Liszt was a pianist who played a piece one time and then he “began to transpose simple passages into octaves and thirds, trills into sixths and to add phrases on his own until, in Brorodin’s words, what emerged ‘was not the same piece but an improvisation of it’” (Perenyi 205). Three of Franz Liszt’s most famous and important compositions are Un Sospiro, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and his absolute most famous composition named Sonata in B Major. Liszt’s music was inspired by Hungarian and gypsy music, the spirit of the romantic era and liked improvisation. He was a romantic composer who was experimental and who liked challenges and was therefore also a composer not everyone agreed with. However, no matter what, the fact is that he influenced music history enormously. Here are a few of his groundbreaking compositions that either confirmed his romantic spirit or moved music composition forward. Un Sospiri History Liszt’s composition called Un Sospiro also goes under the name Etude in Db Major (Burwasser, Nockin, Dubin). According to Brittanica an etude can be defined as “French: “study” in music, originally a study or technical exercise, later a complete and musically intelligible composition exploring a particular technical problem in an esthetically satisfying manner….With the 27 piano études by Frédéric Chopin (Opus 10, 1833; Opus 25, 1837), the étude became a composition of considerable musical interest apart from its merit as a technical study.” The three pieces in the Etude were at first were called “Trois caprices poetiques,” which means “Three concert studies,” and their names were Il Lamento, La Leggierezza and Un Sospiro (Feiner). The pieces were written between the years 1845 to 1849 and were de... ... middle of paper ... ...ng it a hybrid was because the form was “a combination of the sectional structure of the Verbunkos form which is divided into a lassu—friss section, a disz (possibly two or three) and a figura, and the binary structure of the Csárdás form which contains separate lassu and friss sections in which several melodies are presented in varied elaboration” (Vidovic 27). Mer Influence Bartok actually called Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies as Liszt’s “’least successful works’” because he did not find them creative enough (Vidovic 7). However, some people thought differently. Ernest Hutcheson was very impressed by the compositions and thought they were "’dazzling’" and explained all the negative comments with the statement ”that the negative appraisal of the Hungarian Rhapsodies became fashionable in order for critics to show their "superiority to public taste" (Vidovic 7).
Verbunkos appeared in Hungary around 1760 as accompaniment to recruiting ceremonies. The exact sources of this tradition were not documented, although Levantine, Balkan, Slavic and Gypsy elements, among others, are detectable. Features of this style include, but are not limited to; Lassan-Friss (Slow-Fast) pairing or acceleration, circular repetitions, chordal modality, progressive tonality, tonic ambivalence, ostinato, polymodality and, most prominently, the use of verbunkos, or “Gypsy”, scales. Loya refers to verbunkos as a transcultural phenomenon; it has been adapted by...
“Carmina Burana” and “Pictures At An Exhibition” are two wonderfully composed pieces of music, but the actual composers were very different. Carl Orff was born on July 10, 1895 in Munich, Germany. Orff began learning to play the piano at the age of five and soon realized he wanted to become a composer more than he wanted to perform. Orff is most widely known for the composition of “Carmina Burana” which was very popular within Nazi parties and camps. In contrast, the composer of “Pictures At An Exhibition” is Modeste Moussorgsky who was born just south of St. Petersburg on March 21, 1839. When Moussorgsky was introduced to Alexander Dargomyzhsky, a very important Russian composer, Moussorgsky began his professional music career. “Pictures At An Exhibition” is one of Moussorgsky’s most imaginative and creative pieces. The backgrounds of Carl Orff and Modeste Moussorgsky is useful knowledge when comparing some of their most popular works of music. Both composers are similar when it comes to structure and imagination, but different when you explore their early life and influences in the music world.
...rtuosity in Clara Schumann's Piano Compositions." Musicological Explorations 11 (Spring 2010): 45-90. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Harman, Alec, and Anthony Milner. Late Renaissance and Baroque Music. London: Barrie Books LTD., 1959. ML193.H37
Franz Liszt, Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer. Among his, many notable compositions are his 12 symphonic poems, two (completed) piano concerti, several sacred choral works, and a great variety of solo piano pieces.
This is the second volume of Richard Taruskin's historical work, and it highlights composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He examines the progression of different styles and eras of music.
Schubert's instrumental works show development over a long period of time, but some of his greatest songs were composed before he was 20 years old. In Schubert's songs the literary and musical elements are perfectly balanced, composed on the same intellectual and emotional level. Although Schubert composed strophic songs throughout his career, he did not follow set patterns but exploited bold and free forms when the text demanded it. Except for his early training as a child, Schubert the composer, was largely untrained and self-taught. His gift of being able to create melodies that contained both easy naturalness and sophisticated twists at the same time was unprecedented for his time. On this quality rests the reputation that music history finally gave Schubert.
Frederic Chopin, a Polish Nationalistic composer of the Romantic period, is a famous musician. Chopin’s compositions are individualistic to his talent and love of the piano. Chopin lived in Warsaw as a child and spent a great deal of his life living Paris amongst other artists of the Romantic period. He was influenced by people surrounding him and even more from his childhood in Poland. The Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-Flat major opus 61, is musically representative of Chopin and the Romantic period, nationalistic styles from Poland and unique innovations especially from Warsaw.
Seyersted, Per, and Emily Toth, eds. A Kate Chopin Miscellany. Natchitoches: Northwestern State University Press, 1979.
Frederic Chopin is one of the most famous and influential composers from the nineteenth century. He is especially known for his piano music now and then. Chopin’s works include three sonatas, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, etudes, impromptus, scherzos, ballades, preludes, two piano concertos, a few chamber music, and some Polish vocal pieces. He played an important role in the 19th century Polish nationalistic movement. In particular, his mazurkas and polonaises based on Polish dances best express his nationalistic passion and the musical features of the Polish culture.
Although Beethoven had a rough life as a child and as he got older, he still was able to produce phenomenal compositions. He refused to conform to traditional musical standards and strived for perfection. Beethoven took composing music to a whole new level. “Beethoven opened up new realms of musical expression that profoundly influence composers throughout the nineteenth century.”
Being “something of an experiment” (Brown, 2007, 465), Gade explores the versatility of the piano as both an accompanying and a solo instrument, as in a symphony versus a concerto. This is echoed in Berlioz’s sentiments that “the piano can be seen in two ways: as an orchestral instrument, or as a complete little orchestra in itself” (Shepherd, 2008, 9).
Franz Joseph Haydn is widely imitated because of his excellent technique that makes his music, so rich in quality and quantity by having one of the most fertile musical minds. Haydn is one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is also known as one of the pivotal figures in all western musical history. Here I will try to showcase and highlight some of Haydn’s brilliance by talking about the life he lead growing up, his work and career, a little introduction to his music, touching on some of his compositions, his contributions to music, and finally Haydn’s influence.
The music he produced had a lot of control with a lot of flair. He liked improvisation, but did not leave that up to the performer. Instead, he wrote very virtuosic passages for his pieces, with which the performer did not have much room for imaginative playing. Then there is his knowledge on how to writ...
... he accomplished in his life and how he became the well known virtuoso he is today. A background to his life was given to show how he became a well known pianist and composer and it discussed how important he was during the Romantic era. It has shown in great detail, just how focused Liszt was and how he became such a successful composer of the Romantic era. Many examples have been referred to in order to add emphasis to Liszt’s accomplishments as both a pianist and a composer.