Complete List of Franz Liszt's Works for Piano – A Guide to His Masterpieces

Introduction

Franz Liszt (1811–1886), one of the most renowned and significant composers of the 19th century, transformed piano music with his inventive compositions and remarkable skill. Liszt, an essential figure in the Romantic movement, developed the emotional and technical potential of the instrument by creating a variety of works, from brilliant fireworks to profoundly reflective masterpieces. His piano repertory, which includes Études, Rhapsodies, Transcriptions, Années de pèlerinage, and other works, combines inventiveness, poetic expression, and dramatic narrative. This reference is meant to be an overview of Liszt’s piano compositions, highlighting their unique qualities and lasting significance.

Works for Piano Solo

Transcendental Études, S.139

• Approximate Duration: 60–70 minutes
• Description: The Transcendental Études (Études d'exécution transcendante), S.139, are a set of twelve highly virtuosic piano studies by Franz Liszt, published in 1852 as a revision of his 1837 Douze Grandes Études. These pieces, which evolved from Liszt’s youthful Étude en douze exercices (1826), demonstrate his transformational approach to piano technique, pushing the instrument’s capabilities to new expressive and technical heights.

Each étude explores a unique pianistic challenge and poetic atmosphere, with programmatic titles assigned to all but Nos. 2 and 10, which were later given alternative names by Ferruccio Busoni (Fusées and Appassionata), though these were never endorsed by Liszt. Dedicated to Carl Czerny, Liszt’s teacher and a major contributor to the study of piano technique, the Transcendental Études remain one of the most formidable and expressive sets of études in the repertoire.

List of Études

1. Preludio – C major
2. (Molto Vivace) – A minor
3. Paysage – F major
4. Mazeppa – D minor
5. Feux follets – B♭ major
6. Vision – G minor
7. Eroica – E♭ major
8. Wilde Jagd – C minor
9. Ricordanza – A♭ major
10. (Allegro agitato molto) – F minor
11. Harmonies du soir – D♭ major
12. Chasse-neige – B♭ minor

Liszt initially envisioned a set of 24 études, covering all major and minor keys, but only completed half of this project, focusing on neutral and flat keys. In the early 20th century, Russian composer Sergei Lyapunov composed his own Douze études d'exécution transcendante, Op.11, continuing Liszt’s cycle through the sharp keys. His final étude, Élégie en mémoire de Franz Liszt, serves as a homage to Liszt’s influence on the transcendental piano tradition.

Étude en douze exercices, S.136 (Op.6)

• Approximate Duration: 30–35 minutes
• Description: Liszt’s first complete set of études, these twelve exercises showcase his early technical ambitions and foreshadow his later virtuoso style. Though simpler than the later Transcendental Études, they already contain elements of expressive lyricism, rapid passagework, and dramatic contrasts.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 1 (Allegro con fuoco), S.136/1

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A brilliant opening étude filled with fiery runs and vigorous energy, this piece demands precision and power from the pianist.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 2 (Allegro non molto), S.136/2

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A study in rapid left-hand arpeggios, this piece requires a delicate touch and fluid movement, foreshadowing later works like Feux follets.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 3 (Allegro sempre legato), S.136/3

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: Focused on smooth, legato phrasing, this étude challenges pianists to maintain clarity and evenness across rapid note patterns.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 4 (Allegretto), S.136/4

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A playful yet refined étude that explores quick finger work and delicate phrasing, requiring nimble articulation and light touch.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 5 (Moderato), S.136/5

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: This étude focuses on expressive phrasing and lyrical melody, demanding control over dynamic contrasts and rubato.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 6 (Molto agitato), S.136/6

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A turbulent and dramatic étude with stormy arpeggios and rapid movement, showcasing Liszt’s early flair for virtuosic intensity.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 7 (Allegretto con molto espressione), S.136/7

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A highly expressive étude that blends elegant melodic lines with fluid ornamentation, foreshadowing Liszt’s later lyrical works.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 8 (Allegro con spirito), S.136/8

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A lively and energetic étude featuring rapid passagework and rhythmic drive, demanding precision and agility from the performer.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 9 (Allegro grazioso), S.136/9

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: Combining elegance with technical brilliance, this étude presents quick runs and refined phrasing, reminiscent of a graceful dance.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 10 (Moderato), S.136/10

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A study in expressive legato playing, emphasizing warm harmonic progressions and a singing melodic line.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 11 (Allegro grazioso), S.136/11

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A sparkling and ornamental étude, featuring delicate embellishments and light, flowing textures.

1. Étude en douze exercices No. 12 (Allegro non troppo), S.136/12

• • Approximate Duration: 2–3 minutes
  • Description: A dramatic and climactic étude that balances technical brilliance with deep expressivity, closing the set with grandeur.

Grandes Études de Paganini, S.141

• Approximate Duration: 20–22 minutes
• Description: The Grandes Études de Paganini, S.141, is a set of six highly virtuosic piano études by Franz Liszt, revised in 1851 from the 1838 version (Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini, S.140). These études, dedicated to Clara Schumann, are based on themes from Niccolò Paganini’s Caprices and Violin Concertos, translating violinistic brilliance into pianistic challenges.

Liszt’s original 1838 version was extraordinarily demanding, featuring complex textures, extreme technical obstacles, and wide hand stretches (some exceeding an octave and a tenth). In the final 1851 version, he streamlined the writing, reducing technical excesses while maintaining the études’ dazzling virtuosity. The set remains one of the most formidable in the piano repertoire, requiring extraordinary dexterity, agility, and tonal control.

List of Études

1. Tremolo – G minor (Andante – Non troppo lento)
2. • Based on Caprice No. 6, with the introduction and coda from Caprice No. 5. A study in tremolos, demanding control of voicing and dynamic shaping, particularly in the left hand alone.
3. Andante capriccioso – E♭ major (Andante capriccioso)
4. • Based on Caprice No. 17, this étude features rapid scales and octaves, requiring both elegance and tonal refinement.
5. La Campanella – G♯ minor (Allegretto)
6. • Based on the final movement of Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 2, this étude is famous for its bell-like repeated notes, wide leaps, and delicate virtuosity, making it one of Liszt’s most recognized showpieces.
7. Arpeggio – E major (Andante quasi allegretto)
8. • Based on Caprice No. 1, this étude consists almost entirely of flowing arpeggios, originally written on a single staff line, mimicking a violin score. The final version corrects this for easier readability.
9. La Chasse – E major (Allegretto – dolcissimo)
10. • Based on Caprice No. 9, this étude evokes the sound of hunting horns, featuring staccato chords and rapid figurations, demanding clarity and lightness in execution.
11. Theme and Variations – A minor (Quasi presto a capriccio)
12. • Based on Caprice No. 24, this theme and ten variations showcase nearly every pianistic challenge, including rapid octaves, arpeggios, glissandi, and intricate fingerwork, making it a technical tour de force.

Liszt’s revised 1851 version is the definitive edition performed today, maintaining the brilliance and technical demands of the original while making it more idiomatic for the modern piano. The set remains one of the greatest tests of virtuosity in the piano repertoire.

Étude de perfectionnement de la méthode des méthodes

• Approximate Duration: Varies
• Description: Étude de perfectionnement de la méthode des méthodes consists of two studies by Franz Liszt, composed in 1842 and 1852. The first piece, Morceau de salon, S.142, was later revised into Ab Irato, S.143. Both are in E minor and showcase eccentric yet expressive writing, featuring brilliant interludes of arpeggiated figures. Despite their technical and musical depth, these works remain rarely performed.

Trois Études de Concert, S.144

• Composition Period: 1845–1849
• Approximate Duration: 15–18 minutes
• Description: The Three Concert Études, S.144, is a set of three études by Franz Liszt, originally published in Paris under the title Trois caprices poétiques. These études were not only intended for technical development but were also composed for concert performance, showcasing Liszt's innovative approach to piano writing.

The Italian subtitles now associated with the études—Il lamento ("The Lament"), La leggierezza ("Lightness"), and Un sospiro ("A Sigh")—first appeared in the French edition. Each étude explores a unique pianistic challenge while maintaining melodic beauty and expressive depth.

