Bust of Franz Liszt

In the heart of the city centre of Bratislava, from a small square at the western end of Urak Street, which was used as a cemetery until the end of the 18th century, we can reach the southern facade of St. Martin's Cathedral by a staircase built in the middle of a retaining wall following the route of the medieval city wall. These stone stairs are bordered on both sides by bronze busts, one by one, drawn into the corners of the square, almost completely covered by vegetation. ; The statue to the east of the stairs depicts the world-famous composer, Ferenc Liszt, whose life is connected to Bratislava with a thousand threads, and who began his career as a pianist here at the age of nine - in his old age, with his head uncovered, his characteristic half-length hair, and a coat with open lapels. The cast bronze statue is the work of Viktor Tilgner. ; The metal grid that delimits the small garden in front of the statue deserves special attention, which actually forms a sheet music: it depicts the first five bars of Liszt's famous Coronation Mass. Its local relevance is that after its premiere in Budapest, the work was performed here for the second time in the Bratislava Cathedral on February 25, 1884, on the fiftieth anniversary of Bishop Károly Heiller, the inner-city parish priest and president of the Church Music Association, where Liszt himself conducted. ; We can learn more about Liszt's connection to Bratislava and his concerts in Bratislava in the compilation by Ágota Csehi: The Art of Ferenc Liszt and Ferenc Erkel in Bratislava. ; There is an identical Liszt statue in Sopron. According to the dates of its installation, the one in Bratislava was one year later. The bust was placed in the park in front of the Cathedral in 1911 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Liszt's birth.