On 1 March 1882, Theodor Kullak died. He is probably best known simply for the comment Franz Liszt made when the amount Kullak had earned from teaching was revealed: ‘You do not rake in a million marks without performing some sacrifice at the altar of Art’. Liszt, true to his indictments, did not ask for a penny for his lessons.
Now that we're done applauding him, it becomes apparent that, except in the coming of a socialist revolution, to act like that will remain quite impossible to sustain, financially. So, instead of a direct example, it acts as a hallmark of purity – a guarantee that the values that Liszt furthered through his lessons were, and indeed are, solely for the sake of music.
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