Karl Tausig (sometimes "Carl"; born Karol Tausig; 4 November 1841 – 17 July 1871) was a Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger, and composer. He is widely regarded as Franz Liszt's greatest pupil and one of the greatest pianists of all time. Today, he is mostly remembered for transcriptions for piano, in particular of works by J.S. Bach, as well as his piano exercises.
Tausig was born in Warsaw to Jewish parents and received his first piano lessons from his father, pianist and composer Aloys Tausig (1820–1885), a student of Sigismond Thalberg. His father introduced him to Franz Liszt in Weimar, where he studied under Liszt for four years. He quickly became one of Liszt's favorite pupils, traveling with him on concert tours and studying counterpoint, composition, and orchestration in addition to his piano lessons. He even took on one of Liszt's students, Regina Watson, as his own pupil. At the age of 16, he met Richard Wagner, of whom he became a devoted follower and friend. He made piano arrangements of many of Wagner's operas. He also introduced Wagner to his friend Peter Cornelius, another Wagner devotee. While he also became a great admirer and friend of the conservative Beethoven follower Johannes Brahms, Tausig became one of the stanchest champions of the "music of the future" and the New Weimar School founded by Liszt. He single-handedly raised the money to build the Bayreuth Theater for performances of Wagner's operas.
In 1858, Tausig made his debut in Berlin at a concert conducted by Hans von Bülow. While some critics admired his technical feats at the keyboard, others found his playing noisy and overbearing. Even some who were more accommodating of Tausig's "Lisztian eccentricities" felt he would play better as he matured. Tausig toured through various German towns in 1859–60, making Dresden his base. He moved to Vienna in 1862; there he gave concerts of modern orchestral music, including some of his own symphonic poems. These concerts were only partially successful artistically and a failure financially.
After staying out of public view for a few years, in 1864 he married pianist Seraphine von Vrabely (1841–1931), but divorced her soon after. The following year he had settled in Berlin and resumed concertizing. In 1866 with two others he opened a school for virtuoso pianists "Schule des Höheren Klavierspiels", known as the "Virtuosenakademie", teaching there and occasionally giving recitals. Some of his students were Rafael Joseffy, Alexander Michalowski, Andrey Schulz-Evler, Sophie Menter, Vera Timanoff, Amy Fay, and Gustav V. Lewinsky. Eventually, Tausig's busy tour schedule of concerts and recitals took up most of his time away from the school, and the school closed in October 1870.
He made several concert tours in Germany and Russia, and throughout Europe, and was now considered a pianist of breadth and dignity of style. However, the strain of travelling weakened his health. In June 1871 toward the end of his life, too weak to concertize, he was cared for by his longtime friend, Marie von Mouchanoff-Kalergis, a pianist who in her youth had been a pupil of Chopin, and to whom Tausig had dedicated his first composition, an Impromptu. He died in Leipzig in July from typhoid at the age of 29.
His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof III der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. III of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church and New Church) in Berlin-Kreuzberg, south of Hallesches Tor. Wagner wrote the epitaph inscribed on Tausig's tombstone.
Tausig was considered by some critics to be the greatest of Liszt's pupils and to carry pure piano virtuosity to heights only suggested by Liszt. The master said he had "fingers of steel". Anton Rubinstein called him "the infallible." Where Tausig differed from his teacher was in his lack of flamboyant gestures while playing. Tausig sat motionless at the piano and abhorred what he called Spektakel. While his fingers were working miracles at the keyboard without any digital errors, the only sign of tension from Tausig would be a slight tightening of one corner of his mouth.
Until his early death, some critics surmise that Tausig may not have had a pianistic equal, combining Liszt's force and range of tone color with the intellectuality of his fellow pupil Hans von Bülow. Another Liszt pupil, Eugen d'Albert, compared Tausig very favorably with their teacher. He said that while Liszt's musical conceptions were grander, Tausig possessed a better and more accurate technique coupled with a good deal of poetry.
Tausig's repertory was extensive; he could play from memory works ranging from Scarlatti to Liszt. He was especially noted for his interpretations of Chopin, Weber and Beethoven, both for pianistic finish and intensity of emotion.
As well as entirely original works, Tausig arranged for piano the music of a number of composers, as well as a pedagogic work for teaching and practice.
In the following list, lost works are included, mostly original compositions, but a few transcriptions as well. Many of these, including several orchestral works, were given their first public performances by Tausig at the piano or conducting. With the exception of Das Geisterschiff, the orchestral scores have not been located since. All of these are unpublished, except for a couple compositions where no printed copies can be found and the original engravings were destroyed.
Some compositions are unfinished in existing manuscripts, left incomplete by Tausig for reasons unknown, most particularly a number of the transcriptions of Liszt's symphonic poems. Where possible, details of the state of the manuscript are given.
All works listed are for piano solo unless indicated otherwise.
Works marked by * have been recorded.
Impromptu, in F minor, Op. 1 [1a] (dedicated to Marie von Mouchanoff-Kalergis) (1855)*
Introduction and Tarantella, in A minor, Op. 2 [2a] (1855)*
L'Éspérance (Hope), Nocturne varié, in A-flat major, Op. 3 [3a] (1856)*
Sérénade, Op. 4 [publication lost] (1856)