Franz Liszt. Hungarian Rhapsodies

Franz Liszt is opposed by the catchy, contrasting and dynamic “Hungarian Rhapsodies”, which are based on folklore sources. Liszt developed them over several decades. (Rhapsodies were created in the following order: No. 1 - around 1851, No. 2 - 1847, No. 3-15 - around 1853, No. 16 - 1882, No. 17-19 - 1885. Six of them (Nos. 2, 5 , 6, 9, 12, 14) arranged for orchestra by Liszt and Franz Doppler.)

The initial sketch was “Hungarian Melodies and Rhapsodies” (twenty-one plays, 1840-1848). Most of the tunes contained here were included in the nineteen rhapsodies that were later written. “I drew wealth there,” Liszt wrote about these topics, “where I found it: first in my own childhood memories, which go back to Bihari and other gypsy celebrities, and then in the fields, in the very depths of the gypsy orchestras of Edenburg, Pressburg, Pest, etc. d., finally, I remembered and reproduced many motives in my own way, characteristic features, who with rare generosity informed me either on the piano or in recordings...” (Only three rhapsodies (Nos. 16-18) do not use folklore sources.).

These melodies vividly capture the features of the verbunkosh style. The genre of instrumental rhapsody itself is Liszt's invention.

True, he was not the first to introduce this designation into piano music; Since 1815, the Czech composer V. J. Tomashek wrote rhapsodies. But Liszt gave them a different interpretation: by rhapsody he means a virtuoso work in the spirit of paraphrase, where folk song and dance motifs are used instead of operatic melodies. The form of Liszt's rhapsodies is also noted for its originality, based on the contrasting comparison of two sections - slow and fast: the first is more improvisational, the second is variational. (It is curious that Liszt retains a similar ratio of parts in “ Spanish Rhapsody"(around 1876): the slow movement (cis-moll) is built on a variation of the theme of the folia, close to the sarabande; the fast part (D-dur) is also based on the variation principle, but in the continuation of the themes, features of a freely interpreted sonata form are revealed (the main part is D-dur, the secondary part is F-dur, the final part is E-dur).

This comparison reflects folk instrumental practice. The music of the slow movements is proud, chivalrous, romantically upbeat, sometimes in the nature of a slow, warlike dance-procession, reminiscent of the ancient Hungarian dance palotash (similar to the polonaise, but two-beat), sometimes in the spirit of improvisational recitative or epic narrative, with an abundance of decorations - similar "halgato note". The fast parts paint pictures of folk fun, fire dances - czardashi. Liszt often used characteristic figurations that convey the sound of cymbals and the richness of violin melismatics, emphasizing the originality of the rhythmic and modal turns of the verbuncos style; Among them we will highlight: a) the “gypsy scale”, b) repeating quart chants, c) characteristic dotted cadences, syncopations. Techniques of ornamental variation of themes and unexpected changes in the nature and pace of movement are also associated with folk practice.

Franz Liszt is an outstanding Hungarian musician, known as one of the most famous musical romantics who laid the foundations of an entire school of music called Weimar.

Childhood and youth

Born on October 22, 1811 in one of the small Hungarian towns - Doboryan. Ferenc was the only son of a local official and the daughter of a baker. His father loved music and instilled this love in his son from childhood. He himself gave him music lessons.

In church, young Liszt learned to sing and play the organ. From the age of eight, the young virtuoso performed in concerts before the local nobility. In an effort to develop his son's talent, father and son go to the Austrian capital.

In Vienna, Liszt improved his piano playing and studied music theory with outstanding musicians. Each of his public appearances was a sensation for the local public. Beethoven admired his brilliant abilities.

At the age of twelve, the boy and his father moved to the capital of France, taking lessons from the best teachers of the capital's conservatory. To live in Paris, money is needed, so the father organizes concerts for the boy. Leaf creates own repertoire. The opera he wrote in 1825 received public recognition.

In 1827, Ferenc's father died. The boy took his death seriously and did not perform or appear anywhere for a long time.

