Reflections on LisztIn a series of lively essays that tell us much not only about the phenomenon that was Franz Liszt but also about the musical and cultural life of nineteenth-century Europe, Alan Walker muses on aspects of Liszt's life and work that he was unable to explore in his acclaimed three-volume biography of the great composer and pianist. Topics include Liszt's contributions to the Lied, the lifelong impact of his encounter with Beethoven, his influence on students who became famous in their own right, his accomplishments in transcribing and editing the works of other composers, and his innovative piano technique. One chapter is devoted to the Sonata in B Minor, perhaps Liszt's single most celebrated composition. Walker draws heavily on Liszt's astonishingly large personal correspondence with other composers, critics, pianists, and prominent public figures. All the essays reveal Walker's broad and deep knowledge of Liszt and Romantic music generally and, in some cases, his impatience with contemporary performance practice. |
From inside the book
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... keyboard while he put pen to paper, although he certainly liked to try out his compositions at the piano when they were finished. Then there was his unusual ability to compose straight into full orchestral score, and not leave for a ...
... keyboard, but would have been unable to appreciate the finer points of the playing, on which much of the anecdote's value rests. Finally, Horowitz-Barnay has Liszt asking Beethoven a question and getting an immediate response. It was ...
... keyboard had been solved—once and for all, it would seem. Nothing could be further from the truth than to assume that Liszt took these transcriptions lightly, or that he threw them off with the same nonchalant ease that characterized ...
... keyboard. But we must look elsewhere to account for the loving care, the meticulous attention to detail, that shines out of every page of his Beethoven transcriptions. II. Liszt was first presented to Beethoven by his teacher Carl Czerny ...
... keyboard, and to produce distinct levels of sound from what would otherwise remain anonymous, black-and-white textures. V. Liszt's transcriptions differ from the usual “hack” arrangements of the Beethoven symphonies in two important ...
Contents
Liszt and the Schubert Song Transcriptions | |
A Study in Declining | |
Three Character Sketches | |
Liszts Sonata in B Minor | |
Liszt and the Lied | |
Liszt as Editor | |
Some Thoughts and Afterthoughts | |
On Music and Musicians | |
An Open Letter to Franz Liszt | |
Sources | |