SKU: BT.JSCH214
SKU: BT.EMBZ14505
English-German-Hungarian.
Of the early versions of works included in this volume the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and Grand solo de concert (published in 1850) are of particular interest. In the first version of Consolations the third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material was later used by Liszt in his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 (published in 1851). The first version of Grand solo de concert shows that the work did not originally include a slow middle section to be recapitulated towards the end as seen in the final version. This is a characteristically Lisztian feature that would reappear a few years later in his Sonata in B minor. A detailed preface inHungarian, English, and German, including new research results, numerous manuscript facsimiles, and critical notes, makes this volume of the New Liszt Edition an important publication of immense scholarly value. Along with the cloth-bound Complete Edition, a paperback version for practical use has also been published. This edition's contents are identical to those of the hardcover edition with the exception that the critical notes are not included. Of the early versions of works included in Supplementary Volume 10, particular interest is expected in the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and the monumental Grand solo de concert of 1850. In the first version of Consolationsthe third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material Liszt used again later in the first piece of the Hungarian Rhapsodies published in 1851. The first version of the Grand solo de concert shows that the original concept did notinclude the slow “movement†that would be placed in the middle of the work and recapitulated towards the end in the final version - a characteristically Lisztian feature that would reappear a few years later in the Sonata in B flat minor.A detailed preface in Hungarian, English and German, including new research result and, numerous manuscript facsimiles make the practical paperback version of this volume of the New Liszt Edition a specially important publication of scholarly value.Von den im vorliegenden Band veröffentlichten Werkversionen dürften der außerordentlich populäre Consolations-Zyklus sowie die Erstfassung des 1850 entstandenen Grand solo de concert (Großes Konzertsolo) auf besonderes Interesse stoßen. In der ersten Fassung der Consolations stand an dritter Stelle noch ein Stück im ungarischen Stil, dessen Thematik Liszt später im 1851 herausgegebenen 1. Stück der Ungarischen Rhapsodien verwendete. Die erste Version des Großen Konzertsolos belegt, dass der in der Mitte der Komposition angelegte und kurz vor Ende rekapitulierte langsame Teil, welcher zum typisch Lisztschen Element der endgültigen Fassung des Konzertsolos - und einige Jahre späterauch der H-Moll-Sonate - wird, noch kein Bestandteil der ursprünglichen Konzeption war.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14505A
Of the early versions of works included in this volume the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and Grand solo de concert (published in 1850) are of particular interest. In the first version of Consolations the third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material was later used by Liszt in his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 (published in 1851). The first version of Grand solo de concert shows that the work did not originally include a slow middle section to be recapitulated towards the end as seen in the final version. This is a characteristically Lisztian feature that would reappear a few years later in his Sonata in B minor. A detailed preface inHungarian, English, and German, including new research results, numerous manuscript facsimiles, and critical notes, makes this volume of the New Liszt Edition an important publication of immense scholarly value. Along with the cloth-bound Complete Edition, a paperback version for practical use has also been published. This edition's contents are identical to those of the hardcover edition with the exception that the critical notes are not included. Of the early versions of works included in Supplementary Volume 10, particular interest is expected in the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and the monumental Grand solo de concert of 1850. In the first version of Consolationsthe third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material Liszt used again later in the first piece of the Hungarian Rhapsodies published in 1851. The first version of the Grand solo de concert shows that the original concept did notinclude the slow “movement†that would be placed in the middle of the work and recapitulated towards the end in the final version - a characteristically Lisztian feature that would reappear a few years later in the Sonata in B flat minor.A detailed preface in Hungarian, English and German, including new research results, numerous manuscript facsimiles and critical notes make this volume of the New Liszt Edition a specially important publication of scholarly value. Simultaneously withthe Complete Edition volume in colth-bound, its paperback for practical purposes is also published, the contents of which, except for the critical notes, is identical with the Complete Edition volume.Von den im vorliegenden Band veröffentlichten Werkversionen dürften der außerordentlich populäre Consolations-Zyklus sowie die Erstfassung des 1850 entstandenen Grand solo de concert (Großes Konzertsolo) auf besonderes Interesse stoßen. In der ersten Fassung der Consolations stand an dritter Stelle noch ein Stück im ungarischen Stil, dessen Thematik Liszt später im 1851 herausgegebenen 1. Stück der Ungarischen Rhapsodien verwendete. Die erste Version des Großen Konzertsolos belegt, dass der in der Mitte der Komposition angelegte und kurz vor Ende rekapitulierte langsame Teil, welcher zum typisch Lisztschen Element der endgültigen Fassung des Konzertsolos - und einige Jahre späterauch der H-Moll-Sonate - wird, noch kein Bestandteil der ursprünglichen Konzeption war.
SKU: CF.PL1056
ISBN 9781491153390. UPC: 680160910892. Transcribed by Franz Liszt.
