Explores the political, social, philosophical and professional currents that influenced Franz Liszt's career as performer and composer.

Preface; Part I. People and Places: 1. Family background Adrienne Kaczmarczyk; 2. Teachers Paul Bertagnolli; 3. Paris Bryan Whitelaw; 4. Italy Anna Harwell Celenza; 5. Liszt and Wagner David Trippett; 6. The new German school James Deaville; 7. Weimar Joanne Cormac; 8. Liszt and his contemporaries Anne MacGregor; 9. Liszt in Hungary Lynn Hooker; Part II. Society thought and culture: 10. The 'War of the Romantics' David Larkin; 11. Visual art and artists Andrew Haringer; 12. Literature and literary heroes Jonathan Kregor; 13. Liszt, the women and the European salon culture of the nineteenth century Ulrike Müller; 14. Liszt as writer Dorothea Redepenning; 15. Patronage: the court Anna Harwell Celenza; 16. Liszt and the network of revolution Malou Haine and Bruno Moysan; 17. Liszt's national identity: What else is new? Shay Loya; 18. Liszt and religion Eftychia Papanikolaou; Part III. Performance and composition: 19. Pianos and piano builders Andrew Haringer; 20. Liszt on the road: The rise of the modern virtuoso pianist Christopher Gibbs; 21. Virtuosity Jonathan Kregor; 22. Improvisation Adrienne Kaczmarczyk; 23. Transcription Jonathan Kregor; 24. Liszt as conductor Donna M. Di Grazia; 25. Publishers Adrienne Kaczmarczyk; 26. Genre Joanne Cormac; Part IV. Reception and Legacy: 27. Pupils: Liszt as teacher Jonathan Kregor; 28. Critics James Deaville; 29. Lateness in context Shay Loya; 30. Liszt and the 20th and 21st centuries Dorothea Redepenning; 31. Life-writing Joanne Cormac; 32. Iconography Alan Davison; 33. Liszt in film Joanne Cormac; Index.