Mature years

In the thirties, the musician became interested in the stormy revolutionary events and returned to music. He performed in concerts, which were a huge success, and hatched the idea of ​​a work on the theme of revolutionary events.

Ferenc met prominent musicians and writers. He was engaged in teaching, and the best European pianists visited his house. He wrote articles about musical art and his problems. In the 30-40s he performed a lot on tours in different European countries. In Weimar he was involved in organizing musical life, in Switzerland - teaching work.

In the 60s he moved to Rome, where he created several significant works religious orientation. Since 1875, being the President of the Supreme music school in Hungary, performed at festivals dedicated to Wagner. In the 60s, having moved to Rome, he focused on spiritual music.

In 1875, Liszt was elected president of the Hungarian Higher School of Music. He performed at the Wagner festivals in Bayroth. He became seriously ill after performing at one of them. F. Liszt died on July 31, 1986.

The work of Franz Liszt

Having been involved in composing since childhood, Liszt created mainly small musical works for his public speaking. The opera written by the young composer was staged in the theater. Subsequently, he wrote over 640 works of various genres. Moreover, his merit is the creation of the genres of symphonic poem and rhapsody.

Discoveries concerning the structure of music have become an integral part of music education and performance. musical forms and texture, harmonization and melody of the work. In 1831, inspired by the genius Paganini, he transcribed Paganini's caprices for the piano, combining them into six etudes.

In the 30s of the 19th century, Liszt was engaged in journalism, publishing articles about the problems of musical art and its prominent representatives. His books about Chopin and the musical art of the Hungarian gypsies were very popular. The experience of essays about musical life in the genre of writing, addressed primarily to George Sand, is interesting. She responded to them with essays in the magazine.

The composer and conductor received worldwide recognition during his active concert activities. His virtuosity delighted outstanding musicians and is a reference point for pianists of many generations. Music critics note his rich imagination, original view of art, originality and innovation. The composer's instrumental works are considered an important step in the development of musical architectonics.

Famous works

The richness and originality of works of different genres are a remarkable feature of Liszt's work. Almost half of these works are piano transcriptions. In total, he authored over six hundred works, including 63 orchestral, 13 poems for symphony orchestra, and almost ninety works in the genres of song and romance.

His most famous musical works are:

• Hungarian Rhapsodies
• Symphonies "Divina commedia" and "Faust"
• Collection of plays “Years of Wanderings”
• Etudes of High Performance / Transcendental Etudes
• Sketches based on Paganini's caprices
• Poetic and religious harmonies of Consolation Hungarian historical portraits Sonata (1850-1853) First concert for piano and orchestra of the oratorio “The Legend of St. Elizabeth” and “Christ”
• Grand Mass and Hungarian Coronation Mass

Personal life

Despite his simple origins, Liszt stood out for his aristocratic appearance, subtle features pale face. He invariably enjoyed success with women.

In the 30s, he had an affair with Countess Marie d'Agoux. The young people's stormy romantic relationship led to Marie leaving her husband and breaking with her social environment. The lovers went to Switzerland, then to Italy. Liszt went on tour from there to Paris and Vienna. The couple had a son and two daughters.

When Hungary suffered from a devastating flood, Liszt decided to go home and help his fellow countrymen. However, Marie d'Agoux rejected this idea and refused to go. He met the married Catholic Princess Wittenstein. Hopes of obtaining permission from the Pope and the Russian Emperor for divorce did not materialize. After the death of his son, Liszt developed depression, religious and mystical feelings.

Liszt and Wittenstein moved to Rome, where he created works of religious content. Liszt's daughter was married to Wagner and organized festivals dedicated to him.