Introduction It is true that Schubert himself is somewhat to blame for the very unsatisfactory manner in which his admirable piano pieces are treated. He was too immoderately productive, wrote incessantly, mixing insignificant with important things, grand things with mediocre work, paid no heed to criticism, and always soared on his wings. Like a bird in the air, he lived in music and sang in angelic fashion. --Franz Liszt, letter to Dr. S. Lebert (1868) Of those compositions that greatly interest me, there are only Chopin's and yours. --Franz Liszt, letter to Robert Schumann (1838) She [Clara Schumann] was astounded at hearing me. Her compositions are really very remarkable, especially for a woman. There is a hundred times more creativity and real feeling in them than in all the past and present fantasias by Thalberg. --Franz Liszt, letter to Marie d'Agoult (1838) Chretien Urhan (1790-1845) was a Belgian-born violinist, organist and composer who flourished in the musical life of Paris in the early nineteenth century. According to various accounts, he was deeply religious, harshly ascetic and wildly eccentric, though revered by many important and influential members of the Parisian musical community. Regrettably, history has forgotten Urhan's many musical achievements, the most important of which was arguably his pioneering work in promoting the music of Franz Schubert. He devoted much of his energies to championing Schubert's music, which at the time was unknown outside of Vienna. Undoubtedly, Urhan was responsible for stimulating this enthusiasm in Franz Liszt; Liszt regularly heard Urhan's organ playing in the St.-Vincent-de-Paul church in Paris, and the two became personal acquaintances. At eighteen years of age, Liszt was on the verge of establishing himself as the foremost pianist in Europe, and this awakening to Schubert's music would prove to be a profound experience. Liszt's first travels outside of his native provincial Hungary were to Vienna in 1821-1823, where his father enrolled him in studies with Carl Czerny (piano) and Antonio Salieri (music theory). Both men had important involvements with Schubert; Czerny (like Urhan) as performer and advocate of Schubert's music and Salieri as his theory and composition teacher from 1813-1817. Curiously, Liszt and Schubert never met personally, despite their geographical proximity in Vienna during these years. Inevitably, legends later arose that the two had been personal acquaintances, although Liszt would dismiss these as fallacious: I never knew Schubert personally, he was once quoted as saying. Liszt's initial exposure to Schubert's music was the Lieder, what Urhan prized most of all. He accompanied the tenor Benedict Randhartinger in numerous performances of Schubert's Lieder and then, perhaps realizing that he could benefit the composer more on his own terms, transcribed a number of the Lieder for piano solo. Many of these transcriptions he would perform himself on concert tour during the so-called Glanzzeit, or time of splendor from 1839-1847. This publicity did much to promote reception of Schubert's music throughout Europe. Once Liszt retired from the concert stage and settled in Weimar as a conductor in the 1840s, he continued to perform Schubert's orchestral music, his Symphony No. 9 being a particular favorite, and is credited with giving the world premiere performance of Schubert's opera Alfonso und Estrella in 1854. At this time, he contemplated writing a biography of the composer, which regrettably remained uncompleted. Liszt's devotion to Schubert would never waver. Liszt's relationship with Robert and Clara Schumann was far different and far more complicated; by contrast, they were all personal acquaintances. What began as a relationship of mutual respect and admiration soon deteriorated into one of jealousy and hostility, particularly on the Schumann's part. Liszt's initial contact with Robert's music happened long before they had met personally, when Liszt published an analysis of Schumann's piano music for the Gazette musicale in 1837, a gesture that earned Robert's deep appreciation. In the following year Clara met Liszt during a concert tour in Vienna and presented him with more of Schumann's piano music. Clara and her father Friedrich Wieck, who accompanied Clara on her concert tours, were quite taken by Liszt: We have heard Liszt. He can be compared to no other player...he arouses fright and astonishment. His appearance at the piano is indescribable. He is an original...he is absorbed by the piano. Liszt, too, was impressed with Clara--at first the energy, intelligence and accuracy of her piano playing and later her compositions--to the extent that he dedicated to her the 1838 version of his Etudes d'execution transcendante d'apres Paganini. Liszt had a closer personal relationship with Clara than with Robert until the two men finally met in 1840. Schumann was astounded by Liszt's piano playing. He wrote to Clara that Liszt had played like a god and had inspired indescribable furor of applause. His review of Liszt even included a heroic personification with Napoleon. In Leipzig, Schumann was deeply impressed with Liszt's interpretations of his Noveletten, Op. 21 and Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17 (dedicated to Liszt), enthusiastically observing that, I feel as if I had known you twenty years. Yet a variety of events followed that diminished Liszt's glory in the eyes of the Schumanns. They became critical of the cult-like atmosphere that arose around his recitals, or Lisztomania as it came to be called; conceivably, this could be attributed to professional jealousy. Clara, in particular, came to loathe Liszt, noting in a letter to Joseph Joachim, I despise Liszt from the depths of my soul. She recorded a stunning diary entry a day after Liszt's death, in which she noted, He was an eminent keyboard virtuoso, but a dangerous example for the young...As a composer he was terrible. By contrast, Liszt did not share in these negative sentiments; no evidence suggests that he had any ill-regard for the Schumanns. In Weimar, he did much to promote Schumann's music, conducting performances of his Scenes from Faust and Manfred, during a time in which few orchestras expressed interest, and premiered his opera Genoveva. He later arranged a benefit concert for Clara following Robert's death, featuring Clara as soloist in Robert's Piano Concerto, an event that must have been exhilarating to witness. Regardless, her opinion of him would never change, despite his repeated gestures of courtesy and respect. Liszt's relationship with Schubert was a spiritual one, with music being the one and only link between the two men. That with the Schumanns was personal, with music influenced by a hero worship that would aggravate the relationship over time. Nonetheless, Liszt would remain devoted to and enthusiastic for the music and achievements of these composers. He would be a vital force in disseminating their music to a wider audience, as he would be with many other composers throughout his career. His primary means for accomplishing this was the piano transcription. Liszt and the Transcription Transcription versus Paraphrase Transcription and paraphrase were popular terms in nineteenth-century music, although certainly not unique to this period. Musicians understood that there were clear distinctions between these two terms, but as is often the case these distinctions could be