List of Études

1. Il lamento – A♭ major (Lento assai)
2. • The first étude is among Liszt’s longest in the genre, opening with a lyrical four-note motif that reappears throughout. A Chopin-like chromatic passage is introduced in the middle section and returns in the coda. The piece modulates extensively, touching on keys such as A, G, D♯, F♯, and B major, despite beginning and ending in A♭ major.
3. La leggierezza – F minor (Quasi allegretto)
4. • Meaning "Lightness," this étude is monothematic, featuring delicate passagework, rapid chromatic runs, and intricate rhythmic groupings. It opens with a sixteen-note chromatic arpeggio divided into thirds and sixths, setting the tone for the étude’s effortless fluidity. The work contains an ossia for the right hand, featuring brilliant minor third runs, which is commonly performed.
   • Alternate endings: The piece sometimes includes an alternate ending written by Theodor Leschetizky, which was recorded by pianists such as Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Benno Moiseiwitsch.
5. Un sospiro – D♭ major (Andantino)
6. • The final étude, Un sospiro (Italian for "A Sigh"), is one of Liszt’s most poetic and well-loved piano works. It is a study in hand-crossing, requiring the performer to alternate hands to voice a cantabile melody while executing flowing arpeggios in the background.
   • The étude contains an additional treble staff, instructing the performer to differentiate melody from accompaniment by following stem directions. Throughout the piece, both hands must alternate playing the melody and harmony, with the left hand frequently crossing over the right.
   • The final section features rapidly moving notes, requiring extensive hand-crossing patterns, culminating in a dramatic climax before closing in a whisper-like resolution.

These three études were dedicated to Liszt’s uncle, Eduard Liszt (1817–1879), who handled Liszt’s business affairs for over thirty years. The Trois Études de Concert remains a cornerstone of the Romantic piano repertoire, demanding both technical mastery and expressive artistry.

Zwei Konzertetüden, S.145

• Composition Period: 1862–1863
• Approximate Duration: 8–10 minutes
• Dedication: Dionys Pruckner
• Description: Two Concert Études (Zwei Konzertetüden), S.145, is a set of two concert études composed by Franz Liszt while in Rome. The études were dedicated to Dionys Pruckner but were originally intended for inclusion in Sigmund Lebert and Ludwig Stark’s Klavierschule (Piano Method). These two works showcase Liszt’s mature style, blending technical challenges with expressive character, and remain popular among pianists for their evocative and poetic nature.

List of Études

1. Waldesrauschen (Forest Murmurs) – D♭ major (Allegretto)
2. • This étude is one of Liszt’s most atmospheric works, known for its flowing, shimmering figurations that imitate the sound of wind moving through a forest. The piece requires a delicate and fluid technique, emphasizing legato phrasing and dynamic control.
3. Gnomenreigen (Dance of the Gnomes) – F♯ minor (Presto scherzando)
4. • A technically demanding étude, Gnomenreigen is characterized by its quick, playful passages that mimic the mischievous movements of gnomes.
   • The opening theme in F♯ minor features grace notes followed by rapid eighth notes, creating a scurrying effect.
   • A playful, contrasting theme in A major follows, introducing light staccato textures and rapid leaps.
   • As the étude develops, Liszt incorporates a rhythmically complex section with repeating bass notes, including an unbroken sequence of fifty-four low D’s, demanding precision and endurance.
   • The piece reaches a climactic moment when the A major theme returns, this time in F♯ major, bringing the étude to a brilliant and energetic conclusion.

These études stand among Liszt’s most poetic and evocative works, encapsulating his mature pianistic style and his ability to paint vivid musical landscapes.

Variation sur une valse de Diabelli, S.147

• Composition Year: 1822
• Publication: Late 1823 or early 1824
• Collection: Vaterländischer Künstlerverein, Part II (Variation No. 24)
• Based on: A waltz by Anton Diabelli

Description:
The Variation sur une valse de Diabelli, S.147, is Franz Liszt’s contribution to Vaterländischer Künstlerverein, a collection of variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli written by 50 different composers. Liszt composed this piece in 1822, when he was only 11 years old, and it was published shortly after in 1823/24.

Liszt’s variation appears in Part II of the collection, which includes contributions from various composers, whereas Part I is entirely devoted to Ludwig van Beethoven’s 33 Diabelli Variations, Op. 120, a monumental work that far surpassed Diabelli’s original expectations for the project.

As one of Liszt’s earliest published compositions, this variation provides a glimpse into his youthful talent, offering an early example of his developing virtuosity and creative approach to variation writing.

Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), S.160, S.161, S.162, S.163

• Composition Period: 1835–1883
• Publication: 1855, 1858, 1861, 1883
• Structure: Three volumes and an additional supplement (Venezia e Napoli)
• Derived from: Album d'un voyageur (1835–1838)

Description:
Années de pèlerinage is Franz Liszt’s monumental three-part suite for solo piano, inspired by his travels through Switzerland and Italy. As a revision and expansion of his earlier work, Album d’un voyageur, this cycle represents Liszt’s musical reflections on nature, art, literature, and philosophy. The first two volumes showcase Romantic virtuosity, while the third volume (composed much later) reflects Liszt’s mature style, marked by harmonic experimentation and introspection.

The title Années de pèlerinage references Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years, reinforcing Liszt’s literary connection to the Romantic movement. Each piece is preceded by a literary quotation, with passages from Byron, Schiller, Senancour, and Petrarch, among others.

Première année: Suisse (First Year: Switzerland), S.160

• Composition: 1848–1854
• Publication: 1855

Liszt’s Swiss travels (1835–1836) deeply influenced this collection. The pieces evoke mountains, lakes, storms, and pastoral scenes, emphasizing the sublime beauty of nature. Several pieces are revisions of Album d’un voyageur (Part I: Impressions et Poésies).

Movements:

1. Chapelle de Guillaume Tell (William Tell’s Chapel) – C major
2. • Inspired by the Swiss struggle for freedom, with a noble Schiller motto: “All for one – one for all.”
3. Au lac de Wallenstadt (At Lake Wallenstadt) – A♭ major
4. • A serene piece, inspired by Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (Canto III, Stanza 85).
5. Pastorale – E major
6. • A gentle, idyllic piece in the tradition of pastoral music.
7. Au bord d’une source (Beside a Spring) – A♭ major
8. • Features flowing arpeggios, capturing the whispering movement of water, with a quote from Schiller.
9. Orage (Storm) – C minor
10. • A dramatic depiction of a violent storm, with a Byron quote questioning the purpose of tempests.
11. Vallée d’Obermann (Obermann’s Valley) – E minor
12. • Inspired by Étienne Pivert de Senancour’s novel Obermann, exploring themes of existential longing.
13. Églogue (Eclogue) – A♭ major
14. • A bright, joyful depiction of morning in the Alps, inspired by Byron.
15. Le mal du pays (Homesickness) – E minor
16. • Expresses deep nostalgia and longing for home.
17. Les cloches de Genève: Nocturne (The Bells of Geneva: Nocturne) – B major
18. • A poetic, romantic nocturne, accompanied by a Byron quote.

Deuxième année: Italie (Second Year: Italy), S.161

• Composition: 1837–1849
• Publication: 1858

Inspired by Italian Renaissance art, literature, and poetry, this suite incorporates musical depictions of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Petrarch.

Movements:

1. Sposalizio (Marriage of the Virgin) – E major
2. • Inspired by Raphael’s painting Lo sposalizio della Vergine.
3. Il penseroso (The Thinker) – C♯ minor
4. • Evokes Michelangelo’s statue, with a contemplative and solemn character.
5. Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa – A major
6. • A light, playful piece, based on a song by Giovanni Bononcini.
7. Sonetto 47 del Petrarca (Petrarch’s Sonnet 47) – D♭ major
8. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (Petrarch’s Sonnet 104) – E major
9. Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Petrarch’s Sonnet 123) – A♭ major
10. • These three pieces are romantic and lyrical settings of Petrarch’s sonnets.
11. Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia Quasi Sonata (After Reading Dante: Fantasia Quasi Sonata) – D minor
12. • A dramatic, fiery work inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, depicting the torments of Hell.

Supplement: Venezia e Napoli, S.162

• Composition: 1859
• Publication: 1861

1. Gondoliera – F♯ major (La biondina in gondoletta, Giovanni Battista Peruchini)
2. Canzone – E♭ minor (Based on Rossini’s Otello theme)
3. Tarantella – G minor (Neapolitan folk-inspired dance)

Troisième année (Third Year), S.163

• Composition: 1867–1877
• Publication: 1883

This volume is more introspective and marked by harmonic experimentation, reflecting Liszt’s later spiritual and philosophical ideas.

