Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811 in Austria and died on July 31, 1886 in Beyrouth, Germany. Liszt was a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist. He was famous for his unconventional work, like tying other art forms to music. For example, he invented the symphonic poem, a single-movement work intended to convey a literary idea. And he was considered the first rockstar! Women loved him. Men envied him. He “raised the audiences to a level of mystical ecstasy.” He was basicallly the first one to act and perform like a modern day rockstar.