blurred. Transcription, literally writing over, entails reworking or adapting a piece of music for a performance medium different from that of its original; arrangement is a possible synonym. Adapting is a key part of this process, for the success of a transcription relies on the transcriber's ability to adapt the piece to the different medium. As a result, the pre-existing material is generally kept intact, recognizable and intelligible; it is strict, literal, objective. Contextual meaning is maintained in the process, as are elements of style and form. Paraphrase, by contrast, implies restating something in a different manner, as in a rewording of a document for reasons of clarity. In nineteenth-century music, paraphrasing indicated elaborating a piece for purposes of expressive virtuosity, often as a vehicle for showmanship. Variation is an important element, for the source material may be varied as much as the paraphraser's imagination will allow; its purpose is metamorphosis. Transcription is adapting and arranging; paraphrasing is transforming and reworking. Transcription preserves the style of the original; paraphrase absorbs the original into a different style. Transcription highlights the original composer; paraphrase highlights the paraphraser. Approximately half of Liszt's compositional output falls under the category of transcription and paraphrase; it is noteworthy that he never used the term arrangement. Much of his early compositional activities were transcriptions and paraphrases of works of other composers, such as the symphonies of Beethoven and Berlioz, vocal music by Schubert, and operas by Donizetti and Bellini. It is conceivable that he focused so intently on work of this nature early in his career as a means to perfect his compositional technique, although transcription and paraphrase continued well after the technique had been mastered; this might explain why he drastically revised and rewrote many of his original compositions from the 1830s (such as the Transcendental Etudes and Paganini Etudes) in the 1850s. Charles Rosen, a sympathetic interpreter of Liszt's piano works, observes, The new revisions of the Transcendental Etudes are not revisions but concert paraphrases of the old, and their art lies in the technique of transformation. The Paganini etudes are piano transcriptions of violin etudes, and the Transcendental Etudes are piano transcriptions of piano etudes. The principles are the same. He concludes by noting, Paraphrase has shaded off into composition...Composition and paraphrase were not identical for him, but they were so closely interwoven that separation is impossible. The significance of transcription and paraphrase for Liszt the composer cannot be overstated, and the mutual influence of each needs to be better understood. Undoubtedly, Liszt the composer as we know him today would be far different had he not devoted so much of his career to transcribing and paraphrasing the music of others. He was perhaps one of the first composers to contend that transcription and paraphrase could be genuine art forms on equal par with original pieces; he even claimed to be the first to use these two terms to describe these classes of arrangements. Despite the success that Liszt achieved with this type of work, others viewed it with circumspection and criticism. Robert Schumann, although deeply impressed with Liszt's keyboard virtuosity, was harsh in his criticisms of the transcriptions. Schumann interpreted them as indicators that Liszt's virtuosity had hindered his compositional development and suggested that Liszt transcribed the music of others to compensate for his own compositional deficiencies. Nonetheless, Liszt's piano transcriptions, what he sometimes called partitions de piano (or piano scores), were instrumental in promoting composers whose music was unknown at the time or inaccessible in areas outside of major European capitals, areas that Liszt willingly toured during his Glanzzeit. To this end, the transcriptions had to be literal arrangements for the piano; a Beethoven symphony could not be introduced to an unknowing audience if its music had been subjected to imaginative elaborations and variations. The same would be true of the 1833 transcription of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (composed only three years earlier), the astonishingly novel content of which would necessitate a literal and intelligible rendering. Opera, usually more popular and accessible for the general public, was a different matter, and in this realm Liszt could paraphrase the original and manipulate it as his imagination would allow without jeopardizing its reception; hence, the paraphrases on the operas of Bellini, Donizetti, Mozart, Meyerbeer and Verdi. Reminiscence was another term coined by Liszt for the opera paraphrases, as if the composer were reminiscing at the keyboard following a memorable evening at the opera. Illustration (reserved on two occasions for Meyerbeer) and fantasy were additional terms. The operas of Wagner were exceptions. His music was less suited to paraphrase due to its general lack of familiarity at the time. Transcription of Wagner's music was thus obligatory, as it was of Beethoven's and Berlioz's music; perhaps the composer himself insisted on this approach. Liszt's Lieder Transcriptions Liszt's initial encounters with Schubert's music, as mentioned previously, were with the Lieder. His first transcription of a Schubert Lied was Die Rose in 1833, followed by Lob der Tranen in 1837. Thirty-nine additional transcriptions appeared at a rapid pace over the following three years, and in 1846, the Schubert Lieder transcriptions would conclude, by which point he had completed fifty-eight, the most of any composer. Critical response to these transcriptions was highly favorable--aside from the view held by Schumann--particularly when Liszt himself played these pieces in concert. Some were published immediately by Anton Diabelli, famous for the theme that inspired Beethoven's variations. Others were published by the Viennese publisher Tobias Haslinger (one of Beethoven's and Schubert's publishers in the 1820s), who sold his reserves so quickly that he would repeatedly plead for more. However, Liszt's enthusiasm for work of this nature soon became exhausted, as he noted in a letter of 1839 to the publisher Breitkopf und Hartel: That good Haslinger overwhelms me with Schubert. I have just sent him twenty-four new songs (Schwanengesang and Winterreise), and for the moment I am rather tired of this work. Haslinger was justified in his demands, for the Schubert transcriptions were received with great enthusiasm. One Gottfried Wilhelm Fink, then editor of the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, observed of these transcriptions: Nothing in recent memory has caused such sensation and enjoyment in both pianists and audiences as these arrangements...The demand for them has in no way been satisfied; and it will not be until these arrangements are seen on pianos everywhere. They have indeed made quite a splash. Eduard Hanslick, never a sympathetic critic of Liszt's music, acknowledged thirty years after the fact that, Liszt's transcriptions of Schubert Lieder were epoch-making. There was hardly a concert in which Liszt did not have to play one or two of them--even when they were not listed on the program. These transcriptions quickly became some of his most sough-after pieces, despite their extreme