Liszt Academy Awards Honorary Doctorate to World-Renowned British-Canadian Scholar
Professor Alan Walker, who has close professional ties with Hungary, personally received the diploma recognizing his work in promoting the works of Ferenc Liszt at a ceremony held on May 7.
Dr. Csaba Kutnyánszky, Vice-President for Education and Chair of the Doctoral Council at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, stressed in his speech that Alan Walker is an iconic figure in the international musicological community, and we owe him immense gratitude for his monumental work — the three-volume Liszt biography that he completed over the course of twenty-five years.
“This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Liszt Academy, in whose founding Ferenc Liszt played an active role, so awarding an honorary doctorate to a renowned Liszt scholar fits logically into the events of this celebratory year,” Kutnyánszky added. He emphasized that the institution grants this recognition only in exceptional cases: the last recipient, two years ago, was conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and before that, more than twenty years ago, violinist Yehudi Menuhin received it. The list of honorary doctors also includes Lajos Bárdos, Pál Kadosa, and Antal Molnár.
In her laudation, Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos, retired director of the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre of the Liszt Academy, stated that Professor Alan Walker’s exceptionally rich professional life and work are closely tied to Hungary. Since the late 1970s, he has visited Hungary regularly and has established strong professional collaborations with renowned experts, including Mária Eckhardt, László Eősze, Klára Hamburger, László Somfai, and Miklós Forrai. He has also maintained a lasting relationship with the Liszt Museum of the Academy, which he has supported with donations, she recalled. Among Alan Walker’s works, in addition to his grand, indispensable three-volume Liszt biography that clarified previously obscure biographical details and remains a key source to this day, several of his smaller publications related to Liszt also stand out, Domokos highlighted. In these, he published sources unearthed through many years of research, including documents from the Vatican. She recalled that the biography was also published in Hungarian translation, for which Walker received the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award in 1995, and in 2012 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary for his contributions to enriching Hungarian culture.
“Professor Walker’s understanding of Liszt’s noble character and artistic responsibility runs throughout his own life’s work. As Liszt himself said: génie oblige — genius carries obligations. This conviction is clearly reflected in Professor Walker’s writings about the master,” said Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos.
In his speech, Alan Walker said he was surprised when he received the notification about the honorary doctorate and considers this recognition extremely honorable. He expressed his joy at being at the Liszt Academy and noted how pleased he was that the Hungarian translators of his three-volume biography, Judit Rácz and Boldizsár Fejérvári, as well as the editor, Mária Eckhardt, were present at the ceremony. He also offered special greetings to Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos. He recalled the story behind writing the monograph, the unique aspects of the many years of research that went into it, and how his connections with the Liszt Academy developed. Since he originally trained to become a concert pianist, he added that he never imagined at the time how many adventures music history could offer. He concluded by expressing his gratitude for this memorable afternoon.
Pianist Fülöp Ránki performed at the ceremony, playing two pieces by Liszt.
After the event, speaking to a staff member of the Liszt Academy about why he chose Ferenc Liszt as the main focus of his research, Alan Walker said: there is a saying that anyone who writes a biography there is an autobiography trying to come out of it and, in fact, it was Liszt who "chose" him, not the other way around. One of his earliest memories is that as a child, he used to spend his pocket money on a popular pocketbook series, and one day he came across the volume on Liszt. To this day, he remembers the powerful impression made on him by the portrait of the pianist-composer.
Later, as an adult working as a music producer at the BBC, he had to gather background information for presenters in preparation for a Liszt concert series, and he realized that no suitable publication existed, at least not in English, he added. He was also motivated by a desire to promote Ferenc Liszt, since at the time his works were rarely performed in the United Kingdom, and Walker felt that even the professional music community largely neglected him. According to him, this led to the decision to write the grand biography, and that’s why he eventually took a position at McMaster University in Canada. Although he would have liked to stay in the UK, it was in Canada that he found the opportunity to work in a way that would allow time for extensive research.
Speaking about the writing of the volumes, he said that the aim was to produce a comprehensive, thoroughly documented work, which is why, in addition to consulting various archives around the world, he also visited the Liszt Academy at the time. In response to our question about what the honorary doctorate from the Liszt Academy means to him among his many prestigious awards, he said it is an extraordinary and remarkable recognition, as the Academy is a world-renowned institution celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Being included in the select company of honorary doctorate recipients is a true honor for him, and perhaps the greatest recognition of his life, he added.
Carrier of Prof. em. Alan Walker
Alan Walker was born in 1930 in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his works on Ferenc Liszt, but he also wrote about Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin, and Hans von Bülow. He earned his degree and doctorate from Durham University, then taught at the University of London between 1954 and 1960, and at the Guildhall School of Music between 1958 and 1961. Until 1971, he worked for the music department of the BBC. In 1971, he was appointed professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, where he also served as department chair. Since 1995, he has held the title of professor emeritus. He has been a guest lecturer at City University in London and has frequently given classes and lectures at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
Alan Walker díszdoktorrá avatása / Photo: István Fazekas / Source: Liszt Academy