• Liszt visited Russia several times, whose music he was seriously interested in. He corresponded with outstanding Russian composers and published the best fragments of operas by Russian composers.
• Liszt believed that art is a tool for fighting evil and influencing people. According to musicologists, Liszt became the founder of master classes for musicians.
• In 1859, Emperor Franz Joseph knighted Liszt, giving him full name- Franz Ritter von List.
• Franz Liszt had an unusually long hand, which allowed him to perform the most complex passages.
• The name of F. Liszt was given to the National Hungarian music academy and Budapest International Airport.
• In his home, Liszt gave free master classes to musicians coming from different countries.

Symphonic Poem No. 9 (1854)

Orchestra composition: 2 flutes, 2 piccolo flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tom-tom, strings.

History of creation

Liszt began composing his ninth poem in June-July 1854 in Weimar, expecting to complete the work the following spring. Unlike most poems, the composer not only did not preface the publication of the program score, but also in every possible way resisted the insistence of his friends to write the usual preface in such cases. The reasons for the refusal were largely political. Occupying the post of court bandmaster of the Duke of Weimar, Liszt had to be wary, in his opinion in my own words, "to shock the scrupulosity of the conservative German public." For he wanted to glorify his homeland - Hungary, which, after the brutal suppression of the liberation movement of 1848-1849, was under the rule of one of the most reactionary governments in Austria (Liszt dedicated the famous piano piece “Funeral Procession. October 1849” to these events).

However, according to the composer himself, the program that inspired him existed. “Hungary” was a response to a poem by Mihaly Vörösmarty (1800-1855) entitled “To Franz Liszt” (the composer called it beautiful). Poet, playwright, one of the greatest romantics and creators of new Hungarian literature, Vörösmarty was a fighter for the freedom of his homeland and died out a few years later after the tragic defeat of the liberation movement. Liszt captured his image in one of the “Hungarian Historical Portraits” - the last piano cycle completed in the year of his death. Three stanzas of Vörösmarty's poem were printed as a program in a review of the first performance of "Hungary" at the Pest National Theater on 8 September 1856, conducted by the author:

You, who rule the world of sounds,
If you want to remember the past,
So play so that the whirlwind flying from the keys
Sounded like a great thunderstorm,
And in a flood of furious anger
Chants of celebration were heard.

So play so that from the calling sounds
Awakened in the depths of the earth
Valiant ancestors and grandchildren
Their immortal souls entered,
Having bestowed grace on the fatherland
And damning the traitors.

If the darkness of hard times comes, -
Dispel mourning over the strings;
Let their melody become the flute of the wind
Among the autumn weeping branches,
So that her sobs sound,
Reminding us of old sorrows.

With this poem, Vörösmarty welcomed a decade and a half ago, in January 1840, the arrival to his homeland of a young, not yet 30 years old, but already world-famous pianist. Liszt's tour then acquired the character of a national celebration. He was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Pest; after a concert at the National Theater, where Liszt performed in the Hungarian national costume, he was presented with a “saber of honor” on behalf of the nation. These impressions were reflected in the composer’s works on national themes that appeared at the same time - “Heroic March in the Hungarian Style” and “Hungarian National Melodies and Rhapsodies.” Many years later, Liszt borrowed from there three themes for the symphonic poem “Hungary”: two heroic, marching ones and one in the spirit of incendiary folk dance czardasha (the latter can also be heard in final version Eighth Hungarian Rhapsody, completed a year before the poem).

Like all 12 symphonic poems, “Hungary” is dedicated to Princess Caroline Sayn-Wittgenstein. But, in addition to this, there is also a poetic dedication, preserved only in the manuscript of two poems (No. 1 and 9); The composer gave this manuscript to Caroline on her 36th birthday:

"Dedication of my symphonic poems
"What is heard on the mountain"
"Hungary"
February 8, 1855

The one who realized her faith through love -
Increased my hope through suffering -
And she built her happiness through sacrifice!
The one who remains my life's companion,
the firmament of my thoughts, living prayer and the sky of my soul -
Jeanne Elizabeth Caroline
F. Liszt"

“Hungary” is close to Liszt’s most popular works - the Hungarian Rhapsodies. The themes, borrowed from folklore collections or recorded by the composer's friends and himself, belong to the verbunkosh style, which Liszt became familiar with as a child, listening to gypsy orchestras and solo violinists. An improvisational style, catchy melodies, original harmonies, a clear march or dance rhythm - these are the features of this style, captured with extraordinary brightness by the composer. And the orchestration conveys the peculiarities of the playing of folk musicians or the sound of their instruments: passionate sobs, virtuoso passages of violins, sharp exclamations of woodwinds, ringing cymbals.

