Letter from Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in autographed ink, signed in French

Franz Liszt, 1811-1886 is a world-famous Hungarian composer, an autographed, ink-written letter of one of the most outstanding pianists of all time to his confidential friend, spiritual father Hugues-Félicité Robert de Lamennais (1782-1854), French Catholic priest, French Catholic abbe of an outstanding figure of the French intelligentsia, an early representative of Catholic liberalism. In his letter, he discusses two of his recently written choral works. One is Le Forgeron (The Blacksmith), written in a poem by Lamennais abbé. He announces that he would like to perform the work with three choirs and also take part in rehearsals in person. He will soon travel to Bonn to inaugurate the Beethoven Monument (the cost of which was borne by Liszt), where he will perform the First Beethoven Cantata written for the occasion. Marseille, 28 April 1845.  2 letters 3.5 pages entered. (155 x 214 mm.) Leaf carefully restored along previous shoots.

Lamennais abbé La Chênaie’s home was a Mecca for intellectuals, his thoughts on freedom of conscience and universal suffrage. Romantics like Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Sainte-Beuve and George Sand were also followers. In 1834 Liszt made a three-week pilgrimage to La Chênaie, where theology and art were spoken to by the “Breton saint,” as he was called. Liszt even accompanied the priest’s meditations on the piano as he spoke. He also wrote his mourning for his son’s death, the ode of Le morts, for the poem Lamennais abbé. BCharacteristic of their intimate friendship is that in 1835 Liszt informed Lamennais that he would leave Paris and settle in Geneva with his love, the married Countess Marie d’Agoult. In another letter in 1845, Liszt wrote to Abbe about his Hungarianness and that his children were also Hungarian citizens.