Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 - July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, benefactor and teacher. Liszt was renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist, the most technically advanced pianist of his age and one of the greatest pianist of all time. As a composer, Liszt was a prominent representative of the New German School. He left behind a diverse body of work. Some of his most notable contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form and making radical departures in harmony. He died 1886, at the age of 74, officially as a result of pneumonia. He was a prolific composer. He is best known for his piano music, but he wrote extensively for many media. Because of his background as a technical piano virtuoso, Liszt's piano works are often marked by their difficulty.