another, arousing the most
extraordinary enthusiasm; his progress was one continued ovation. In 1849
he went to Weimar and accepted the post of conductor at the Court
Theatre. He made Weimar the musical centre of Europe. It was there that
his greatest compositions were written, that the school of the music of
the future was founded, and that Wagner's operas first gained an
unprejudiced hearing; and it is from Weimar that his distinguished
pupils, like Von Buelow, Tausig, Bendel, Bronsart, Klindworth,
Winterberger, Reubke, and many others date their success. In 1859 he
resigned his position, and after that time resided at Rome, Pesth, and
Weimar, working for the best interests of his beloved art, and
encouraging young musicians to reach the highest standards. Few men of
this century have had such a powerful influence upon music, or have done
so much to elevate and purify it. His most important works were the
"Divina Commedia" and "Faust" symphonies, the twelve symphonic poems, the
six Hungarian rhapsodies, the "Graner Mass," the "Hungarian Coronation
Mass," and the oratorios "Christus" and "The Legend of the Holy
Elizabeth." Besides these he wrote a large number of orchestral pieces,
songs, and cantatas, and a rich and varied collection of pianoforte
solos, transcriptions, and arrangements. He died July 31, 1886.

The Legend of the Holy Elizabeth.

The oratorio, "Legend of the Holy Elizabeth," was written in 1864, and
first produced Aug. 15, 1865, upon the occasion of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the Conservatory of Pesth-Ofen. The text is by Otto
Roquette, and was inspired by Moritz von Schwind's frescos at the
Wartburg representing scenes in the life of the saint. A brief allusion
to her history will still further elucidate the story which Liszt has
treated so powerfully. She was the daughter of King Andreas II. of
Hungary, and was born in 1207. At the age of four she was betrothed to
Ludwig, son of the Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia, whom she married in
1220. After his death, in 1227, she was driven from the Wartburg and
forced to give up the regency by her cruel and ambitious mother-in-law.
After long wanderings and many privations she retired to Bamberg, where
her uncle, the bishop, dwelt; but shortly afterwards her rights were
restored to her. She renounced them in favor of her son, Hermann II., and
died in 1231. Four years later she was canonized at Marpurg by order of
Pope Gregory