Franz Liszt was one of many classical composers. In some
ways, he can be compared to a modern rock and roll star. Franz
Liszt was born in Raiding, Hungary, on October 22, 1811. Much
like Mozart, he was a very great piano player at a very young
age. Liszt composed an opera called Don Sancho at the age of
fourteen. Professionals of Liszt’s time thought that he was only
a genius with the piano, which was not enough to give his ideas
the great recognition they deserved. Many people thought that
Liszt was “a mover and a shaker, a rebel, chased women, and had
much talent and personality.”
He had invented the solo recital. When Liszt had a concert,
he usually played his own music and came out wearing decorations
hanging on chains, which was unusual for his time. For two years
Liszt was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. In some ways he
was much like Kurt Cobain, the late lead singer of the rock band
Nirvana. Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen,
Washington. He was passed on to several relatives after his
parents divorced when he was eight years old. For some time he
even lived under a bridge and was hospitalized for a heroin
addiction. It was not entirely unexpected that Cobain committed
suicide. He had had entered a coma by overdosing on a mixture of
champagne and tranquilizers on March 4. Also, Kurt’s family
history showed that two of his father’s uncles committed suicide,
along with the fact that there were a lot of dysfunctional
marriages and alcoholism present. During a concert, Kurt would
jerk around as if he was being electrocuted. After his death, the
sale of Nirvana memorabilia increased dramatically.
As you can see, both Franz Liszt and Kurt Cobain have some
characteristics in common. They had both been hospitalized for an
illness. However, one was physical while the other was mental.
Both had unusual concert styles. Like many classical composers,
Kurt was not truly appreciated until his death, as shown by the
fact that the sale of Nirvana memorabilia increased.
WORKS CITED
Dougherty, Steve, “No Way Out.” People Weekly April 25 1994. Pg.
38
Goulding, Phil G. Classical Music New York: Fawcett Columbine,
1992
Rosen, Craig, “Cobain death spurs rush at retail; biz talk turns
to bands unreleased work.” Billboard April 23 1994. Pg. 9
Schoenberg, Harold C. The Lives of the Great Composers. New York,
London: WW Norton ; CO., 1981
Seidenberg, Robert, “The Day the Demons Won.” Entertainment
Weekly April 7 1995. Pg. 108