Movements:

1. Angélus! Prière aux anges gardiens (Angelus! Prayer to the Guardian Angels) – E major
2. • Dedicated to Liszt’s granddaughter, Daniela von Bülow.
3. Aux cyprès de la Villa d’Este I: Thrénodie (To the Cypresses of the Villa d’Este I: Threnody) – G minor
4. Aux cyprès de la Villa d’Este II: Thrénodie (To the Cypresses of the Villa d’Este II: Threnody) – E minor
5. • Inspired by Liszt’s time at the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, reflecting on mortality and grief.
6. Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este (The Fountains of the Villa d’Este) – F♯ major
7. • A precursor to Impressionism, featuring shimmering water-like textures.
8. Sunt lacrymae rerum/En mode hongrois (There are Tears for Things/In Hungarian Style) – A minor
9. • Dedicated to Hans von Bülow, Liszt’s former son-in-law.
10. Marche funèbre, En mémoire de Maximilien I, Empereur du Mexique (Funeral March, In Memory of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico) – F minor
11. • A solemn funeral march.
12. Sursum corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) – E major
13. • A spiritual, uplifting conclusion to the cycle.

Legacy & Influence

Années de pèlerinage is widely considered Liszt’s masterwork and one of the most significant solo piano cycles in history. The first two volumes capture Romanticism at its peak, while the third volume reveals Liszt’s later harmonic and philosophical depth. With its combination of technical virtuosity, poetic expression, and literary inspiration, this collection remains a cornerstone of piano literature.

Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata, S.161/7

• Composition: 1849
• Publication: 1856 (as part of Années de pèlerinage, Second Year: Italy)
• Structure: One-movement piano sonata
• Inspiration: Après une lecture de Dante (1836), a poem by Victor Hugo

Background

Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata (French for After a Reading of Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata), commonly known as the Dante Sonata, is one of Franz Liszt’s most dramatic and virtuosic piano works. The piece was inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, particularly Inferno and Paradiso, as well as Victor Hugo’s poetic interpretation of Dante’s journey.

Originally, Liszt composed a two-movement piece titled Fragment after Dante in the late 1830s, which he performed publicly in Vienna in 1839. However, upon settling in Weimar in 1849, he substantially revised the work, incorporating greater thematic development and structural cohesion, and gave it its final title. The piece was published in 1858 as the seventh and final work in the Deuxième Année: Italie (Second Year: Italy) of Années de pèlerinage.

Musical Structure & Interpretation

The Dante Sonata is a highly programmatic composition, divided into two contrasting themes that represent Hell and Heaven:

1. First Theme (Hell) – D minor
2. • A menacing chromatic descent, symbolizing the wailing of damned souls.
   • Heavy use of the tritone (augmented fourth/diminished fifth)—historically referred to as diabolus in musica ("the Devil in music"), reinforcing the hellish imagery.
   • Features rapid octaves, cascading runs, and violent harmonic shifts, evoking torment and chaos.
3. Second Theme (Heaven) – F♯ major
4. • A beatific, hymn-like chorale, derived melodically from the first theme, but transformed into a vision of divine peace.
   • F♯ major is a key associated with transcendence in Liszt’s works, appearing in Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude and Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este.
   • This angelic motif is often interpreted as a representation of Beatrice, Dante’s divine guide in Paradiso.

The sonata builds to a climactic struggle between these opposing forces before concluding with a frenzied chromatic octave passage, interpreted as Satan’s three faces in Dante’s Inferno.

Significance & Legacy

The Dante Sonata is considered one of Liszt’s greatest piano works, demanding exceptional virtuosity, stamina, and dramatic expression. Its powerful contrasts, rich harmonic language, and programmatic depth make it a masterpiece of Romantic piano literature. It remains one of the most frequently performed and recorded among Liszt’s thematic compositions based on literature and philosophy.

Feuilles d'Album, S.165

• Composition: 1841
• Publication: 1844 (by Schott frères)
• Key: A-flat major
• Dedication: Gustave Du Bousquet
• Duration: ~2.5 minutes

Feuilles d'Album (Album Leaves) is a short, lyrical piano piece by Franz Liszt, showcasing elegant phrasing and delicate textures. It remains one of his charming miniatures, often performed as an encore.

Ballade No. 1 in D-flat Major, S.170

• Composition: 1845–1848
• Original Title: Le Chant Du Croisé (The Chant of the Crusader)
• Duration: ~7–8 minutes

Liszt’s Ballade No. 1 is a narrative-driven piano piece built around two contrasting themes. The main theme appears seven times, each with increasing technical complexity. A march-like second theme (Tempo di Marcia) emerges after the fifth iteration, before leading back to the main theme and closing with a modest coda.

Ballade No. 2 in B Minor, S.171

• Composition: 1853
• Duration: ~13–15 minutes

Liszt’s Ballade No. 2 is a dramatic and virtuosic work, often associated with the Greek myth of Hero and Leander, as suggested by Claudio Arrau. The piece alternates between two main themes: a dark, rumbling opening melody and a luminous chordal meditation. These themes are later intensified, culminating in a march-like triplet section before the opening melody is transformed into a lyrical, major-key cantabile, leading to a grandiose climax and a contemplative final resolution.

Consolations, S.171a/172

• Composition: First version (S.171a) 1844–1849, Second version (S.172) 1849–1850
• Publication: 1850 (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• Duration: ~15 minutes

Liszt’s Consolations are a set of six piano pieces resembling nocturnes, each in E major or D♭ major—keys he often associated with religious themes. Inspired by Lamartine’s poetry and possibly Sainte-Beuve’s Consolations, the pieces evoke reflection and serenity.

The first version (S.171a) contained different musical ideas, later simplified in the final version (S.172), which includes the well-known Consolation No. 3, Lento placido—a Chopin-like nocturne that remains a favorite encore piece. Other highlights include the prayer-like Consolation No. 4, and the technically demanding Consolation No. 6, described as uniquely Lisztian.

List of Consolations

First Version (S.171a)

1. Andante con moto (E major)
2. Un poco più mosso (E major)
3. Lento, quasi recitativo (E major / C♯ minor)
4. Quasi Adagio, cantabile con devozione (D♭ major)
5. Andantino (E major) – "Madrigal"
6. Allegretto (G major)

Final Version (S.172)

1. Andante con moto (E major)
2. Un poco più mosso (E major)
3. Lento placido (D♭ major) – Most famous, inspired by Chopin’s Nocturnes
4. Quasi Adagio (D♭ major) – Known as the "Stern-Consolation"
5. Andantino (E major) – Retains elements of the earlier Madrigal
6. Allegretto sempre cantabile (E major) – The longest and most technically demanding

Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173

• Composition: 1847 (Woronińce)
• Publication: 1853
• Inspiration: Alphonse de Lamartine's poetry

Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses is a cycle of ten solo piano pieces inspired by Alphonse de Lamartine’s poetry, reflecting themes of faith, contemplation, and transcendence. Written at Woronińce, the Ukrainian estate of Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein, the cycle includes some of Liszt’s most deeply introspective and spiritual works.

Notable pieces include:

• Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude – A serene, contemplative work expressing divine blessing.
• Funérailles – A powerful elegy, often linked to Liszt’s reaction to the 1848 Hungarian uprising.
• Pensée des morts – A reworking of an earlier composition, meditating on death and remembrance.

List of Pieces

1. Invocation (completed at Woronińce)
2. Ave Maria (choral transcription, 1846)
3. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude
4. Pensée des morts (revised from 1834 version)
5. Pater Noster (choral transcription, 1846)
6. Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil (choral transcription, 1846)
7. Funérailles (October 1849)
8. Miserere, d'après Palestrina
9. La lampe du temple (Andante lagrimoso)
10. Cantique d'amour (Hymn of Love, completed at Woronińce)

Described as possessing a "naked intensity", the cycle offers a more urgent and profound spiritual experience compared to Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage.

Deux légendes, S.175

• Composition: 1863
• Orchestration: 1863 (S.113a/1 & S.113a/2)

Liszt’s Deux légendes (Two Legends) is a set of two highly expressive and programmatic solo piano pieces inspired by the lives of two saints. Both pieces were later orchestrated by Liszt himself.

1. St. Francis of Assisi’s Sermon to the Birds (S.175/1)

• Key: A major
• Musical Style: Impressionistic, featuring bird-like trills and rapid figurations.
• Inspiration: Based on a legend of St. Francis of Assisi, who, upon encountering a flock of birds, preached to them, and they listened without flying away.
• Significance: One of the few examples of onomatopoeia in Liszt’s music, mimicking birdsong throughout.

