Francesco Esposito, «Liszt in reverse»: the difficult relationship of mid-nineteenth century Portuguese pianism to foreign models.

The study of the presence of foreign musicians in Nineteenth century Lisbon can reveal new data on their activities as well as provide a vantage point for understanding the musical life of the Portuguese capital. Such is the case with the controversy generated by Liszt’s visit to Portugal, which throws into relief some peculiar aspects of the musical system in Lisbon – namely the huge role played by its amateurs and, above all, the radicalised corporatism of its professional musicians. The self-referential system set up by the class of local musicians sought to play down the value and erase the traces of Liszt’s pianism, thereby preventing not only a comparison with the then-prevailing pianism of the city, but also an updating of the local pianistic school.
If elsewhere the presence of the Hungarian musician left behind ‘legions of pupils’ or at least pianists who were inspired by his model, none of this happened in Lisbon, where his sojourn in the city continued to be cited as a prestigious worldly event, but where, for many years, his pianism continued to be practically ignored.
The attitude of insecurity shown by the prevailing pianism of the capital also seems to be the source of isolation of those few Portuguese musicians who possessed up-to-date concert skills and a modern mentality. It may also explain the controversies that resulted when some of the other most renowned pianists of Europe, both before and after Liszt’s visit, likewise came to Lisbon.

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