Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/323

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UTANT 286 LXTANT

titles of nobility and decorations on bim ; universities my youth, i*d well as witb the development that my honoured him with academic degrees; cities vied with work of musical composition has taken during the last one another in granting him their freedom; audiences four years" (La Mara, " Letters of Franz Liszt", New were thrilled as if by an hypnotic influence; public York, 1894, II, 100). His career of twenty-one yeara demonstrations, torchlight processions, poetic greet- as an abbd was most exemplary and edifying. Func- ings met him in all directions and made him the ob- tilious as he was in the penormance of his ecclesiasti- ject of a hero-worship, that has seldom, if ever, fallen to cal duties, his interest in art continued unabated. His the lot of any other artist. In all these intoxicating piano pupils followed him on his casual wanderings; triumphs, he never lost his mental equipoise. His contemporaneous art was not neglected, but above all remunerative concerts allowed him means to make the old ecclesiastical masters and the new movement generous provision for his mother and children. His for the restoration of liturgical music, represented by purse was open, his services at the disposal of every the Cudlienverein, found a devoted, enthusiastic, and i^peal of philanthropy. No aspiring talent ever in- generous supporter in him. His own larger ecclesi- voked his encouragement, no deserving charity ever astical compositions, though no doubt unwittin^y appealed to his aid, in vain. The princely contribu- deviating from strict liturgical rec^uirements, are nev- tion to the sufferers of the Danube inundation at ertheless imbued with deep, religious sentiment. It Pesth (1837), and the completion of the Beethoven was while attending the marriage of his granddaugh- monument at Bonn (1845), are but two striking ter, and coincidentally the Parsifal" performances at examples. Having reached the pinnacle of success Bayreuth, that, after'receiving the rites of the Church, and fame as a pianist, he now concluded to abandon he succumbed to an acute attack of pneumonia at th^ the career of a virtuoso, to devote his time and energy home of a friend, near Wagner's Villa Wahnfried. His to creative work and the public fostering of higher wish, expressed in a letter (La Mara, I, 439) breath- musical ideals. ing the most loyal devotion to the Church and humble His twelve years at Weimar (1849-61), where he as- gratitude to God, to be buried without pomp or dis- sumed the proffered position of court conductor, were play, where he died, was carried out by mtening him years of devoted, unselfish, and intensive activity, m the Bayreuth cemetery. His indefatigable supervision of the court concerts and Schiluno, Fram Liszt. Sein Leben u. Werke (Stuttgart,

operatic performances brought them to a perfection V£St ???^ ^^"^iiHf^ (London. 1887); Beaufort. The

rt 1 ATi ^^^^iV^ • • 1 X «^ » i^» ^^^^'vmw** Abb6 lAsxt (LondoQ, 1886): MtLLER, Franz Lxazt (Erlancen.

that made the small provmcial town of Weimar syn- 1886); Raman, Fram Liszt, A rtisl and Man (2 vols., London,

onymous with the highest achievements in tonal art. 1882), only reaches 1840; Nohl, Life ofLutzt (Chicago. 1888);

His gratuitous guidance and encouragement of talented Jj^ ^^^' Mutikalisfe Studienkopfe Of ipaiic. 1888). For a

,° I 'x- * . ., •^'^r "6^"«^»*vv» v»u.ui^ thematic catalogue of compositions and for his literary works,

and ambitious piano pupils raised the standard of aee Grove, Dirt. o/AffmcandA/ti«trian« (New York. 1908), s. v.;

pianoforte playing to a height never before attained, 'or criticism of Liszt as a pianist. Grove, loc. dt.; von Lens,

and Createda specific school of most brilliant virtuosos. Die prosaen Piano ViHuosm (BcrUn. 1872), 1-19; Fay, Music

»uv<x.m^»A^v.» h~^ ^o*.«vrv»v.» v»> v .^a .tu«»uv T u vu^A^vfo. gf^y ^^ Qfrmany (C!hica«;o. 1881), 205-2/2. For cntical re-

