Bücher der Reihe The Collected Writings of Franz Liszt

During his early years, Franz Liszt worked as a traveling piano virtuoso, his adventures highlighted by his entrée into the literary world as a correspondent for the most popular French journals of his time. In this second volume of Janita Hall-Swadley's The Collected Writings of Franz Liszt, Liszt's work as a music essayist and journalist is on full display. In his essays, readers will see the influence of the revolutionary theories of Hugues-Felicité Robert de Lamennais, Victor Hugo, and François-René de Chateaubriand as Liszt boldly calls for social reforms on behalf of musicians and musical institutions, from demands for a repertoire of church music of divine praise to the timely publication of inexpensive music editions.

In Dramaturgical Leaves: Essays about Musical Works for the Stage and Queries about the Stage, Its Composers and Performers, the third volume in Janita R. Hall-Swadley's The Collected Writings of Franz Liszt, Liszt heralds his admiration for early nineteenth-century opera and musical stage works. Included are essays on Gluck's Orpheus, Beethoven's Fidelio, Weber's Euryanthe, Mendelssohn's Midsummer's Night Dream, Scribe and Meyerbeer's Robert the Devil, Schubert's Alfonso and Estrella, Auber's Mute from Portici, Bellini's Montague and Capulet, Boieldieu's White Lady, and Donizetti's Favorite as well as essays on soprano Pauline Viardot-Garcia and Liszt's critique of entr'acte music. This volume includes a detailed discussion of Liszt's impact as a musical patron, a historical review of entr'acte music, the role of gender in opera, and Liszt's concepts of Gestalt theory, the Archetype, and his musical Weltanschauung (his musical "world view"), all revealing his contribution to 19th-century music philosophy as it relates to opera.

This translation is the starting volume of Janita Hall-Swadley's The Collected Writings of Franz Liszt, the very first production of Liszt's entire literary collection in English. In Volume 1, Liszt provides insight into Chopin's early childhood and musical development, the cultural traditions and customs that inspired the polonaises and mazurkas, and the final days and hours of the composer before he died. It includes a thorough discussion of Liszt as an author and the tainted past that surrounded his writings beginning in the 1930s. Finally, a discussion of the professional and personal relationship between Chopin and Liszt is provided, making this volume a valuable addition to the study of both composers.

This volume completes the second half of Liszt's writings about stage works, its composers, and music drama. In this volume, Liszt focuses on the works of his most controversial devotee and son-in-law, Richard Wagner, whose music dramas Liszt championed as conductor during his tenure in Weimar.