technical demands. Leading pianists of the day, such as Clara Wieck and Sigismond Thalberg, incorporated them into their concert programs immediately upon publication. Moreover, the transcriptions would serve as inspirations for other composers, such as Stephen Heller, Cesar Franck and later Leopold Godowsky, all of whom produced their own transcriptions of Schubert's Lieder. Liszt would transcribe the Lieder of other composers as well, including those by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Anton Rubinstein and even himself. Robert Schumann, of course, would not be ignored. The first transcription of a Schumann Lied was the celebrated Widmung from Myrten in 1848, the only Schumann transcription that Liszt completed during the composer's lifetime. (Regrettably, there is no evidence of Schumann's regard of this transcription, or even if he was aware of it.) From the years 1848-1881, Liszt transcribed twelve of Robert Schumann's Lieder (including one orchestral Lied) and three of Clara (one from each of her three published Lieder cycles); he would transcribe no other works of these two composers. The Schumann Lieder transcriptions, contrary to those of Schubert, are literal arrangements, posing, in general, far fewer demands on the pianist's technique. They are comparatively less imaginative in their treatment of the original material. Additionally, they seem to have been less valued in their day than the Schubert transcriptions, and it is noteworthy that none of the Schumann transcriptions bear dedications, as most of the Schubert transcriptions do. The greatest challenge posed by Lieder transcriptions, regardless of the composer or the nature of the transcription, was to combine the vocal and piano parts of the original such that the character of each would be preserved, a challenge unique to this form of transcription. Each part had to be intact and aurally recognizable, the vocal line in particular. Complications could be manifold in a Lied that featured dissimilar parts, such as Schubert's Auf dem Wasser zu singen, whose piano accompaniment depicts the rocking of the boat on the shimmering waves while the vocal line reflects on the passing of time. Similar complications would be encountered in Gretchen am Spinnrade, in which the ubiquitous sixteenth-note pattern in the piano's right hand epitomizes the ever-turning spinning wheel over which the soprano voice expresses feelings of longing and heartache. The resulting transcriptions for solo piano would place exceptional demands on the pianist. The complications would be far less imposing in instances in which voice and piano were less differentiated, as in many of Schumann's Lieder that Liszt transcribed. The piano parts in these Lieder are true accompaniments for the voice, providing harmonic foundation and rhythmic support by doubling the vocal line throughout. The transcriptions, thus, are strict and literal, with far fewer demands on both pianist and transcriber. In all of Liszt's Lieder transcriptions, regardless of the way in which the two parts are combined, the melody (i.e. the vocal line) is invariably the focal point; the melody should sing on the piano, as if it were the voice. The piano part, although integral to contributing to the character of the music, is designed to function as accompaniment. A singing melody was a crucial objective in nineteenth-century piano performance, which in part might explain the zeal in transcribing and paraphrasing vocal music for the piano. Friedrich Wieck, father and teacher of Clara Schumann, stressed this point repeatedly in his 1853 treatise Clavier und Gesang (Piano and Song): When I speak in general of singing, I refer to that species of singing which is a form of beauty, and which is a foundation for the most refined and most perfect interpretation of music; and, above all things, I consider the culture of beautiful tones the basis for the finest possible touch on the piano. In many respects, the piano and singing should explain and supplement each other. They should mutually assist in expressing the sublime and the noble, in forms of unclouded beauty. Much of Liszt's piano music should be interpreted with this concept in mind, the Lieder transcriptions and opera paraphrases, in particular. To this end, Liszt provided numerous written instructions to the performer to emphasize the vocal line in performance, with Italian directives such as un poco marcato il canto, accentuato assai il canto and ben pronunziato il canto. Repeated indications of cantando,singend and espressivo il canto stress the significance of the singing tone. As an additional means of achieving this and providing the performer with access to the poetry, Liszt insisted, at what must have been a publishing novelty at the time, on printing the words of the Lied in the music itself. Haslinger, seemingly oblivious to Liszt's intent, initially printed the poems of the early Schubert transcriptions separately inside the front covers. Liszt argued that the transcriptions must be reprinted with the words underlying the notes, exactly as Schubert had done, a request that was honored by printing the words above the right-hand staff. Liszt also incorporated a visual scheme for distinguishing voice and accompaniment, influenced perhaps by Chopin, by notating the accompaniment in cue size. His transcription of Robert Schumann's Fruhlings Ankunft features the vocal line in normal size, the piano accompaniment in reduced size, an unmistakable guide in a busy texture as to which part should be emphasized: Example 1. Schumann-Liszt Fruhlings Ankunft, mm. 1-2. The same practice may be found in the transcription of Schumann's An die Turen will ich schleichen. In this piece, the performer must read three staves, in which the baritone line in the central staff is to be shared between the two hands based on the stem direction of the notes: Example 2. Schumann-Liszt An die Turen will ich schleichen, mm. 1-5. This notational practice is extremely beneficial in this instance, given the challenge of reading three staves and the manner in which the vocal line is performed by the two hands. Curiously, Liszt did not use this practice in other transcriptions. Approaches in Lieder Transcription Liszt adopted a variety of approaches in his Lieder transcriptions, based on the nature of the source material, the ways in which the vocal and piano parts could be combined and the ways in which the vocal part could sing. One approach, common with strophic Lieder, in which the vocal line would be identical in each verse, was to vary the register of the vocal part. The transcription of Lob der Tranen, for example, incorporates three of the four verses of the original Lied, with the register of the vocal line ascending one octave with each verse (from low to high), as if three different voices were participating. By the conclusion, the music encompasses the entire range of Liszt's keyboard to produce a stunning climactic effect, and the variety of register of the vocal line provides a welcome textural variety in the absence of the words. The three verses of the transcription of Auf dem Wasser zu singen follow the same approach, in which the vocal line ascends from the tenor, to the alto and to the soprano registers with each verse. Fruhlingsglaube adopts the opposite approach, in which the vocal line descends from soprano in verse 1 to tenor in verse 2, with the second part of verse 2 again resuming the soprano