2. St. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves (S.175/2)

• Key: F♯ minor → A major
• Musical Style: Grand and majestic, with thundering waves in the left-hand octaves and powerful ascending motifs.
• Inspiration: Depicts the legend of St. Francis of Paola, who miraculously crossed the Strait of Messina by walking on water after being refused passage by a boatman.
• Symbolism: Inspired by an artwork owned by Liszt, portraying the saint walking steadfastly over waves while carrying burning coals in one hand and giving a blessing with the other.

These two pieces showcase Liszt’s masterful storytelling through music, blending virtuosic technique, religious devotion, and programmatic expression into some of his most poetic works.

Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition: 1842–1853
• Dedication: Robert Schumann
• Published: 1854
• First Performance: 27 January 1857, Berlin (Hans von Bülow)
• Duration: ~30 minutes
• Movements: 1 (in continuous form)

Background

Composed in Weimar during Liszt’s most productive years, the Piano Sonata in B minor represents a peak of Romantic piano composition. Though dedicated to Robert Schumann, it was received coldly by Schumann’s wife, Clara Schumann, who dismissed it as "merely a blind noise." The sonata faced a mixed reception upon publication, with Eduard Hanslick and Johannes Brahms criticizing it, yet Richard Wagner praising its artistic depth.

Structure & Analysis

While written as one continuous movement, the sonata follows sonata form with exposition, development, and recapitulation, incorporating elements of a four-movement structure (Allegro, Adagio, Scherzo, Finale).

• Themes & Motifs:
• • The sonata is built upon three key themes introduced in the opening:
  • 1. Lento assai: A dark, descending motif.
    2. Allegro energico: A powerful, jagged octave passage.
    3. Hammerschlag ('hammer-blow') motif: Repetitive and percussive.
• Grandioso Theme: A noble, cantabile transformation of earlier material in D major, demonstrating Liszt’s thematic economy.
• Andante sostenuto (F♯ major): A lyrical slow movement that reinterprets the opening themes, leading into a fugato section.
• Recapitulation: Features a dramatic fugue in B-flat minor, leading to a quiet, ethereal ending, a choice Liszt made after initially considering a louder, triumphant close.

Interpretations & Theories

Scholars and musicians have long debated hidden meanings in the sonata, proposing:

1. A Faustian Narrative: Themes representing Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles.
2. Autobiographical Conflict: Liszt’s own spiritual and artistic struggles.
3. Biblical Allegory: The battle between good and evil, inspired by Paradise Lost.
4. Purely Absolute Music: A work of expressive form with no literary connotations.

Reception & Legacy

Despite initial hostility, the Sonata in B minor has since been recognized as one of Liszt’s greatest masterpieces, a cornerstone of Romantic piano repertoire, and a monumental challenge for pianists.

Sarabande and Chaconne from Handel's Almira, S.181

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition: 1879
• Instrumentation: Piano solo
• Commissioned for: Walter Bache (Handel Festival, England)

Background

Liszt composed this transcription for his English student Walter Bache to perform at a Handel festival in England. It is one of Liszt’s most striking late concert arrangements and his only transcription of a Baroque work from this period. Given Handel's status as Britain’s national composer, Liszt’s choice may have been strategic, though selecting an obscure opera like Almira was unexpected.

Musical Approach

Unlike his 1867 transcription of Bach’s Fantasie and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, where he closely followed the original, Liszt reimagines Handel’s material, altering the order of the dances and incorporating introductory, transitional, and developmental passages.

• Structure:
• • The piece functions as a double set of variations, with one set on the sarabande and another on the chaconne.
  • The sarabande dominates, resembling a Bach chaconne in its variations over a harmonic progression.
  • The chaconne, balletic in nature, is independent of traditional bass-line repetition.
  • The conclusion transforms the sarabande into a triumphant major-key climax, a technique anticipating Ferruccio Busoni’s late-Romantic Bach transcriptions.

Legacy

The Sarabande and Chaconne from Almira stands out as a unique late-period work in Liszt’s catalog, blending Baroque structure with Romantic grandeur, pushing the transcription into the realm of independent composition.

Weihnachtsbaum, S.186 (Christmas Tree Suite)

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Years: 1873–76, revised in 1881
• Instrumentation: Solo piano & Piano four-hands
• Dedication: Daniela von Bülow (Liszt’s granddaughter)
• First Performance: Christmas Day, 1881 (Rome)

Overview

Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree) is a 12-piece suite that stands apart in Liszt’s output, characterized by lyrical simplicity rather than virtuosity. It has been compared to Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Debussy’s Children’s Corner for its delicate, childlike charm.

Background & Dedication

Liszt dedicated the suite to his first grandchild, Daniela von Bülow, the daughter of Cosima and Hans von Bülow. The first performance took place in Daniela’s Rome hotel room on Christmas Day, 1881—a date that coincided with Cosima Wagner’s birthday celebration.

Despite its intimate and poetic character, Weihnachtsbaum remains one of Liszt’s lesser-known works, possibly due to its unusual style within his repertoire.

Dem Andenken Petőfis, S.195 (In Petőfi’s Memory)

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Year: 1877
• Instrumentation: Solo piano
• Genre: Elegy

Overview

Dem Andenken Petőfis (In Petőfi’s Memory), originally titled "Petőfi szellemének" in Hungarian, is a piano elegy composed by Liszt in memory of the Hungarian poet and nationalist Sándor Petőfi. Liszt, who sometimes set Petőfi’s poems to music, composed this piece as a tribute to his contemporary and fellow countryman.

Legacy

The work, like many of Liszt’s elegies, carries a deeply expressive and melancholic character. It was selected as one of the ABRSM Grade 8 piano exam pieces in 2005–06.

Nuages gris, S.199 (Grey Clouds)

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Date: August 24, 1881
• Instrumentation: Solo piano
• Genre: Late experimental work

Overview

Nuages gris (Grey/Dim Clouds), composed in 1881, is one of Liszt’s most radical and forward-thinking pieces, marking a departure from his earlier virtuosic style. The work features unresolved dissonances, augmented triads, and chromatic movement, creating an eerie, atmospheric effect that foreshadows late Romantic and early 20th-century expressionism.

Musical Style and Impact

• The piece avoids a traditional cadential structure, using semitonal shifts and augmented triads as its central harmonic elements.
• The dark, brooding quality of Nuages gris has been compared to Mahler and Schoenberg, anticipating atonality and expressionism.
• Its stark, experimental nature has led scholars to recognize Liszt as a "master of freedom" in music, influencing later composers such as Debussy (Nuages), Heinz Holliger, and Mauricio Kagel.

Legacy

• Nuages gris is considered one of Liszt’s most progressive works, only fully appreciated in the 20th century.
• It has been used in film and orchestral adaptations, most notably in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut during a morgue scene.

La lugubre gondola, S.200 (The Mournful Gondola)

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Date: 1882–1883
• Versions: Multiple, including two solo piano versions (No. 1 in 6/8 and No. 2 in 4/4), and a version for violin or cello and piano.
• Genre: Late piano work, elegy

Background

La lugubre gondola is one of Liszt’s most significant late works, deeply associated with the death of Richard Wagner. While staying as Wagner’s guest at the Palazzo Vendramin in Venice in late 1882, Liszt was inspired by the city’s funereal gondolas and may have had a premonition of Wagner’s passing.

• The first version (No. 1 in 6/8) was composed in December 1882, later revised into a smoother, more lyrical version (No. 2 in 4/4) in January 1883.
• The piece was later arranged for violin or cello and piano and was officially published in 1885, becoming a musical memorial after Wagner’s death in February 1883.

Musical Style

• The unresolved diminished sevenths and floating phrases recall Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, particularly its famous Prelude.
• The single melodic line in No. 2 reflects Wagner’s concept of "unending melody", evolving into a more lyrical and romantic theme.
• No. 1 is starker, more fragmented, and remained unpublished until 1927, when it was finally distinguished from the more well-known No. 2.

Legacy

• The piece is one of Liszt’s darkest and most haunting works, fitting into his late experimental style.
• It is often performed as a companion piece to other late Liszt elegies, such as Unstern! and Nuages gris.
• Its atmospheric and solemn character has made it a favorite among pianists exploring Liszt’s late works, as well as a profound tribute to Wagner’s passing.

La lugubre gondola, S.200 (The Mournful Gondola)

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Date: 1882–1883
• Versions: Multiple, including two solo piano versions (No. 1 in 6/8 and No. 2 in 4/4), and a version for violin or cello and piano.
• Genre: Late piano work, elegy

Background

La lugubre gondola is one of Liszt’s most significant late works, deeply associated with the death of Richard Wagner. While staying as Wagner’s guest at the Palazzo Vendramin in Venice in late 1882, Liszt was inspired by the city’s funereal gondolas and may have had a premonition of Wagner’s passing.

