“Who Knew” a composer of the 19th century could be such an inspiration and a “Superstar” for all of us artists today!
I was at a concert lecture about the composer Franz Liszt. The pianist played Franz Liszt’s music and told the story of Franz Liszt and his passion for music.
What impressed me was the music. It was classical and it was a new form of classical music in Franz Liszt’s day. In composing, he was thinking outside the box of music in his day. He was able to reach out to others, became an inspiring influence all around Europe and became a classical music “superstar” without any modern day devises like recordings, or radio or internet. He was able to reach people and an audience in a way that no other musician has ever been able to do.
Franz List: Franz Liszt was a classical music’s first “Superstar” and perhaps the most charismatic virtuoso pianist of the 19th century. His performances were legendary as women fought over his silk handkerchiefs and velvet gloves, raising the mood of his audiences to a level of mystical ecstasy. His unparalleled fame and notoriety eclipsed those who came before him as well as his contemporaries. Liszt revolutionized the art of piano playing and created the concert recital format that we recognize today. He was also an innovative composer and generous benefactor to the social and musical causes of his generation Franz Liszt’s influence on present day performers and composers is still being felt.
While I was at the concert lecture, I could not help but see how this related to me and my art. I thought about who revolutionized the hair industry and changed the idea of what my industry saw from the classics. I came up with Vidal Sassoon. He revolutionized the hair world in the 60’s and took us into a new form of cutting and styling. Vidal is now 87 years old and just as engrossed in the industry as when he first started and he never fell out of love with his true passion.
What I was comparing in my own mind was how both men rose to an incredible “Superstardom.” Coming from a place full of creativity, the love and the passion for what they could do to get themselves out there. Their love of educating people and for us to see and feel their work is to have a mystical ecstasy, if you will, within the embodiment of their work.
Now I will admit Sassoon had T.V. and media to show off his work and eventually schools to teach his work to others and to educate but Franz Liszt had to show his embodiment of his work in a different way without all the modern media from the 21st century. What Franz Liszt did was to set up concert performances all through Europe and to do three concerts in a row. Every concert night, he played different music that he had composed so that everyone could hear his body of work.
That really got me, in my artist soul, to know that a composer such as Franz Liszt would want to take the time, energy and effort to inspire an audience that may never be able to hear that music again. Within that three days of playing, he gave the audience his true passion for the art of music and gave them all of his passion for the music which expressed his innermost feeling which brought the audience to an almost a mystical ecstasy. In listening to his music, you can truly feel what moved his audience in the 19th century. He broke the rules of classical music and reconstructed music in a whole new way. No wonder he became a “Superstar” of his day. It was through his passion that exuded passion for others.
Have you ever tossed a pebble into a pond? Passion is like that pattern of ripples. Your successful ripples make a wide circle. You will see the waves from the stone expand out through the water. It is just the same with Franz Liszt and Vidal Sassoon. They threw their stones into a classic glass box and shattered it. Both became superstars of their time and in their own world of art.
I see it within myself, when I immures myself in the love and passion of what I do within my area of life, if it feels good to me or makes me want to share or to help inspire other people through my art . For me, it is the contrast of getting there. It is the experience that can take you to a height similar to what Liszt and Sassoon exude. It is all about that first haircut and the learning of the techniques of the great masters of my industry which makes me be able to toss that stone into a pond, shatter that glass box ,see around me and become that “Superstar” expanding out for others to see.
What is the “superstar” inside of you? The “superstar” that you would like the world to see or for you to become aware of? What is your gift? Where would you like to take your own personal journey or self?
Who is it that inspires you? Is it a superstar from today or from the past? Is it someone who can make you see and feel what they have seen and felt?
Franz Liszt can still inspire others today. Check out his music. I am sure that he is on Google, or you can hear his music from ITunes or any web or Radio station, how ironic is that.
Marc Tolliver, LCE Awareness Coach/Life Coach/Educator
http://lifecreationsedu.com/aboutMarc.html