register; this is also the case in Das Wandern from Mullerlieder. Gretchen am Spinnrade posed a unique problem. Since the poem's narrator is female, and the poem represents an expression of her longing for her lover Faust, variation of the vocal line's register, strictly speaking, would have been impractical. For this reason, the vocal line remains in its original register throughout, relentlessly colliding with the sixteenth-note pattern of the accompaniment. One exception may be found in the fifth and final verse in mm. 93-112, at which point the vocal line is notated in a higher register and doubled in octaves. This sudden textural change, one that is readily audible, was a strategic means to underscore Gretchen's mounting anxiety (My bosom urges itself toward him. Ah, might I grasp and hold him! And kiss him as I would wish, at his kisses I should die!). The transcription, thus, becomes a vehicle for maximizing the emotional content of the poem, an exceptional undertaking with the general intent of a transcription. Registral variation of the vocal part also plays a crucial role in the transcription of Erlkonig. Goethe's poem depicts the death of a child who is apprehended by a supernatural Erlking, and Schubert, recognizing the dramatic nature of the poem, carefully depicted the characters (father, son and Erlking) through unique vocal writing and accompaniment patterns: the Lied is a dramatic entity. Liszt, in turn, followed Schubert's characterization in this literal transcription, yet took it an additional step by placing the register of the father's vocal line in the baritone range, that of the son in the soprano range and that of the Erlking in the highest register, options that would not have been available in the version for voice and piano. Additionally, Liszt labeled each appearance of each character in the score, a means for guiding the performer in interpreting the dramatic qualities of the Lied. As a result, the drama and energy of the poem are enhanced in this transcription; as with Gretchen am Spinnrade, the transcriber has maximized the content of the original. Elaboration may be found in certain Lieder transcriptions that expand the performance to a level of virtuosity not found in the original; in such cases, the transcription approximates the paraphrase. Schubert's Du bist die Ruh, a paradigm of musical simplicity, features an uncomplicated piano accompaniment that is virtually identical in each verse. In Liszt's transcription, the material is subjected to a highly virtuosic treatment that far exceeds the original, including a demanding passage for the left hand alone in the opening measures and unique textural writing in each verse. The piece is a transcription in virtuosity; its art, as Rosen noted, lies in the technique of transformation. Elaboration may entail an expansion of the musical form, as in the extensive introduction to Die Forelle and a virtuosic middle section (mm. 63-85), both of which are not in the original. Also unique to this transcription are two cadenzas that Liszt composed in response to the poetic content. The first, in m. 93 on the words und eh ich es gedacht (and before I could guess it), features a twisted chromatic passage that prolongs and thereby heightens the listener's suspense as to the fate of the trout (which is ultimately caught). The second, in m. 108 on the words Betrogne an (and my blood boiled as I saw the betrayed one), features a rush of diminished-seventh arpeggios in both hands, epitomizing the poet's rage at the fisherman for catching the trout. Less frequent are instances in which the length of the original Lied was shortened in the transcription, a tendency that may be found with certain strophic Lieder (e.g., Der Leiermann, Wasserflut and Das Wandern). Another transcription that demonstrates Liszt's readiness to modify the original in the interests of the poetic content is Standchen, the seventh transcription from Schubert's Schwanengesang. Adapted from Act II of Shakespeare's Cymbeline, the poem represents the repeated beckoning of a man to his lover. Liszt transformed the Lied into a miniature drama by transcribing the vocal line of the first verse in the soprano register, that of the second verse in the baritone register, in effect, creating a dialogue between the two lovers. In mm. 71-102, the dialogue becomes a canon, with one voice trailing the other like an echo (as labeled in the score) at the distance of a beat. As in other instances, the transcription resembles the paraphrase, and it is perhaps for this reason that Liszt provided an ossia version that is more in the nature of a literal transcription. The ossia version, six measures shorter than Schubert's original, is less demanding technically than the original transcription, thus representing an ossia of transcription and an ossia of piano technique. The Schumann Lieder transcriptions, in general, display a less imaginative treatment of the source material. Elaborations are less frequently encountered, and virtuosity is more restricted, as if the passage of time had somewhat tamed the composer's approach to transcriptions; alternatively, Liszt was eager to distance himself from the fierce virtuosity of his early years. In most instances, these transcriptions are literal arrangements of the source material, with the vocal line in its original form combined with the accompaniment, which often doubles the vocal line in the original Lied. Widmung, the first of the Schumann transcriptions, is one exception in the way it recalls the virtuosity of the Schubert transcriptions of the 1830s. Particularly striking is the closing section (mm. 58-73), in which material of the opening verse (right hand) is combined with the triplet quarter notes (left hand) from the second section of the Lied (mm. 32-43), as if the transcriber were attempting to reconcile the different material of these two sections. Fruhlingsnacht resembles a paraphrase by presenting each of the two verses in differing registers (alto for verse 1, mm. 3-19, and soprano for verse 2, mm. 20-31) and by concluding with a virtuosic section that considerably extends the length of the original Lied. The original tonalities of the Lieder were generally retained in the transcriptions, showing that the tonality was an important part of the transcription process. The infrequent instances of transposition were done for specific reasons. In 1861, Liszt transcribed two of Schumann's Lieder, one from Op. 36 (An den Sonnenschein), another from Op. 27 (Dem roten Roslein), and merged these two pieces in the collection 2 Lieder; they share only the common tonality of A major. His choice for combining these two Lieder remains unknown, but he clearly recognized that some tonal variety would be needed, for which reason Dem roten Roslein was transposed to C>= major. The collection features An den Sonnenschein in A major (with a transition to the new tonality), followed by Dem roten Roslein in C>= major (without a change of key signature), and concluding with a reprise of An den Sonnenschein in A major. A three-part form was thus established with tonal variety provided by keys in third relations (A-C>=-A); in effect, two of Schumann's Lieder were transcribed into an archetypal song without words. In other instances, Liszt treated tonality and tonal organization as important structural ingredients, particularly in the transcriptions of Schubert's Lieder cycles, i.e. Schwanengesang, Winterreise a...