Durmg tms penod he also gave the world a senes of view and appraisement of his compositions: Grove, Mendel,

notable piano compositions, and even moi^ notable Mueikaliechea Convereationalexikon, VI (Berlin, 1876), 354-7;

choral and orchestral works, that have made their ^4?*^* ^^Vt ^'^^^}i ^«^7'«7»«^"»{T. (f«jP»i«,' l*g»>- ^o^"

j ^ wv,**™**** wTvin^, v»»«w A«»T^ uxavt^ vu^^ ^^1^ ^j^ j^ Maba, Letters of Fram Ltazt (2 vols.. New York,

rounds through the musical world. As he was the 1894); Hueffer, Correspondence of Wagner and Liezt (1841-

originator of the "piano recital", so now he became 1861) (2 vob., New York, 1889).

the creator of a new orchestral form, the "symphonic H. G. Ganss. poem", which, as a tvpe of programme music, has

found a universal adoption. While directing the Utany (Lat. litania, Utdniay from Gr. Xir^, prayer

destinies of the Weimar musical world, he not only be- or supplication), a well-known and much aopreciated

came a daring pioneer in placing on its concert plat- form of responsive petition, used in public litur-

form and operatic stage the neglected masterpieces gical services, and in private devotions, for common

of classical art, but tried the more venturesome necessities of the CJhurch, or in calamities — ^to im-

experiment of introducing the most meritorious works plore God's aid or to appease His just wrath. This

of contemporary composers. Wagner forms a con- form of prayer finds its model m Psalm cxxxv:

spicuous example of his courageous propaganda. His "Praise the Lord, for he is eood: for his mercy en-

(Uiampionship of the great dramatic composer in con- dureth for ever. Praise ye the God of gods . . . the

versation and writing and by the production of his Lord of lords . . . Who alone doth ereat wonders

operas, not to allude to financial support (and all this . . . Who made the heavens", etc., with the conclud-

in the face of vehement protest and demonstrative ing words in eatjh verse, "for his mercy endureth for

antipathy), did more to advance that master's theories ever." Similar is the canticle of praise by the youths

and compositions and to give him a status in the world in the fiery furnace (Dan., iii, 57-87), with the re-

of art than all other agencies. sponse, 'Upraise and exalt him above all for ever."

It was an act of the same progressive intrepidity. In the Mass of the Oriental Church we find several

meeting with public manifestations of protest at the litanies in use even at the present day. Towards the

S3rf ormance of an opera of one of his pupils (" The end of the Mass of the catechumens the deacon asks

arber of Bagdad" by Peter Cornelius), tnat caused all to pray; he formulates the petitions, and all an-

him to resign his position as court conductor. After swer "Kyrie Eleison". When the catechumens have

his resignation (1861) he lived in turn at Rome, Buda- departed, the deacon asks the prayers: for the peace

pest, and Weimar. Religion which, in spite of his and welfare of the world, for the Holy, Catholic, and

earlier associations, was only temporarily over- Aix)stolic Church, for the bishops and priests, for the

shadowed, had for several years been again playing an sick, for those who have gone astray, etc., to each of

active part in his life. As early as 1856 or 1858 he be- which petitions the faithful answer " Kyrie Eleison",

came a Franciscan tertiary. The failure of the Prin- or " Grant us, O Lord", or " We beseech Thee." The

cess Caroline von Sayn- Wittgenstein, a most estimable litany is concluded by the words, " Save us, restore us

lady whose influence over him was most potent for again, O Lord, by Thy mercy." The last petitions in

good, to secure a dispensation to marry nim, only our Litany of the Saints, with the resix)nse8 Deliver

brought his religious designs to a more definite point, us, O Lord" and " We beseech Thee hear us", show a

He received minor orders from Cardinal Hohenlohe in great resemblance to the Mass Litany of the Greek

his private chapel at the Vatican on 25 April, 1866. Church. In the Ambrosian or Milanese Rite two lit-

This he did, " convinced that this act would strengthen anies are recited on the Sundays of Lent instead of the

n»«» in the right road", and therefore he " accomplished " Gloria in excelsis ". In the Stowe Missal a litany is

JL without effort, in all simplicity and uprightness of inserted l^etween the Epistle and Gospel (Duchesne,

intention", and as agreeing "with the antecedents of "Christian Worship", London, 1904, 190). The Ro-