Dear Friends,
This past week, we celebrated Thanksgiving here in the U.S. This is traditionally a time to gather with friends and family, enjoy a big meal together, and take stock of what we are grateful for. This year, two of my international students celebrated the holiday with us, making it their first American Thanksgiving. If you are in the US, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday!
This month I have been reading the first volume of Alan Walker’s monumental three-volume biography of Liszt: Franz Liszt: The Virtuoso Years.​
As I’ve been reading, I’m struck by the network of people whose generosity made young Liszt’s path to fame and fortune possible at all.
When we think about Liszt, we usually picture him performing for adoring audiences, his pianistic and compositional powers at their peak. It’s easy to forget that a phenomenon like Liszt doesn’t just burst onto the world stage, fully formed. Many people were responsible for shepherding him through his young life.
Liszt’s father, Adam Liszt, was a major influence on him. He recognized his son’s gift and did everything within his power to give it the opportunity to blossom. This was not easy, as Adam worked as a sheep-herder in rural Hungary for Prince Esterházy. He had to beseech the prince to allow him to take a leave and move to Vienna with young Franz.
In Vienna, Czerny and Salieri became Liszt’s piano and composition teachers, respectively, and taught him free of charge. They could easily have said that they were too busy or that they needed to reserve their time for students who could pay, but instead they saw the potential in the boy and opened their doors to him.
After Vienna, Liszt continued to receive support from people around him. A prince stepped in to fund Liszt’s first tour. Various patrons and friends wrote letters on his behalf, made introductions, and opened doors for him.
Each of these individual acts of generosity signaled a desire to help a promising young musical talent who did not yet have the resources to pay for things himself.
Filtered through the lens of this Thanksgiving holiday, it seems that the history of music would look quite different if even a few of these people had been less generous.
If his father had not been so determined, or if his teachers had not decided to donate their time, or if the prince had turned a deaf ear to Liszt’s father’s requests, we would not have the Liszt we know today: composer of the B Minor Sonata, the Transcendental Etudes, the Years of Pilgrimage, the Hungarian Rhapsodies, and so many other treasures.
Liszt’s story makes me think about the culture of generosity that characterizes piano pedagogy, and music education in general. Many people are involved in making someone’s musical education possible.
In my own case, many acts of generosity helped me along my path: my parents’ support, teachers who invested long hours in my lessons, mentors who wrote letters for me and recommended me for opportunities. And, of course, friends and supporters who listened to me play and encouraged me to keep going.
I suspect that if you think back over your own musical journey, you might find a similar web of people who helped you along. Maybe you had parents who drove you to piano lessons, or an early teacher who made you feel challenged and fully accepted you for who you are. Or a friend or family member who urged you to keep going.
So, on the heels of Thanksgiving (and even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving yourself), this is a good season to pause for a moment and think of the teachers, relatives, and friends who all made your journey to the piano possible.
If one of those people is still in your life, maybe you can write them a short note or email saying: I’m thinking of you today, and I’m grateful for what you did for me.
If they are no longer with you, you might just sit down at the piano and play something with them in mind, as a way of acknowledging the part they played in your story.
And then, turn your attention outward: who can you encourage and support on their musical journey?
This week, as you return to your own teaching and practicing, I invite you to reflect on this double-sided question: who helped you get here, and who can you help take the next step?
In a season that can easily become hectic and rushed, it’s worth pausing to consider what generosity and gratitude look and feel like in the life of a musician.
Have a great week - and happy practicing! 👋
Kate