Many musicologists regard Franz Liszt as the greatest pianist of all time. Anyone who has tried to play the music of List would not disagree. Liszt was music’s first superstar; he was to the 19th-century what Elvis and The Beatles were to the 20th. Following concerts all over Europe, Liszt took home many treasures: roses, jewelry, women’s underwear, etc. In his later years, when the great pianist/composer led a more subdued live, teaching and living in Weimar, Germany, Liszt developed his share of maladies. Whenever asked “How are you feeling,” his reply was as follows: “My health is not a worthy topic of conversation.”
Liszt was right, when someone has a sickness or disease, every conversation begins and ends ruminating that person’s sickness or disease. Liszt would abruptly discourage such conversations; he remained a man of the world and for all seasons until his death.
Michael's Corner 
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