liszt's contribution to music

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Liszts contribution to music

Liszts contribution to music

by Vanghelis KARAFILLIDIS

Source:

REVART (REVART), issue: 1 / 2011, pages: 59-62, on www.ceeol.com.
http://www.ceeol.com/http://www.ceeol.com/http://www.ceeol.com/


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LISZTS CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC

Vangelis KARAFILLIDIS11

Abstract:Liszt was undoubtedly one the most multidimensional personalities in Music History. He was apianist, composer, piano and composition teacher, conductor and writer. His contribution to music under each one of hisattributes was outstanding. His piano technique was unsurpassable. His compositional innovations were pioneering. Thisarticle tries to demonstrate as well as analyze the components of his universal contribution to music.

Keywords:Liszt; thematic transfiguration; symphonic poem; piano technique

Introduction

Liszt is merely known as a pianist and composer. In addition to theseimportant attributes we should add those of conductor, teacher and writer. Hisinfluence under all the above attributes was significant and precursory for theevolution of music. The paradox relies on the fact that Liszts achievementswere unsurpassable under both the piano technique as well as the compositionalinnovations perspective. His multidimensional personality influenced virtually allmusic fields.

Liszt as a PianistMany people regard Liszt as the greatest pianist of all ages. Liszt not

only mastered all the aspects of piano technique cultivated by his predecessorsand contemporaries, but he furthermore expanded it to new dimensions. Hispiano interpretations were characterized by the imaginative utilization of allexpressive means. Delicacy, precision, sensitivity, virtuosity, strength andbrilliance were always in accordance to the texture he performed. He was able toproduce orchestral-like timbre from the instrument.

Liszt performed in concerts in many countries exposing the works of

many composers, both previous as well as his contemporaries. His audiencesnot only consisted of the aristocracy, but also the general public. In this way hebrought this music to many people. He invented and established the pianorecital and he was the first performer who played entirely from memory.

His performances demanded the development of piano as aninstrument. Under this perspective he contributed significantly towards theperfection of the technical construction of the instrument. The combination of

11 Music School of Komotini - Greece,[email protected]


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his attributes as a pianist and composer was derived from his piano works whichconstitute an exploration of the instruments capabilities as well as theexpansion of piano technique to the highest level.

Liszt as a ComposerWe could differentiate Liszts music into two major categories: entirely

original works and piano transcriptions, arrangements, paraphrases andfantasies. Liszt made numerous transcriptions of works by Beethoven, Berlioz,Schubert and many others. Especially his transcriptions of Beethovenssymphonies show the deep knowledge of the orchestral score. Its highlyremarkable that he performed such pieces (as a pianist) many times and in thisway he offered an alternative opportunity to the audiences to listen to this musicwhich was normally performed only at orchestra concerts.

His paraphrases and fantasies show an imaginative and inventiveutilization of thematic material which most of the time was derived from operas(for example, operas by Gounod, Verdi, Bellini, etc.).

His entirely original works occupy a unique position in Music History.His oeuvre constitutes a major contribution to music evolution. Liszt not onlyexperimented in form, harmony, scales, metric and timbre, but, moreover, heutilized all these inventions in a very imaginative and creative way.

Liszt of course was one of the founders of Romanticism. Romanticismmanifests the domination of emotions and personal expression over music

form. Liszt realized that form itself is a determinative factor for real musicexpression and therefore the existing forms and structures were restrictive. Inaddition, programmatic music was impossible to be materialized in the contextof classical forms. In order to transcend these limitations he developed thethematic transfiguration. We could say that this compositional technique is anamalgamation of the already existing (classical) forms of sonata and variation.

Thematic transfiguration is present in his Symphonic Poems as well asin other programmatic works (we could call this music tone poems). Moreoverthe development of this new compositional technique affected his non-programmatic music (for example his Piano Sonata). We could say that theSymphonic Poem is an orchestral programmatic work which combines theforms of symphony (first movement in sonata form), overture and variation. Allthese facts make it clear that Liszt not only did assimilate the functionality andthe potentials of the existing forms, but had the artistic insight to realize theways to transform expand and adapt them towards the direction of the novelexpressional necessities.

In addition to the above innovative perspective on form, heexperimented with other musical means, i.e. harmony, scales, metric structureand timbre. Liszt many times created a fuzzy sensation of tonality by expanding


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the functionality and progression of chords. Furthermore, he expanded thetonal system towards atonality by utilizing progressions of dissonant chords(diminished or augmented) or even chords which were not based on thirds but

on fifths, fourths and other intervals. Chromaticism is used in both theharmonic as well as the melodic level in his music. Also, Liszt used modality andpeculiar scales such as pentatonic, whole-tone and gypsy ones. The aestheticalresult of Les Jeux d' Eaux la Villa d' Este is outstanding, since it is clearlyimpressionistic. In his late works, his harmonic and melodic inventionsforeshadow the atonality.

His handling on metric structure includes the use of strange type ofmeters, meter and tempo modulations, as well as superposition of differentrhythmical patterns which derive a sensation of polyrhythm. In his later works,rhythm sometimes becomes vague. His experimentations with timbre can befound both in his orchestral music and (paradoxically) in his piano works.

Liszt not only did invent new uses for musical means, but he,furthermore, combined the new aesthetical potentials in a completely innovativemusic language. Impressionism and atonality were just some of hisachievements. National schools have gained valuable elements from his music.

In the end, Liszt combined the utilization of all possible expressivemeans in order to interpret all the spectra of human emotions from joy tosadness, from triumph to death, from calmness to fear and from light todarkness. Also, his work was influential for many composers of the next

generations.

Liszt as a Piano TeacherLiszt used to give lessons in both composition and piano playing. As a

piano teacher he offered little technical advice to his students. He merelyfocused on musical interpretation and he tried to support the development ofeach students artistic personality. Albniz, von Blow, Sgambati, Tausig,Friedheim, dAlbert and Siloti were among his students.

Liszt as a writer

Liszt wrote many essays and articles mostly about works of hiscontemporaries (Wagner, Schumann, Berlioz, Field, etc). Also, he wrote onebook about Chopin and one about Gypsies.

Liszt as a promoter of other composersLiszt promoted and benefited many composers. He performed many

works by others both as pianist and conductor. Also, he offered them hisvaluable experience and knowledge. Smetana, Wagner, Borodin, Debussy, Saint-Sans, Berlioz, Grieg and Faur were among them.


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ConclusionLiszts contribution to music was significant not only for the Romantic

era, but also for the next generations of composers and pianists. His

achievements were prophetic and determinative for music evolution. Themodern musician (either composer or pianist) can gain valuable artistic insightby studying his music.

References

[1] WALKER, Alan Franz Liszt: Anii de virtuozitate (orig.: The Virtuoso Years: 1811-1847), Editura Cornell University Press, Editie revizuit, 1993

[2] WALKER, Alan Franz Liszt la Weimar (orig.: The Weimar Years: 1848-1861),Editura Cornell University Press, republicat, 1993

[3] WALKER, Alan Franz Liszt: Ultimii ani (orig.: The Final Years: 1861-1886), Ed.Cornell University Press, republicat, 1997

[4] HAMILTON, Kenneth (orig.): The Cambridge Companion to Liszt, Ed. CambridgeUniversity Press, 2005

[5] ROSEN, Charles Forme de Sonat, New York: Norton, Editie revizuit, 1988[6] SZELNYI, Istvn Liszt: Muzica de pian din perioada trzie (orig.: Late Piano Music,

Hungaroton (note brour din HCD 11976-2), 1978.

liszt's contribution to music

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