SKU: BT.WMP2113
ISBN 9789810884819.
Teachers' Choice, Selected Piano Repertory & Studies for Grades 6 & 7 is compiled to provide teachers and students with good options for the 2011-2012 ABRSM Piano examinations.
SKU: HL.50610018
Of the early versions of works included in this volume the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and Grand solo de concert (published in 1850) are of particular interest. In the first version of Consolations the third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material was later used by Liszt in his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 (published in 1851). The first version of Grand solo de concert shows that the work did not originally include a slow middle section to be recapitulated towards the end as seen in the final version. This is a characteristically Lisztian feature that would reappear a few years later in his Sonata in B minor. A detailed preface in Hungarian, English, and German, including new research results, numerous manuscript facsimiles, and critical notes, makes this volume of the New Liszt Edition an important publication of immense scholarly value. Along with the cloth-bound Complete Edition, a paperback version for practical use has also been published. This edition's contents are identical to those of the hardcover edition with the exception that the critical notes are not included.
SKU: PE.EP72783
ISBN 9790577011097. 232 x 303mm inches. English.
While the first volume of Liszt's Années de pèlerinage ('Pilgrim Years') was inspired primarily by the landscape of Switzerland, the creative impetus for the second volume was the art and literature of Italy.
Edition Peters is proud to continue its acclaimed series of Liszt critical editions from world-renowned Liszt expert and concert pianist Leslie Howard with this new urtext edition of Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième Année - Italie. Containing an extensive critical commentary and introductory notes, the edition (like its predecessor Première année - Suisse, (EP72782)) also contains reproductions of the half-tint illustrations by Robert Kretschmer that appeared in the first edition.
Also included in this prestige volume, a must-have for any serious Liszt pianist, is the supplementary volume Venezia e Napoli, beautiful and ingenious revisions of earlier works based on Italian street music.
SKU: PE.EP72782
ISBN 9790577011080. 232 x 303mm inches. English.
The three volumes of Années de pèlerinage (‘Pilgrim Years’) are among Liszt‘s most important compositions for piano solo. From dramatic-virtuoso to pensive-romantic music, the 29 ‘travel pieces’ represent the complete range of Liszt‘s compositional expression.
For the first time, this first volume of the trilogy, Suisse (Switzerland) is published together with the Trois Morceaux suisses, in line with the composer’s original intention to combine all his Swiss-inspired character pieces into a single volume. The musical journey is supported by the inclusion of historical illustrations of the scenes and landscapes that inspired the composer.
Edited by world-renowned Liszt expert and concert pianist Leslie Howard, the edition also contains Liszt’s original fingerings.
SKU: HL.49047172
UPC: 196288143406.
When the 24-year-old Richard Strauss, assistant conductor in Munich, began the composition of his third tone poem in the summer of 1888, he saw himself close to the aspiration prescribed by his mentor Alexander Ritter: to become the successor of Richard Wagner as a musical dramatist. Strauss had already been working on the text of his first opera Guntram for a year and additionally devoted himself to programmatic orchestral works oriented to the musical language of Liszt and Wagner in order to prepare himself compositionally for his new task. With the aid of Strauss and other musicians including Ludwig Thuille and Friedrich Rösch who had been gathering for “Ritter's round table†in Munich between 1886 and 1889, RitterÂ’s intention was to achieve success on a broad front with the New German School following the death of its two protagonists Wagner and Liszt. We do not know whether Ritter and his supporters jointly planned Strauss's compositional path towards opera, determined the subjectsof his prospective tone poems and considered various strategies of their musical realization, but the influence of this group shouldnot be underestimated. It cannot be ruled out that the number of three tone poems was fixed, as was their sequence of composition, which would progressively achieve its zenith in an increasing orientation to Liszt and Wagner. The circle could possibly have also discussed initial links to literary subjects (Macbeth and Don Juan) and ultimately the abstention from this practice in the third and final tone poem. The subject of the work, or rather in StraussÂ’s formulation its “poetic modelâ€, has occasionally been interpreted from an autobiographical aspect. Strauss however did not experience serious illness until May 1891 and once more in June 1892, long after Tod und Verklärung had been composed. Even without an external reason, the material would have been only too attractive for an admirer of Wagner and Liszt like Strauss, not to mention for his mentor Alexander Ritter. The concept of 'death and transfiguration' had already played a central role in LisztÂ’s symphonic poems Tasso and Prometheus.
SKU: BT.EMBZ13591
International.
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), the renowned pianist and composer, was one of the most significant Spanish masters of the second half of the 19th century. Following studies in Paris and Brussels he went on a world tour and earned great success as a pianist. From 1880 onwards he belonged to Ferenc Liszt's circle and improved his piano technique as a pupil of the Hungarian master. Besides his operas, orchestral works and songs he also composed a considerable number of piano works. One of his most popular cycles for the piano is the Op. 47 Suite espagnola (1886), the movements of which he named after Spanish towns and provinces. The composition is thus an enthusiastic tribute to hishomeland: a fascinating embodiment of Spanish folk music elaborated with Lisztian virtuosity.
SKU: BT.EMBZ8183
English-German.
