Franz Liszt Touring the Romanian Principalities

In 1846, pianist and composer Franz Liszt started his last grand European tour in the southeast of the continent

Christine Leșcu, 09.07.2022, 14:00

In 1846, pianist and composer Franz Liszt, already a world celebrity at that point, started his last grand European tour in the southeast of the continent. He held recitals in many cities, among them Vienna, Sibiu, Bucharest, Iasi, Cernauti, Istanbul, and finally Odessa, wrapping up his tour in Czarist Russia.

In December 1846, he landed in Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia, where he was hosted by the grand boyar Mihai Ghica. In January 1847 he held a recital in the palace of Prince Gheorghe Bibescu. In Bucharest, the cosmopolitan musician found a special kind of society, hospitable and curious, which was still navigating the dividing line between the Orient that had been the basis of local culture, and the West, whose ways the local elites were starting to adopt.

The elites, meaning the old nobility and the nascent bourgeoisie, had started to modernize, and their children were already Western educated, and were starting to be seen as individuals, not simply miniature inheritors of their parents’ traditions.

Nicoleta Roman, a historian specializing in the 19th century, spoke to us about the ways in which artistic tastes and education of children in the Romanian Principalities in the early 19th century:

Nicoleta Roman: In the 18th century we see these kids in votive paintings wearing pretty much the same clothing as their parents, just at a smaller scale. Which is why votive paintings are a great source for studying the appearance of elite children. Then there is the way in which they were educated, mostly at home. In late 18th century, these were mostly of Greek extraction, due to the presence of the Phanariote rule, but, as we transition into the 19th century, the teachers are mostly French, and some were German, even English. These teachers bring in Western culture to Eastern Europe and the Romanian Principalities, and the parents seek to strike a balance between these influences. Then there is the bourgeoisie taking shape at the time, mainly traders, who are striving to imitate what they see in noble families. Which means they invest in their children, in their education, or veneer of education. This is what differentiates the offspring of noble and bourgeois families from peasant children.

The change of the education paradigm also reflects in artistic tastes. Which is why such and excellent representative of Western music as Franz Liszt enjoyed such huge success in Bucharest and in Iasi, the capital of Moldavia. He went there in January 1847, staying in the home of treasury keeper Alecu Bals. There he held a recital, and for that he was brought from Paris an Erard piano. This type of professional instruments were not available in the Principalities at the time. Publications of the time, with articles written by young intellectuals that were about to take part in the 1848 revolution, fighting for the modernization of the country, featured many enthusiastic articles about Liszt.

At the same time, the great artist took full advantage of his tour, learning about Romanian folk music and meeting local composers, such as the one who wrote the anthem for the union of the Principalities in 1859.

Nicoleta Roman:

I loved Liszt because he went all over Southeast Europe, and had the resilience to get through a very busy concert schedule. This was admirable for that time, because he was almost 40 years old. This series of concerts in Southeast Europe was the last of his grand tours, and I see him as the artist who best embodies this meeting between West and East. He was a true product of Western culture, but his origins helped understand Southeast Europe. He did not exclude the local element in his concerts, and we see him collaborating with composer Alexandru Flecthenmacher, and other personalities over here.

As a great collector of Southeast European folklore, which he used in his compositions, Franz Liszt had the opportunity to listen to famous traditional composers and interpreters, such as Barbu Lautaru, whose last name is actually a nickname, meaning ‘traditional urban player’. In fact, Liszt, as he was unconcerned with making money, knew how to draw in both rich and poor audiences.

Nicoleta Roman:

We could say he had stage star behavior. He knew who he was, and what he needed to be successful. His style and his way of playing could pull at the heartstrings of every nobleman, and even the Sultan, because he also played in Constantinople. He could also touch the hearts of less wealthy people. That is the reason he was in such high demand, because by the time he came here, in 1846-1847, he knew how to put on a great show. He had resounding fame everywhere, and he could fill any room. He played for the elites, but he also held free concerts, for the less wealthy.





When he left Iasi, he made a short stopover in the Danube port of Galati, then went on to go to Istanbul, ending the tour in Odessa.