Franz Liszt’s Faith Journey Is Inspirational. Here’s Why.

When I learned about Franz Liszt in my music history classes during college and graduate school, his life was always accompanied with an emphasis on “Lisztomania” and the playboy lifestyle he adopted during his rise to fame. Yet in school I only ever heard a brief reference to the conversion he experienced and gradual 180 shift he made during his later years.

It wasn’t until after I’d finished grad school and was spending some time researching Catholic musicians that I discovered in far more detail the faith journey that Liszt took, culminating in how he spent his final years as a Franciscan who took minor orders. These final years of Liszt’s life are crucial to his story; and from a perspective of faith, I find his life to be remarkably inspiring.

From Party Boy to Altar Boy – no, literally.

When Lizst was a child, he wanted to be a priest. His father frowned on this, though, because of the immense musical talent he displayed. There was no way he’d let his boy become a priest – his future was to be a famous pianist.

And what a famous pianist he turned out to be.

I like to think of Franz Liszt as the 19th century version of Taylor Swift. Where we have Swifties today, “Lisztomania” swept Europe as the handsome pianist took the continent by storm. Roses and women’s undergarments were thrown onto the stage after he performed. And Liszt enjoyed the attention! He reveled in a playboy lifestyle, taking full advantage of all the worldly pleasures his fame afforded him.

And then he met a princess – a Catholic princess, who, in spite of being married, decided to enter into an adulterous affair with Liszt. Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein sought an annulment from her husband in order to marry Liszt, but the Catholic Church initially denied her one. And so she made the choice to live with Liszt as though they were married for years.

In spite of this, Carolyne tried to be as devout a Catholic as she could be. She loved to pray the rosary. And she continued to seek an annulment, which Pope Pius IX granted her after years of searching. Yet even then she and Liszt could not marry because church politics and inheritance issues got in the way. Ultimately, they separated.

However, Carolyne’s desire to practice her faith had an impact on Franz Liszt – so much so that he gradually made a return to the faith he loved as a boy. It took time, to be sure, and there was a great deal of struggle to let go of the life he was accustomed to living. But after his and Carolyne’s separation, he made the decision to go all in.

He entered a monastery outside Rome and took minor orders, which meant he could serve at the altar. His musical compositions began to be inspired by matters of faith – particularly the Passion and Death of Jesus. His Stabat Mater for piano displays a depth of understanding the juxtaposition of immense sorrow and tenderness the Blessed Mother must have felt watching her Son die upon the Cross. And his Via Crucis, one of his last works, is a beautiful and humbling musical depiction of the Stations of the Cross.

Persistence in Prayer

When I read about Franz Liszt’s life, I think of the parable of the persistent widow, from the Gospel of Luke:

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:1-8

The reason I think of this parable is because of its message of persistent prayer. If the unjust judge in the parable is finally won over by the persistence of the widow, then how much more does God – who is All-Just – find His Heart moved by our persistence?

Liszt faced many obstacles to faith in his own vices that he picked up along the road to fame. Yet the pure desires of the little boy won out in the end. He may not have been able to become a priest, as he once desired, but he was able to serve God at the altar through the minor orders he took. God saw Liszt’s struggles and attempts to turn his heart towards a life of faith, and He met him there with love and an abundance of grace.

An Inspiration for Those struggling to go to Christ

Franz Liszt struggled with vice. His conversion happened slowly. But what I find inspirational about his story is that he didn’t give up. He kept turning to Christ, even in spite of his struggles. And God gave him the graces to fully turn his heart to Him. It may have taken a long time, but it happened. And when it happened, Liszt was able to use his talents and fame to serve and glorify God in a significantly profound way.

We, too, can face obstacles – often in our own weakness and vices – when we seek to go to Christ. However, God meets us in those places and seeks to bring us freedom and healing. Our paths may be long and arduous, but God is faithful, and He will see us through.

God doesn’t abandon us to the wolves. We might freely leave God to go to the wolves, but God Himself is not going to toss us there and leave us hanging! He is always working for our salvation, even when we can’t feel it or see it.

As a musician, I’ve run up against many instances when I’ve felt stuck between a rock and a hard place with my faith, and sticking to my Catholic values. And if I’m being honest, there are plenty of times I’ve failed to do the right thing.

But when I look at Liszt’s life, it gives me hope – hope that I can integrate my gifts and talents for music with my Catholic faith in a professional, even secular setting.

And even more importantly, I find hope that it’s never too late to make a change in my life. It’s never too late to turn to Christ, even if I’ve found myself turning away. And it’s never too late to have an intimate relationship with God.