, reminding us that they were not only musical geniuses but very human. One is enthralled by his description of his first meeting with Liszt and his attempt to play on Liszt¿s specially prepared practice piano; his experiences with Chopin and his disastrous introduction to George Sand; by his meetings with the aged and almost forgotten Cramer and with the fiery Carl Tausig, Liszt¿s favorite pupil; and his account of Henselt, who gave but 3 concerts in 33 years. Illus.

Excerpt from The Great Piano Virtuosos of Our Time From Personal Acquaintance: Liszt, Chopin, Tausig, Henselt All the great pianists of the first half of the century, were personally known to me: Field, Hummel, Moscheles, Kalkbrenner. From the school which we now already call "old" (excluding Field, who went his own peculiar way), a school which, if not founded by Hummel, was at least essentially influenced by him, I came to the new era of the pianoforte, to Liszt and Chopin. Liszt is a phenomenon of universal musical virtuosity, such as had never before been known: not simply a pianistic wonder. Liszt is a phenomenon spreading over the whole domain of musical production, and creating a universal standard of comparison. Liszt does not merely play piano; he tells, at the piano, the story of his own destiny, which is closely linked to, and reflects, the progress of our time. Liszt is a latent history of the keyboard, himself its crowning glory. To him the piano becomes an approximate expression of his high mental cultivation, of his views, of his faith and being. What does piano-playing matter to him! About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Practicing Music by Design: Historic Virtuosi on Peak Performance explores pedagogical practices for achieving expert skill in performance. It is an account of the relationship between historic practices and modern research, examining the defining characteristics and applications of eight common components of practice from the perspectives of performing artists, master teachers, and scientists. The author presents research past and present designed to help musicians understand the abstract principles behind the concepts. After studying Practicing Music by Design, students and performers will be able to identify areas in their practice that prevent them from developing. The tenets articulated here are universal, not instrument-specific, borne of modern research and the methods of legendary virtuosi and teachers. Those figures discussed include: Luminaries Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin Renowned performers Anton Rubinstein, Mark Hambourg, Ignace Paderewski, and Sergei Rachmaninoff Extraordinary teachers Theodor Leschetizky, Rafael Joseffy, Leopold Auer, Carl Flesch, and Ivan Galamian Lesser-known musicians who wrote perceptively on the subject, such as violinists Frank Thistleton, Rowsby Woof, Achille Rivarde, and Sydney Robjohns Practicing Music by Design forges old with new connections between research and practice, outlining the practice practices of some of the most virtuosic concert performers in history while ultimately addressing the question: How does all this work to make for better musicians and artists?