• The first version (No. 1 in 6/8) was composed in December 1882, later revised into a smoother, more lyrical version (No. 2 in 4/4) in January 1883.
• The piece was later arranged for violin or cello and piano and was officially published in 1885, becoming a musical memorial after Wagner’s death in February 1883.

Musical Style

• The unresolved diminished sevenths and floating phrases recall Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, particularly its famous Prelude.
• The single melodic line in No. 2 reflects Wagner’s concept of "unending melody", evolving into a more lyrical and romantic theme.
• No. 1 is starker, more fragmented, and remained unpublished until 1927, when it was finally distinguished from the more well-known No. 2.

Legacy

• The piece is one of Liszt’s darkest and most haunting works, fitting into his late experimental style.
• It is often performed as a companion piece to other late Liszt elegies, such as Unstern! and Nuages gris.
• Its atmospheric and solemn character has made it a favorite among pianists exploring Liszt’s late works, as well as a profound tribute to Wagner’s passing.

Valse-Impromptu, S.213

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Date: c. 1842–1852
• Publication Date: 1852
• Key: A-flat major
• Versions:
• • Original (S.213) – The commonly performed version
  • Extended Version (S.213a, "Valse-Impromptu with Later Additions") – c. 1880

Background

The Valse-Impromptu is a lyrical and lighthearted waltz that showcases Liszt’s characteristic blend of virtuosity and charm. It is lesser-known compared to his famous concert waltzes but remains a delightful and elegant work.

• The original version (S.213) lasts around 5½ minutes, while the extended version (S.213a) adds about 1½ minutes of extra material, recorded for the first time by Leslie Howard in his complete Liszt edition.

Musical Style

• The piece features graceful waltz rhythms, sparkling ornamentation, and rapid passagework, embodying the romantic and improvisatory spirit suggested by its title.
• Despite its virtuosic flourishes, the waltz maintains an elegant and fluid character, making it a showpiece for expressive pianism.

Notable Recordings

Though not among Liszt’s most frequently performed works, Valse-Impromptu has been recorded by several renowned pianists, including:

• Josef Hofmann
• Georges Cziffra (DVD recording)
• Jorge Bolet

Legacy

The Valse-Impromptu is a hidden gem in Liszt’s repertoire, often included in collections of his lighter, more dance-like piano music. While it does not reach the dramatic heights of Mephisto Waltz No. 1 or Valse de l’opéra Faust, it remains a charming and virtuosic waltz, offering a glimpse into Liszt’s lighter and more playful compositional side.

Valses oubliées, S.215

The Valses oubliées (Forgotten Waltzes), S.215, are a set of four waltzes composed by Franz Liszt between 1881 and 1884. These pieces reflect Liszt’s late compositional style, featuring lighter textures, delicate phrasing, and unexpected harmonic progressions.

List of the Valses oubliées:

1. Valse oubliée No. 1 in F♯ major (1881) – The most well-known of the set, characterized by a whimsical yet melancholic waltz theme.
2. Valse oubliée No. 2 in A♭ major (1883) – A graceful yet mysterious waltz with surprising harmonic shifts.
3. Valse oubliée No. 3 (1883) – Originally composed in one version (S.215/3), then revised into a second version (S.215/3a).
4. Valse oubliée No. 4 (1884) – A lesser-known but charming final waltz, continuing the theme of nostalgia and reminiscence.

Style and Influence

• Unlike Liszt’s earlier, showy waltzes, these pieces have a more subtle, intimate, and delicate character.
• They reflect a Parisian salon style, reminiscent of Chopin’s waltzes, yet infused with Liszt’s late harmonic experimentation.
• The set is sometimes compared to Schumann’s Carnaval or Debussy’s Valse romantique in terms of evoking fleeting memories and emotions.

Mephisto Waltzes, S.514–S.216b

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composition Period: 1859–1862, 1880–1885
• Versions:
• • No. 1 & No. 2 – Composed for orchestra, later arranged for piano solo, piano duet, and two pianos.
  • No. 3 & No. 4 – Composed for solo piano.
• Related Work: Mephisto Polka, which follows the same programmatic theme.

Background

The Mephisto Waltzes are a set of four virtuosic waltzes inspired by the legend of Faust and Mephistopheles, showcasing Liszt’s demonic, sensual, and visionary musical language. The first Mephisto Waltz is the most famous, frequently performed in concert and recorded, while the later waltzes explore increasingly radical harmonic and structural elements.

No. 1, S.514 (1859–62) "The Dance in the Village Inn"

• Instrumentation: Orchestra (S.110/2), Piano Solo (S.514), Piano Duet (S.599/2), Two Pianos (S.110/2).
• Program: Based on Lenau’s Faust, depicting Mephistopheles playing a seductive violin, luring Faust into a wild waltz with a village beauty before they vanish into the woods.
• Musical Features:
• • Frenzied, syncopated rhythms and fiery virtuosity.
  • Alternates between intoxicating, lush melodies and demonic, rapid passages.
  • Ends with an eerie fade-out, depicting Faust disappearing into the night.
• Dedication: Karl Tausig.

No. 2, S.515 (1880–81) "The Devil’s Waltz"

• Instrumentation: Orchestra (S.111), Piano Solo (S.515), Piano Duet (S.600).
• Program: Darker, more violent, and dissonant, evoking a macabre dance of death.
• Musical Features:
• • Begins and ends on an unresolved tritone, symbolizing the Devil.
  • Wild, dramatic shifts between dissonance and fleeting moments of lyricism.
  • Anticipates the harmonic language of Scriabin, Busoni, and Bartók.
• Dedication: Camille Saint-Saëns.

No. 3, S.216 (1883) "Ghostly Waltz"

• Instrumentation: Solo Piano.
• Musical Features:
• • Highly chromatic and dissonant, featuring fourths-based harmonies and descending minor triads.
  • Shifts unpredictably between F# major, D minor, and D# minor.
  • Abandons strict triple meter, giving it an unstable, dreamlike feel.
• Dedication: Marie Jaëll.
• Considered one of Liszt’s most experimental and brilliant piano compositions.

No. 4, S.216b (1885, unfinished)

Instrumentation: Solo Piano.

• Musical Features:
• • Starts and ends in C# minor, though primarily based in D major.
  • Some passages remain incomplete, leading to various completions by pianists.
  • Leslie Howard created a performing version in 1978, later recorded and published.

Related Work: Bagatelle sans tonalité, S.216a ("Fourth Mephisto Waltz")

• Composed: 1885.
• Program: Initially labeled Fourth Mephisto Waltz, suggesting Liszt intended it as an alternative to the unfinished No. 4.
• Musical Features:
• • Radical harmonic experimentation, foreshadowing atonality.
  • Inspired later 20th-century composers like Bartók and Debussy.

Legacy & Cultural Influence

• Inspired numerous interpretations and recordings, notably by Horowitz, Cziffra, and Howard.
• The Mephisto Waltz (1969) – A novel by Fred Mustard Stewart, later adapted into a 1971 horror film featuring a score by Jerry Goldsmith.
• Frequently used in film and pop culture, symbolizing themes of temptation, darkness, and supernatural power.

The Mephisto Waltzes remain among Liszt’s most electrifying and visionary works, bridging Romantic virtuosity and 20th-century modernism.

Bagatelle sans tonalité, S.216a

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composed: 1885
• First Performance: June 10, 1885, by Hugo Mansfeldt in Weimar
• Published: 1955
• Form: Waltz
• Tonal Center: Highly chromatic, often considered "omnitonic", though some analyses suggest an underlying D major/minor tonality.
• Connection: Originally titled Fourth Mephisto Waltz, possibly intended as a replacement for the unfinished Mephisto Waltz No. 4.

Overview

The Bagatelle sans tonalité (Bagatelle without Tonality) is one of Liszt’s most forward-looking compositions, foreshadowing atonal techniques used in 20th-century music. Though not highly dissonant, its lack of a clear tonal center makes it a unique experiment in harmony and form.

Structure & Musical Features

• Waltz Form: Sectional, with repeated passages featuring inventive variations.
• Highly Chromatic:
• • Moves unpredictably between major and minor.
  • Uses tritones (B–F) and diminished seventh chords to destabilize tonality.
• Ambiguous Tonality:
• • While the piece suggests a D-centered tonality, it avoids resolution.
  • The final upward rush of diminished sevenths leaves an open-ended harmonic impression.
• Mephistophelean Influence:
• • Shares programmatic elements with the Mephisto Waltzes, possibly depicting a demonic dance.
  • The piece's playful and unsettling nature fits the Faustian theme.