During his ''years of pilgrimage'' spent in Italy, the young Liszt gained enough musical inspiration from the local musical, artistic, and literary heritage to last for decades. These intense impressions are recorded in Volume 2 of Années de pelerinage, whose sources range from Raphael to Michelangelo, Dante, and Petrarch. Three of the latter's sonnets (47: Benedetto sia 'l giorno 104: Pace non trovo and 123: I' vidi in terra angelici costumi) were first set by Liszt as songs and, shortly afterwards, arranged for piano solo. The songs and, as a result, the piano pieces as well, reflect the style of Italian bel canto - Donizetti and Bellini - rather than following the GermanLied tradition. And while this feature was criticized by the contemporary press, the broadly arching melodic lines of these pieces and their Mediterranean passion have always carried away performer and listener alike. This revised (2018) edition contains the Three Sonnets in two versions: the first version was published in the course of 1846 and 1847, and the second, as part of Volume 2 of Années de pelerinage, in 1858. Based on the New Liszt Edition, the present volume provides a revised score, a facsimile reproduction, and critical notes. The new editorial preface orientates the reader in all the major questions regarding the work's genesis.
SKU: HL.50605486
ISBN 9781705190500. UPC: 196288126539.
Bela Bartok composed Dance Suite in 1923 for the 50th anniversary of the foundation of Hungary's capital through the unification of Buda, Obuda, and Pest. It soon became one of his most popular orchestral works, and in 1925 he arranged it for piano solo. Adam Tabajdi completed the organ version of Dance Suite in 2019/20, and recorded it on the Kern organ of Sapporo's Kitara Concert Hall later that year. His transcription was inspired by the composer's own version for piano, exploiting the alternative solutions offered by the ''orchestral'' timbres of the organ, with its manuals and pedals. The ideal instrument for the present version is an expansive, eclectic style organ with at least three manuals. This flamboyant arrangement requires great virtuosity, stamina, and creativity from the performer. Adam Tabajdi (b. 1993) is an outstanding young Hungarian organist. Alongside the music of J. S. Bach, his repertoire includes Liszt,and Franck, as well as twentieth-century works, with a special focus on Messiaen, Ligeti, and Florentz. He is a committed performer of contemporary music, but he also feels a close connection with the works of old masters such as Sweelinck, Weckmann, and Couperin. In 2021 he won first prize in the Toulouse International Organ Competition, and in 2022 he was awarded the Junior Prima Award.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14506
Volume11 of in the series of Supplements represents an important step towards completion of the series for solo piano included in the NLE, as a complete critical edition. By publishing all the early versions it makes the piano versions of these symphonies by Beethoven available for study by performers and those engaged in music research.Similarly to the other NLE volumes already published, this volume comes cloth-bound (Z. 14506a) or hard-paper-bound (Z. 14506), the former as part of the Complete Edition, the latter as part of the series containing solo piano works. The preface to the series, the prefaces to the works contained in this volume (in German, English and Hungarian)and the facsimiles with which it is illustrated are to be found in both versions, the critical notes in English are included only in the cloth-bound version. Mit dem 11. Band der Supplementbände der NLA (Neuen Liszt Ausgabe) wird wieder ein großer Schritt zur Vervollständigung der Soloklavier-Serien in der Gesamtausgabe unternommen: Durch ihn wird das Studium der Klavierversionen der Symphonien Beethovens (inkl. alle früheren Versionen) für die Musiker und deren Forschung für Musikwissenschaftler ermöglicht.Die Ausgabe ist ähnlich den bisherigen Bänden der Neuen Liszt Ausgabe, sie ist sowohl in einem Leineneinband (Z. 14506A) wie auch kartoniert (Z. 14506) erhältlich, erstere als Teil der Gesamtausgabe, letztere als Teil der Soloklavierwerke-Serie. Das Serien-Vorwort, die Vorworte der Stücke im Band (auf Deutsch, Englisch undUngarisch) und die den Band illustrierenden Facsimile-Seiten sind in beiden Ausgaben anzutreffen, die kritischen Bemerkungen in Englisch werden nur in der Leineneinband-Ausgabe veröffentlicht.
SKU: HL.50607005
UPC: 196288217381.
P�TER WOLF (1947) studied classical piano and jazz piano at the B�la Bart�k Secondary School under Korn�l Zempl�ni, Ferenc Rados and J�nos Gonda. In 2015 he obtained his DLA degree from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with his thesis on jazz arrangements. In 1969 he became the keyboard-player of the band Ex Antiquis. He composed many hits of the 1970s and 1980s as well as scores for popular films and musicals. His virtuosity as an orchestrator was shown in concerts and albums of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra; he also orchestrated violin pieces for Isaac Stern's ''Kreisler'' CD. In 1995 he was awarded the F�nyes Szabolcs Prize, in 2005 the Erkel Prize, and in 2018 Artisjus's Life Prize. In recent years he has had numerous large-scale compositions premiered by excellent performers: his two piano concertos and his concertos for oboe, clarinet, and violin respectively. About Inventions for Young Pianists, piano teacher Rita Znamen�k writes: ''This volume expressly aims at extending the repertoire of 3rd- and 4th-grade primary music students (and, of course, that of the older ones, too). Each of the 23 inventions expands and revolves around a musical idea. The short pieces inspire the children's imagination already with their titles. Teachers and student scan freely choose among pieces which require crossing hands, arpeggios, clusters, polyphony, syncopated rhythm, chromaticism, and pedalling. There are melodies with accompaniment, playing with alternate hands, playing legato and staccato, notes with appoggiaturas and acciaccaturas, jazz accents, and glissandi, too. The composer wrote unusual sound effects into a few pieces for the brave. It's my most sincere wish for young pianists that they find joy in studying Peter Wolf's works, and I encourage my colleagues to include pieces from this volume into their material: maybe students will also become more open to contemporary music through them.''.
