Rhapsody No. 2 Analysis

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was a musical work written by Franz Liszt, which encompassed the composing styles of the romantic period. He took many of the stylistic attributes from the romantic period allowing his creativity to come into play within the piece of music. It is tuneful melody and takes the listener on a psychological progression making them almost feel as though they are part of a cartoon. (Leung) Franz Liszt created Hungarian Rhapsodies from 1839 to 1847. Liszt was very interested in the Hungarian gypsies and wrote a thesis on them after producing the multiple volumes of Hungarian Folk melodies. (Rodda) Liszt’s birthplace was Hungary and he always love it there although; he did not spend much time in Hungary after the age

(Leung) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is composed with many twists and turns it leaves the listener on edge waiting to see what comes next. Liszt was a virtuoso and traveled extensively

2 perfectly sets the picture of what romantic style music was known for. I enjoyed the piano solo version because I always tend to be more partial to stripped down solo instrument pieces. Although I did listen to the full symphony verse and it was as equally as beautiful. The sounds created by the symphony made the piece sound more demanding and dramatic, which added a different but delightful touch to the piece of work. I love the way he created the argument within the song. There was the perfect amount of dissonance making it noticeable for the listener, but it was not overpowering. Personally, I think it sounded like an argument between two people. You can hear the two people arguing back and forth throughout the whole thing until the very end when you get a sense that the debate is over.. I would recommend it to a friend so they can experience the beautiful sound that Franz Liszt created with just one instrument. The story told within a simple eleven minutes is impeccable. Everyone can interpret it differently and take their own spin to what Liszt’s was trying to convey in the piece. The simple sounds of the piece can make anyone feel relax. It was an excellent piece with patriot roots tied in making the value of the piece even more