Premiere & Reception

• Hugo Mansfeldt premiered the piece in Weimar during Liszt’s lifetime.
• Despite its originality, the Bagatelle was not published until 1955, decades after Liszt's death.

Legacy & Influence

• Anticipates Modernism: The piece’s lack of a defined tonality and reliance on chromaticism influenced later composers such as Debussy, Bartók, and Schoenberg.
• Atonal Innovations: The tritone-based harmonies and dissonant resolution techniques foreshadow 20th-century atonal music.
• Unique in Liszt’s Output: While connected to the Mephisto Waltzes, it stands apart as one of Liszt’s most radical harmonic experiments.

The Bagatelle sans tonalité remains a fascinating precursor to modern harmony, showcasing Liszt’s visionary approach to musical structure and tonality.

Mephisto Polka, S.217

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composed: 1882–83
• Published: Posthumously
• Dedication: Lina Schmalhausen, one of Liszt’s devoted students and followers
• Programmatic Theme: Based on Nikolaus Lenau’s Faust, like the Mephisto Waltzes
• First Recording: France Clidat, Decca

Overview

The Mephisto Polka is a folk-dance-inspired work for solo piano, connected to Liszt’s Mephisto Waltzes through its depiction of the Faustian legend. Unlike the dramatic and virtuosic Waltzes, this polka is shorter, simpler, and more elusive in both harmonic language and structure.

Musical Features & Structure

• Dance Form: Though labeled as a polka, it lacks the typical rhythmic and harmonic stability of traditional dance music.
• Chromaticism: Limited but effectively used, appearing mostly in neighboring tones and chordal sonorities.
• Ambiguous Harmony:
• • Unlike the Mephisto Waltzes, which use more tonal anchor points, the Mephisto Polka continuously undermines any sense of tonal center.
  • The harmonic progression suggests a modal feel, with fleeting tonal references that dissolve before they can settle.
• Haunting Ending:
• • The piece abruptly stops with a solitary F natural above middle C, which fades into silence, creating an eerie, unresolved atmosphere.
  • This ending mirrors the mystical, supernatural themes of Mephistopheles in Liszt’s other Faust-inspired works.

Significance & Interpretation

• Easiest of the Mephisto Dances: Technically less demanding than the Waltzes and Bagatelle sans tonalité, yet deceptively complex in its harmonic ambiguity.
• Programmatic Link to Faust: Like its Mephisto counterparts, the Polka evokes the seductive, mischievous, and supernatural elements of the Faustian myth.
• Innovative Harmonic Writing: Anticipates 20th-century harmonic techniques, including the dissolution of functional tonality.

Legacy

Though less frequently performed than the Mephisto Waltzes, the Mephisto Polka stands out for its enigmatic character and unusual harmonic approach, offering a glimpse into Liszt’s late-period experimental style.

Grand Galop Chromatique, S.219

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composed: 1838
• Key: E-flat major
• Versions:
• • Solo piano (S.219)
  • Piano duet (S.616)
• Notable Performer: György Cziffra (20th century)

Overview

The Grand Galop Chromatique is one of Liszt’s most dazzling and virtuosic showpieces, written as a high-energy bravura encore. It is a chromatic galop, a fast-paced dance that was fashionable in the 19th century. Liszt often performed it as a rousing concert-closer, designed to leave audiences thrilled and astonished.

Technical Challenges

The piece is filled with difficult passages, requiring speed, agility, and control:

• Wide jumps:
• • Right-hand leaps of up to two and a half octaves (bars 85–92, 157–164, 173–180), similar in difficulty to those found in La Campanella, but executed at even greater speed.
• Rapid chromatic scales:
• • Right-hand chromatic passages executed with third, fourth, and fifth fingers, demanding extreme precision and fluidity.
• Left-hand jumps:
• • Rapid sixteenth-note jumps, requiring extreme dexterity.

Performance & Legacy

• Frequently performed as an encore piece, due to its flashy brilliance and crowd-pleasing energy.
• György Cziffra’s interpretation is particularly legendary, bringing the virtuosity and excitement of the piece to new heights.
• One of Liszt’s most famous bravura works, showcasing the pinnacle of Romantic-era pianistic technique.

The Grand Galop Chromatique remains a benchmark of technical prowess, combining speed, brilliance, and showmanship in a way that epitomizes Liszt’s reputation as the ultimate piano virtuoso.

Liszt's Three Csárdás

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composed: 1881–82, 1884
• Genre: Hungarian dance-based solo piano pieces
• Style: Angular rhythms, advanced harmonies, sparse textures
• Influence: Considered precursors to Bartók’s Hungarian folk-inspired works

Liszt’s three Csárdás showcase a more structured and less improvisatory treatment of Hungarian folk material compared to his Hungarian Rhapsodies. Their bold harmonic language, stark textures, and tonal ambiguities make them significant late-period works, standing at the crossroads of Romanticism and early modernism.

1. Csárdás macabre, S.224 (1881–82)

• Most famous of the three Csárdás
• Form: Miniature sonata form
• Notable Features:
• • Opens with parallel octaves, leading to stark open fifths
  • Possible "Dies Irae" parody or reference to the Hungarian folk song "Ég a kunyhó, ropog a nád" (The hut is burning, the reed is crackling)
  • Liszt wrote on the manuscript: "May one write or listen to such a thing?"
  • Tonally ambiguous (F major, F♯ minor, G♭ major)

2. Two Csárdás, S.225 (1884)

Csárdás No. 1

• Brief Allegro, starting in A minor but passing through A major
• Ends quietly but unsettled in F♯ minor after multiple modulations

Csárdás obstinée

• Highly repetitive and obsessive piece
• Tonal center: B minor-major (mixing major and minor chords simultaneously)
• Ostinato accompaniment with a four-note motif recurring throughout
• Thematic transformation: The motif appears in B major in the coda
• Tonally experimental, using mediant and submediant relationships, showing connections to Schumann and Mahler

Legacy & Influence

• First recordings: France Clidat’s Decca recordings
• These works push the boundaries of tonality, foreshadowing early modernist techniques
• Csárdás macabre is the most well-known, but Csárdás obstinée is often praised for its musical depth and obsession with motivic transformation

Liszt’s Three Csárdás reflect a stark, forward-thinking approach to Hungarian dance music. They blend nationalistic elements with radical harmonic experimentation, making them some of the most intriguing works of Liszt’s late period.

Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244

• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Composed: 1846–1853, 1882, 1885
• Genre: Solo piano, later arranged for orchestra, piano duet, and piano trio
• Dedication: Various Hungarian aristocrats and musicians
• Notable Pieces: Nos. 2, 6, 10, 12, 14 (Hungarian Fantasy), 15 (Rákóczi March)

Overview

The Hungarian Rhapsodies are a set of 19 virtuosic piano compositions, influenced by Hungarian folk and gypsy music. They are Liszt’s most famous nationalistic works, incorporating themes he believed to be folk melodies—though many were in fact written by middle-class Hungarian composers and performed by Roma bands. The pieces are structured in a verbunkos dance style, alternating between:

• Lassan (slow, expressive sections)
• Friska (fast, fiery passages)

Liszt imitates gypsy improvisation, incorporating cimbalom-like tremolos, rapid ornamentation, and chromatic runs.

Arrangements

Several Hungarian Rhapsodies were orchestrated by Franz Doppler, with Liszt revising them. These orchestrations differ in numbering from the piano versions:

• Nos. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14 were arranged for orchestra (S.359) and piano duet (S.621)
• Nos. 16, 18, and 19 were arranged later for piano duet (S.622–623a)
• No. 14 was expanded into Hungarian Fantasy, S.123, for piano and orchestra
• Nos. 9 and 12 were also arranged for piano trio (S.379, S.379a)

List of the Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244

• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in C♯ minor – Dedicated to Ede Szerdahelyi. Originally titled Rêves et fantaisies.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C♯ minor – Dedicated to Comte László Teleki. The most famous of the set, often performed as a virtuosic showpiece.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in B♭ major – Dedicated to Comte Leó Festetics.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E♭ major – Dedicated to Comte Casimir Esterházy.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor (Héroïde-élégiaque) – Dedicated to Comtesse Sidonie Reviczky. A lyrical and dramatic piece with a sorrowful tone.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D♭ major – Dedicated to Comte Antoine d'Appony.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7 in D minor – Dedicated to Baron Fery Orczy.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 8 in F♯ minor – Dedicated to Anton Augusz.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 in E♭ major (Pesther Carneval) – Dedicated to Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst. A lively and celebratory piece depicting the atmosphere of the Pest Carnival.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E major (Preludio) – Dedicated to Béni Egressy.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A minor – Dedicated to Baron Fery Orczy.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C♯ minor – Dedicated to Joseph Joachim. A highly virtuosic work with intricate passages and contrasting moods.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A minor – Dedicated to Comte Leó Festetics.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14 in F minor – Dedicated to Hans von Bülow. Later arranged as the Hungarian Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, S.123.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor (Rákóczi-Marsch) – A rhapsody built on the famous Rákóczi March, one of Hungary’s most patriotic melodies.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16 in A minor (Budapest Munkácsy-Festlichkeiten) – Dedicated to Mihály Munkácsy.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 17 in D minor – No dedication.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 18 in F♯ minor (Ungarische Ausstellung in Budapest) – No dedication.
• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 in D minor – Based on Csárdás nobles by K. Ábrányi (Sr.).

Legacy

• Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is one of the most famous piano pieces ever written, used extensively in film, animation, and popular culture.
• The Hungarian Fantasy (No. 14) is a virtuosic orchestral showpiece, frequently performed by pianists.
• These rhapsodies popularized Hungarian folk elements internationally and influenced later composers like Bartók and Kodály.

The Hungarian Rhapsodies are brilliant, demanding works that celebrate Liszt’s Hungarian heritage. They blend improvisatory freedom, technical fireworks, and rich folk-inspired melodies, remaining cornerstones of the piano repertoire to this day.

Glanes de Woronince, S.249

Glanes de Woronince (Gleanings from Woronińce, or Harvest at Woronińce) is a suite of three piano pieces composed by Franz Liszt in 1847 during his stay at Woronińce, the Ukrainian estate of Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Liszt first met Princess Carolyne in Kyiv on February 14, 1847, and later stayed at her estate in Podolia from September 18, 1847, to early January 1848. During this period, their romantic relationship deepened, and she began plans to divorce her husband and marry Liszt. The composer was highly productive at Woronińce, completing much of his Harmonies poétiques et religieuses during this time.

The three pieces in the suite are:

1. Ballade d'Ukraine – A dumka based on the Ukrainian folk song Ikhav Kozak za Dunaj (A Cossack Rode Beyond the Danube).
2. Mélodies polonaises – A set of two Polish folk songs, the second of which is Frédéric Chopin’s A Maiden's Wish (Życzenie, Op. posth. 74/1, 1829).[3]
3. Complainte – Another dumka, continuing the melancholic folk-inspired atmosphere.

Liszt dedicated the suite to Princess Marie von Sayn-Wittgenstein, the daughter of Princess Carolyne.

Connection to Chopin

Liszt also transcribed A Maiden’s Wish separately in his Six Chants polonais, S.480, though that version differs in style from the arrangement found in Glanes de Woronince.

Rondeau fantastique sur un thème espagnol: "El Contrabandista", S.252

Rondeau fantastique sur un thème espagnol: "El Contrabandista" (Fantastic Rondo on the Spanish Theme The Smuggler), S.252, is a virtuoso piano composition by Franz Liszt, written in 1836 and published in 1837 as Opus 5 No. 3. Based on a popular Spanish song, the piece is among Liszt’s most technically challenging works, requiring extraordinary agility and stamina.

Background

Liszt’s composition is based on Manuel García’s aria Yo que soy contrabandista from the one-act zarzuela El poeta calculista. The song gained popularity through Maria Malibran, García’s daughter and a renowned mezzo-soprano. Liszt used the theme to construct a set of variations in rondo form, exploring its elements in increasingly virtuosic ways.

Technical Difficulty and Performance Challenges

The piece is infamous for its demanding technique, featuring:

• Tremolos with accompanying thirds,
• Wide leaps spanning four octaves (exceeding even La Campanella's notorious jumps),
• Rapid repetitive notes, arpeggios, and octaves,
• A relentless, decisive character throughout.

Despite originally intending it as a bravura finale for his recitals, Liszt rarely performed it himself. George Sand praised the piece, and Hector Berlioz described it as Liszt’s finest work.

Works for Piano 4 Hands / 2 pianos

Sonata for Piano Four Hands, S.755

• Approximate Duration: Unknown (lost work)
• Description: An early work for piano duet, this lost sonata likely showcased Liszt’s developing compositional style and affinity for collaborative piano writing. No known fragments have survived.

Grosses Konzertstück über Themen aus Mendelssohns Lieder ohne Worte, S.257

• Approximate Duration: 12–15 minutes
• Description: A grand and virtuosic work for two pianos, this concert piece weaves together themes from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words with Liszt’s signature brilliance and expressive depth, blending lyrical charm with dazzling technical flourishes.

Grande valse di bravura (La bal de Berne), S.615

• Approximate Duration: 7–9 minutes
• Description: A four-hand arrangement of Liszt’s early bravura waltz, Le bal de Berne (S.209). This version enhances the grandeur and richness of the original, allowing for even more dynamic interplay and textural depth between the two pianists.

Réminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor, S.628a

• Approximate Duration: 10–12 minutes
• Description: A dazzling four-hand arrangement of Liszt’s Réminiscences de Lucia di Lammermoor, based on themes from Donizetti’s opera. This version enhances the dramatic contrasts and lyrical beauty of the original while allowing for intricate interplay between the two pianists.

Grand Galop Chromatique (4-hand version), S.616

• Approximate Duration: 3–5 minutes
• Description: An expanded duet arrangement, adding depth and dynamic interplay between two pianists.

Hexaméron (Morceaux de concert. Grandes variations de bravoure sur la marche des Puritains de Bellini), S.654/1

• Approximate Duration: 18–22 minutes
• Description: A grand collaborative work for two pianos featuring variations by Liszt, Chopin, Thalberg, Czerny, Herz, and Pixis on a theme from Bellini’s I Puritani. This dazzling set of virtuosic variations showcases the individual styles of each composer while blending into a cohesive and dramatic concert piece.

Hussitenlied (Aus dem 15. Jahrhundert), S.620

• Approximate Duration: 6–8 minutes
• Description: An arrangement for piano four hands of Liszt’s solo version (S.234), this piece is based on the Hussite war song Těšme se blahou nadějí. It features a solemn, hymn-like introduction that builds into a triumphant, march-like development, showcasing Liszt’s dramatic flair and historical inspiration.

Grand septuor de Beethoven, S.634

• Approximate Duration: 12–15 minutes
• Description: Liszt’s transcription for piano four hands of Beethoven’s Septet, Op.20, preserves the original’s chamber-music charm while expanding its expressive potential for the keyboard. The arrangement highlights Beethoven’s lyrical themes and elegant counterpoint, making it an engaging and virtuosic duet piece.

Grosse Fantasie über God Save the Queen und Rule Britannia, S.755b

• Approximate Duration: Unknown (lost work)
• Description: A grand paraphrase for piano four hands based on the British national anthem God Save the Queen and the patriotic song Rule Britannia. This lost work was an arrangement of S.694, showcasing Liszt’s flair for nationalistic themes and virtuosic bravura.

Fest-Cantate für die Inaugurations-Feier des Beethoven-Denkmals in Bonn, S.584

• Approximate Duration: Approximately 15 to 20 minutes
• Description: A piano four-hands arrangement by Franz Liszt, based on his original Festkantate zur Enthüllung des Beethoven-Denkmals in Bonn (Festival Cantata for the Inauguration of the Beethoven Monument in Bonn), S.67. Composed in 1845, this work was created for the unveiling ceremony of the Beethoven Monument in Bonn, an event that celebrated Beethoven's legacy and attracted numerous prominent figures. Liszt's cantata reflects his deep admiration for Beethoven and showcases his compositional prowess in honoring the great composer.

Réminiscences de Norma, S.655

• Approximate Duration: Approximately 12 minutes
• Description: This arrangement for two pianos, created by Liszt between 1845 and 1874, is based on his earlier solo piano transcription (S.394) of themes from Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Norma." The piece reflects Liszt's admiration for Bellini's melodies and his skill in adapting operatic material for the piano duo format.

Marche héroïque, S.587

• Approximate Duration: 6–7 minutes
• Description: A four-hand piano arrangement of S.510, this piece retains the bold and stately character of the original heroic march. Liszt expands the textures for piano duet, enhancing its orchestral grandeur while maintaining the rhythmic drive and ceremonial atmosphere.

Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", S.624

• Approximate Duration: 14–16 minutes
• Description: A four-hand piano arrangement of Liszt’s large-scale organ work (S.259), based on a choral theme from Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète. This adaptation enhances Liszt’s rich harmonic writing and contrapuntal mastery for a duet setting. Also related to S.747a.

Symphony No. 9 de Beethoven, S.657

• Approximate Duration: 60–70 minutes
• Description: A monumental two-piano arrangement of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, Op.125, later arranged for solo piano as S.464/9.

Liebesträume (3 Notturnos), S.541

• Approximate Duration: Varies
• Description: A famous set of three nocturnes, later referred to as Liebesträume. These pieces, transcribed from Liszt’s own songs, feature romantic lyricism and virtuosic embellishments.

1. Liebestraum No. 1 (Hohe Liebe), S.541/1

• Approximate Duration: 4–5 minutes
• Description: A noble and serene piece in A♭ major, based on S.307, reflecting on sublime love.

1. Liebestraum No. 2 (Seliger Tod), S.541/2

• Approximate Duration: 4–5 minutes
• Description: A meditative nocturne in E♭ major, transcribed from S.308. An album leaf on its themes exists, titled Nocturne No.2.

1. Liebestraum No. 3 (Oh Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst), S.541/3

• Approximate Duration: 4–5 minutes
• Description: The most famous Liebestraum, based on S.298/2, emphasizing passionate intensity and lyrical beauty.

Rhapsodie espagnole, S.254

Rhapsodie espagnole (Spanish Rhapsody), S.254, is a virtuoso piano composition by Franz Liszt, written in 1858 and inspired by his tour of Spain and Portugal in 1845. The piece evokes traditional Spanish music through its use of La Folia and Jota Aragonesa as thematic material.

Structure and Technical Demands

This work is a revision of Liszt’s earlier Grosse Konzertfantasie über spanische Weisen (S.253) and presents extreme technical challenges, including:

• Rapid chords and octaves,
• Intricate passages in thirds,
• Complex rhythms and virtuosic leaps.

A typical performance lasts 11–14 minutes, and the piece remains a staple in the standard repertoire, frequently appearing in piano competitions.

Legacy and Arrangements

• Ferruccio Busoni arranged the piece for piano and orchestra (1894), enhancing its orchestral character.
• Lazar Berman was known for his interpretation of the work, recording it multiple times.

Works for Orchestra and Piano

Fantasie über ungarische Volksmelodien​

• Duration: Approximately 15 to 16 minutes.
• Description: This composition for piano and orchestra is an arrangement of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14. It incorporates Hungarian folk melodies, notably the song "Mohac's Field," and features sections marked "alla zingarese" to evoke a gypsy style. The piece showcases Liszt's signature blend of virtuosic piano passages and orchestral richness.

Piano Concerto No.1, S.124

• Approximate Duration: 18–20 minutes
• Description: One of Liszt’s most celebrated orchestral works, this concerto fuses symphonic and virtuosic elements in a single-movement structure divided into thematic sections. From the thunderous opening motif to the poetic slow section and thrilling finale, it embodies Liszt’s innovation and pianistic brilliance.

Piano Concerto No. 2, S.125

• Approximate Duration: 20–22 minutes
• Description: A groundbreaking piano concerto in A major, composed between 1849 and 1861, evolving from S.524a. Unlike traditional concertos, it unfolds as a single continuous movement with thematic transformations, blending lyrical passages, dramatic orchestral interjections, and dazzling virtuosity. Liszt later arranged it for two pianos as S.651, emphasizing the intricate interplay between soloist and orchestra.

Hexaméron, S.365b

• Approximate Duration: 20–25 minutes
• Description: A collaborative set of bravura variations on Bellini’s I puritani, featuring contributions from Liszt, Chopin, Thalberg, and others.

Totentanz, S.126i

• Approximate Duration: 15–17 minutes
• Description: A dark and dramatic paraphrase on the Dies irae theme, written for piano and orchestra. This is the first version of S.126ii, later altered and published by Ferruccio Busoni. The original score remains unpublished and privately owned, showcasing Liszt’s fascination with death and the macabre through bold harmonic experimentation and virtuosic piano writing.

Piano Concerto [No.3], S.125a

• Approximate Duration: 18–22 minutes
• Description: An unfinished piano concerto in E-flat major, reconstructed by Jay Rosenblatt, showcasing Liszt’s characteristic blend of lyrical themes and dazzling virtuosity. Though incomplete, the work hints at grand orchestral textures and thematic transformations akin to his other concertos.

Concerto in the Hungarian Style, S.126a/W14

• Approximate Duration: 14–16 minutes
• Description: Though not an original Liszt composition, this work—better known as Ungarische Zigeunerweisen (S.714) by Sophie Menter, a distinguished pupil of Liszt—embodies his Hungarian idiom and virtuosic brilliance. Orchestrated by Tchaikovsky, the concerto is a dazzling rhapsodic piece filled with fiery Hungarian rhythms, sweeping lyrical passages, and formidable technical challenges. It showcases a bravura dialogue between soloist and orchestra, blending folk-inspired melodies with Lisztian grandeur.

Grande fantaisie symphonique, S.716

• Approximate Duration: Unknown (deleted)
• Description: Originally conceived as a large-scale orchestral and piano work, this symphonic fantasy was later reworked into Concerto pathétique (S.120). Though deleted from Liszt’s catalog, its thematic grandeur and dramatic contrasts align with his virtuosic concerto style.

Piano Concerto in A Minor, S.713/1

• Approximate Duration: Unknown (lost work)
• Description: One of Liszt’s earliest attempts at a piano concerto, this youthful work is believed to have featured virtuosic piano writing and dramatic orchestral interplay. No manuscript has survived, making its musical content speculative.

Piano Concerto, S.713/2

• Approximate Duration: Unknown (lost work)
• Description: Distinct from S.713/1, this lost concerto remains an enigmatic part of Liszt’s early orchestral output. While little is known about its structure, it likely explored the brilliance and technical prowess characteristic of his later concertos.

Malédiction, S.121

• Approximate Duration: 14–16 minutes
• Description: A dark and dramatic concerto-like work for piano and strings, Malédiction explores intense contrasts and Liszt’s characteristic virtuosity. With sweeping arpeggios, bold orchestral textures, and a turbulent emotional landscape, the piece stands as an early example of his innovative approach to form and harmony.

Grande fantaisie symphonique, S.120

• Approximate Duration: 18–22 minutes
• Description: A dramatic and expansive work based on themes from Berlioz’s Lélio, ou le retour à la vie, this piece showcases Liszt’s deep admiration for the French composer. Combining orchestral grandeur with virtuosic piano writing, it intertwines theatrical intensity and poetic lyricism.

Apparitions, S.155

• Approximate Duration: 12–15 minutes
• Description: Apparitions is a visionary set of pieces that mark Liszt’s early foray into poetic and atmospheric piano writing. From shimmering textures to passionate virtuosity, the collection explores ethereal sonorities, culminating in a dramatic fantasy on a waltz by Franz Schubert.

1. Apparitions No. 1, S.155/1

• Approximate Duration: 3–5 minutes
• Description: A dreamy and fluid piece, this movement features delicate figuration and shimmering harmonies, evoking an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere.

1. Apparitions No. 2, S.155/2

• Approximate Duration: 2–4 minutes
• Description: A lively and capricious piece, characterized by rapid, sparkling passagework and playful rhythms, showcasing Liszt’s early virtuosity.

1. Apparitions No. 3, S.155/3

• Approximate Duration: 6–8 minutes
• Description: This passionate and dramatic fantasy is based on a waltz by Franz Schubert, transforming the original theme into a tempestuous and emotionally charged work.

Polonaise brillante (after Weber), S.367

• Approximate Duration: 8–9 minutes
• Description: A virtuosic and energetic arrangement for piano and orchestra of Carl Maria von Weber’s Polacca brillante, Op.72. Liszt enhances the orchestral textures and pianistic brilliance, later adapting it for solo piano as S.455. The piece exudes elegance and rhythmic drive, characteristic of the polonaise dance form.

Grand solo de concert, S.365

• Approximate Duration: N/A (Unfinished)
• Description: A sketch for piano and orchestra, based on S.176 (Grosses Konzertsolo), intended as an orchestral expansion of the solo piano version. The work remains unfinished, but its surviving fragments suggest a grand, virtuosic structure, blending orchestral textures with Liszt’s signature pianistic brilliance.

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