Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

The unknown German composer championed by Mahler

I once met a lady on the bus to Reading who claimed her father had studied with Liszt – Mrs Ball, it turns out, was not fibbing

Mrs Ball's father, the German composer Jean Paul Ertel, pictured in 1902

I was sceptical when the lady on the bus to Reading town centre told me that her father knew Liszt. Who wouldn’t be? This was a long time ago, mind: probably 1980, and I was on my way into school. I think our conversation started because I was reading a book about music.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in