SKU: HL.50511992
ISBN 9790080145067. 23 x 30 cm inches. Hungarian, English, German. Ferenc Liszt; Imre Mezo.
Volume11 of in the series of Supplements represents an important step towards completion of the series for solo piano included in the NLE, as a complete critical edition. By publishing all the early versions it makes the piano versions of these symphonies by Beethoven available for study by performers and those engaged in music research.Similarly to the other NLE volumes already published, this volume comes cloth-bound (Z. 14506a) or hard-paper-bound (Z. 14506), the former as part of the Complete Edition, the latter as part of the series containing solo piano works. The preface to the series, the prefaces to the works contained in this volume (in German, English and Hungarian) and the facsimiles with which it is illustrated are to be found in both versions, the critical notes in English are included only in the cloth-bound version.
SKU: PR.510050410
ISBN 9790080300534. UPC: 680160576197.
Volume11 of in the series of Supplements represents an important step towards completion of the series for solo piano included in the NLE, as a complete critical edition. By publishing all the early versions it makes the piano versions of these symphonies by Beethoven available for study by performers and those engaged in music research. Similarly to the other NLE volumes already published, this volume comes cloth-bound (Z. 14506a) or hard-paper-bound (Z. 14506), the former as part of the Complete Edition, the latter as part of the series containing solo piano works. The preface to the series, the prefaces to the works contained in this volume (in German, English and Hungarian) and the facsimiles with which it is illustrated are to be found in both versions, the critical notes in English are included only in the cloth-bound version.
SKU: BT.EMBZ14506A
Volume 11 of in the series of Supplements represents an important step towards completion of the series for solo piano included in the NLE, as a complete critical edition. By publishing all the early versions it makes the piano versions of these symphonies by Beethoven available for study by performers and those engaged in music research.Similarly to the other NLE volumes already published, this volume comes cloth-bound (Z. 14506a) or hard-paper-bound (Z. 14506), the former as part of the Complete Edition, the latter as part of the series containing solo piano works. The preface to the series, the prefaces to the works contained in this volume (in German, English and Hungarian)and the facsimiles with which it is illustrated are to be found in both versions, the critical notes in English are included only in the cloth-bound version. Mit dem 11. Band der Supplementbände der Neuen Liszt Ausgabe (NLE) wird wieder ein grosser Schritt zur Vervollständigung der Soloklavier-Serien in der Gesamtausgabe unternommen: Durch ihn wird das Studium der Klavierversionen der Symphonien Beethovens (inkl. alle früheren Versionen) für die Musiker und deren Forschung für Musikwissenschaftler ermöglicht. Die Ausgabe ist ähnlich den bisherigen Bänden der Neuen Liszt Ausgabe, sie ist sowohl in einem Leineneinband (Z. 14506A) wie auch kartoniert (Z. 14506) erhältlich, erstere als Teil der Gesamtausgabe, letztere als Teil der Soloklawierwerke-Serie. Das Serien-Vorwort, die Vorworte der Stücke im Band (auf Deutsch, Englisch undUngarisch) und die den Band illustrierenden Facsimile-Seiten sind in beiden Ausgaben anzutreffen, die kritischen Bemerkungen in Englisch werden nur in der Leineneinband-Ausgabe veröffentlicht.
SKU: BT.AMP-026-020
Edward MacDowell can be regarded as the first great American composer, although he disliked the idea of being classified as any sort of musical nationalist. He composed a large number of orchestral works but it is the charming and unpretentious suite of musical miniatures, Woodland Sketches, that has survived as his best-known work, with To a Wild Rose being the most popular. Philip Sparke has expertly arranged this simple work for concert band. Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) kan als de eerste grote Amerikaanse componist worden beschouwd, hoewel hij zelf een hekel had aan het idee gezien te worden als nationaal musicus. MacDowell beschouwde muziek bij uitstek als een internationaletaal. Hij componeerde een grote hoeveelheid pianomuziek, evenals vele liederen en een aantal orkeststukken. Het is echter de bekoorlijke en pretentieloze suite van muzikale miniaturen, Woodland Sketches, die zijn bekendstewerk is geworden. Hiervan is het prachtige To a Wild Rose het populairst.Philip Sparke bearbeitete dieses Stück des amerikanischen Komponisten Edward MacDowell, der weit über die Grenzen seines Heimatlandes hinaus berühmt ist. To a Wild Rose wurde seinem bekanntesten Werk, den Woodland Sketches, entnommen, einer Reihe anmutiger, unprätentiöser musikalischer Miniaturen. Hieraus ist To a Wild Rose das wohl populärste Stück, dessen Qualität Kritiker zu dem Urteil bewog, es sei so gut, wie der gesamte Rest von MacDowells Klaviermusik.Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) est considéré comme le premier grand compositeur américain de l’histoire de la musique, bien qu’il refusait avec vigueur d’être associé un quelconque courant musical nationaliste. Edward MacDowell a toujours considéré que la musique était une véritable langue internationale, et ses œuvres sont fortement influencées par le style de composition européen, et plus particulièrement par l’écriture allemande. Compositeur adulé de son vivant dans son pays natal et l’étranger, il était également un pianiste exceptionnel dont la virtuosité a impressionné l’un de ses plus brillants professeurs, Franz Liszt. Edward MacDowell a composé de nombreusesœuvres pour piano, un grand nombre de lieder ainsi que plusieurs œuvres orchestrales. Mais l’œuvre la plus connue de son répertoire est une charmante suite de miniatures musicales pour piano, Woodland Sketches, une composition modeste et stylistiquement simple dont est extraite la plus célèbre de ces miniatures To a Wild Rose (“ une rose sauvageâ€). L’étonnante sincérité de la mélodie fit dire un grand critique musical que cette mélodie valait toutes les œuvres pour piano réunies de MacDowell.