Liszt was greatly influenced by the playing of the Gypsy orchestras that he heard in 1840 and 1846, when he spent a few weeks in Hungary. The music they played was mainly verbunkos (recruiting music) and czardas, Hungarian popular artsongs, and sometimes even folk songs. Liszt studied the performance style of the Gypsy musicians with the rigour of a folklorist, and in his sketchbooks he transcribed the songs that he heard with their special stylistic traits. His concerts too featured works piece...