A number of other Liszt pupils, all celebrated piano virtuosos in their own right, did,
however, make recordings of piano works by Liszt. Recording mediums (apart from wax
cylinders) consisted of reproducing piano rolls on the one hand and of discs (acoustic
discs and, later, electrically recorded discs) on the other. Discs developed from 78s into
LPs and CDs, but rolls and the reproducing pianos on which they were played, although
popular in the first three decades of the twentieth century, fell into disuse from about
1930.
We are examining the historical legacy of recordings of Franz Liszt’s piano works played
by his pupils. We are concerned only with reproducing piano roll recordings and are not
here concerned with recordings on disc.
It is not known exactly how many pianists went to Weimar, Budapest and Rome to be
taught by Liszt. Carl von Lachmund names more than three hundred. Many attended
one or more masterclasses as a listener. Others performed at masterclasses and a few
were given private lessons. So good-natured was Liszt that he allowed many pianists to
visit him knowing that they did this so that they could later describe themselves as ‘Liszt
pupils’.
Anton Rubinstein (1829-1904) was a close friend and musical colleague of Liszt but was
not a pupil. They represented somewhat different musical traditions, although Liszt
greatly admired Anton Rubinstein’s playing of Liszt’s own works. He did not survive
into the recording era.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was a close friend and musical colleague of Liszt but
was not a pupil. A number of his reproducing piano roll recordings of his own works are
in the collection of Denis Condon of Newtown, Sydney.
Vladimir de Pachmann (1848-1933) met Liszt several times but was not a pupil. Liszt
greatly admired his playing, especially of Chopin’s works. They heard each other play
Liszt’s piano works on several occasions. His 1906 Welte roll of Liszt’s La Leggierezza
(The Lightness) is in Denis Condon’s collection.
Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924) met Liszt at fairly regular intervals during the 1870s and
1880s and often travelled down to Weimar to mix in Liszt’s circle. He attended Liszt’s
masterclasses at Weimar in 1884 but does not seem to have performed at them. He is
sometimes described as a Liszt pupil.
His Welte roll of Liszt’s Ricordanza (Remembrance) is in Denis Condon’s collection.
Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) played for Liszt on 16 March 1873 when he was seven but
was never a pupil. He became a celebrated Liszt scholar and pianist and his playing of
Liszt’s works met with the approval of Liszt pupil Arthur Friedheim. His rolls of Liszt’s
Gnömenreigen and Feux Follets are in Denis Condon’s collection.
The following are 39 of Liszt’s most significant pupils, including all pupils who recorded
his piano works on disc or roll or both: