Lisztscontributiontomusic

Lisztscontributiontomusic

byVanghelisKARAFILLIDIS

Source: REVART(REVART),issue:1/2011,pages:5962,onwww.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 a pianist, composer, piano and composition teacher, conductor and writer. His contribution to music under each one of his attributes was outstanding. His piano technique was unsurpassable. His compositional innovations were pioneering. This article 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 these important attributes we should add those of conductor, teacher and writer. His influence under all the above attributes was significant and precursory for the evolution of music. The paradox relies on the fact that Liszts achievements were unsurpassable under both the piano technique as well as the compositional innovations perspective. His multidimensional personality influenced virtually all music fields. Liszt as a Pianist Many people regard Liszt as the greatest pianist of all ages. Liszt not only mastered all the aspects of piano technique cultivated by his predecessors and contemporaries, but he furthermore expanded it to new dimensions. His piano interpretations were characterized by the imaginative utilization of all expressive means. Delicacy, precision, sensitivity, virtuosity, strength and brilliance were always in accordance to the texture he performed. He was able to produce 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 audiences not only consisted of the aristocracy, but also the general public. In this way he brought this music to many people. He invented and established the piano recital and he was the first performer who played entirely from memory. His performances demanded the development of piano as an instrument. Under this perspective he contributed significantly towards the perfection of the technical construction of the instrument. The combination of
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Music School of Komotini - Greece, vkarafil@yahoo.com 59

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

Liszt as a Composer We could differentiate Liszts music into two major categories: entirely original works and piano transcriptions, arrangements, paraphrases and fantasies. Liszt made numerous transcriptions of works by Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert and many others. Especially his transcriptions of Beethovens symphonies show the deep knowledge of the orchestral score. Its highly remarkable that he performed such pieces (as a pianist) many times and in this way he offered an alternative opportunity to the audiences to listen to this music which was normally performed only at orchestra concerts. His paraphrases and fantasies show an imaginative and inventive utilization 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 only experimented in form, harmony, scales, metric and timbre, but, moreover, he utilized all these inventions in a very imaginative and creative way. Liszt of course was one of the founders of Romanticism. Romanticism manifests the domination of emotions and personal expression over music form. Liszt realized that form itself is a determinative factor for real music expression and therefore the existing forms and structures were restrictive. In addition, programmatic music was impossible to be materialized in the context of classical forms. In order to transcend these limitations he developed the thematic transfiguration. We could say that this compositional technique is an amalgamation of the already existing (classical) forms of sonata and variation. Thematic transfiguration is present in his Symphonic Poems as well as in other programmatic works (we could call this music tone poems). Moreover the development of this new compositional technique affected his nonprogrammatic music (for example his Piano Sonata). We could say that the Symphonic Poem is an orchestral programmatic work which combines the forms of symphony (first movement in sonata form), overture and variation. All these facts make it clear that Liszt not only did assimilate the functionality and the potentials of the existing forms, but had the artistic insight to realize the ways to transform expand and adapt them towards the direction of the novel expressional necessities. In addition to the above innovative perspective on form, he experimented with other musical means, i.e. harmony, scales, metric structure and 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 the tonal 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 the harmonic as well as the melodic level in his music. Also, Liszt used modality and peculiar scales such as pentatonic, whole-tone and gypsy ones. The aesthetical result of Les Jeux d' Eaux la Villa d' Este is outstanding, since it is clearly impressionistic. In his late works, his harmonic and melodic inventions foreshadow the atonality. His handling on metric structure includes the use of strange type of meters, meter and tempo modulations, as well as superposition of different rhythmical patterns which derive a sensation of polyrhythm. In his later works, rhythm sometimes becomes vague. His experimentations with timbre can be found 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 innovative music language. Impressionism and atonality were just some of his achievements. National schools have gained valuable elements from his music. In the end, Liszt combined the utilization of all possible expressive means in order to interpret all the spectra of human emotions from joy to sadness, from triumph to death, from calmness to fear and from light to darkness. Also, his work was influential for many composers of the next generations.

Liszt as a Piano Teacher Liszt used to give lessons in both composition and piano playing. As a piano teacher he offered little technical advice to his students. He merely focused on musical interpretation and he tried to support the development of each 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 his contemporaries (Wagner, Schumann, Berlioz, Field, etc). Also, he wrote one book about Chopin and one about Gypsies. Liszt as a promoter of other composers Liszt promoted and benefited many composers. He performed many works by others both as pianist and conductor. Also, he offered them his valuable experience and knowledge. Smetana, Wagner, Borodin, Debussy, SaintSans, Berlioz, Grieg and Faur were among them.
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Conclusion Liszts 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. The modern musician (either composer or pianist) can gain valuable artistic insight by studying his music.
References [1] WALKER, Alan Franz Liszt: Anii de virtuozitate (orig.: The Virtuoso Years: 18111847), 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. Cambridge University 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.

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