 He was also a writer, philanthropist, Hungarian nationalist, and Franciscan tertiary.Liszt gained renown in Europe during the early nineteenth century for his prodigious virtuosic skill as a pianist.He was a friend, musical promoter and benefactor to many composers of his time, including Frédéric Chopin, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg, Ole Bull, Joachim Raff, Mikhail Glinka, and Alexander Borodin.