Virtuoso Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was a cosmopolitan Parisian, an international virtuoso, a Hungarian national music composer, and a German classical artist.
In addition, he was a composer who, as a mainstream Romantic artist in Western Europe, brought up 19th-century Hungarian gypsy-style music in a 'bottom-up' manner.
Therefore, he can be evaluated as an artist who crossed the boundaries between Western European art music and Hungarian popular music, and traversed Western European and Central and Eastern European cultures.
He also participated in the combination of Hungarian nationalism and religious reform, making 'Liszt's Hungary' a colorful intersection.
List's 'Hungarian' identity, as discussed in this book, was revealed through various events and activities throughout his life.
His patriotic sentiments, awakened by the plague floods, reached their climax during his official visit to Hungary.
The series of works related to Hungarian Gypsy style music that followed went beyond mere superficial borrowing from Gypsy music and reflected deep affection and learning.
The nationalist controversy surrounding Rist's book on Gypsies has paradoxically shaken his Hungarian identity while also strengthening it.
Moreover, his Hungarian-related religious music was a fusion of Hungarian Catholic and nationalist ideas.
His later contributions to the development of Hungarian cultural and musical institutions were an expression of his enduring patriotism for his homeland.
In the early 20th century, as the question of List's Hungarian identity resurfaced, Bartók attempted to quell the debate.
I would like to conclude this book's journey with Bartók's assertion that List is definitely recognized and accepted as Hungarian.