Music

A short introduction, very at a slow pace the opening poem paints heavy, gloomy thoughts about the fate of the homeland and people. But then the dormant forces awaken: the confident tread of the march is heard, again interrupted by the mournful complaint of the introduction. Paintings folk life presented widely and diversified. There is a passionate, upbeat improvisational melody with a cadence of a solo violin, and ringing brass fanfare, supported by timpani strikes, and a brilliant, whirlwind march, sweeping away memories of the suffering experienced. But the struggle is still ahead, and the episodes of battles arise in a masterful transformation and interweaving of already famous topics. At the moment of climax, dreamy and pensive lyrical theme transforms into militant-heroic; marching images are established in the grandiose sound of tutti. It seems that victory has been won. But suddenly everything ends, and the second climax is tragic (according to the author's remark, at the tempo of a funeral march). The bassoons deliver a funeral speech in memory of the fallen heroes, it is picked up by the cellos, and at the end there is only one left - the solo one. Gradually, the forces for the fight gather again, the mournful themes no longer return, and the heroic march is triumphantly affirmed by the entire orchestra. The people's rejoicing is crowned by a cheerful csardash at a breakneck pace. And in the last bars, the dancing gives way to sonorous marching rhythms and solemn wind chords against the backdrop of tremolo drums.

A. Koenigsberg

In 1840, Liszt wrote the “Heroic March in the Hungarian Style” for piano. Fourteen years later, on this basis, was born symphonic poem"Hungary". Liszt did not provide any verbal explanations, but already in his review of the first performance of “Hungary” in Pest in 1856, the program included three stanzas from Vörösmarty’s poem “To Franz Liszt,” with which the Hungarian poet greeted his first visit to his homeland.

“Hungary” is close in figurative content to rhapsodies, but its melodies are not so bright and contrasting: it suffers from a certain monotony of thematic content and insufficient coherence of form.

The poem opens with a short introduction, in which Hungarian intonations are clearly audible and at the same time have much in common with other Liszt introductions (for example, in Tasso). This is a heavy, gloomy reflection on the fate of the homeland and people. But there are still heroes in their native country, dormant forces are awakening - the confident tread of the march is heard (main part, d-minor):

However, the heroic impulse does not immediately achieve its goal - the development of the march is interrupted by the mournful complaint of the introduction.

A different attitude is inherent in the connecting party - restless and anxious. In the center of this large structure is a passionate, upbeat, improvisational melody with a cadence of a solo violin:

Development leads to a new, heroic section - the sonorous fanfare of the side part (H-dur) glorifies the heroes:

A brilliant, whirlwind march sounds (option main topic). The sad turns of the introduction are swept away by the repetition of the march.

If on display heroic images were mainly only shown and proclaimed, then in development pictures of fierce battles and the death of many heroes were drawn. At its culmination, the theme of the connecting part arises (see example 122), which has now lost its former dreamy, thoughtful appearance - it has become energetic, militant, heroic.

The second climax is tragic: a funeral march sounds in memory of those who fell in the struggle. Liszt masterfully combines several themes here at the same time, changing them figurative meaning. Thus, the basis of the funeral march is a transformed connecting theme, which is now given the character of a funeral speech, while its accompaniment is formed by energetically rhythmic chords of the secondary theme.

The abbreviated reprise (D major), which lacks the mournful theme of the introduction and its related connecting theme, leads to the coda - a picture of general rejoicing, cheerful mass dancing. Liszt here develops a folk theme that he had already used in the Eighth Rhapsody.

Compared to the symphonic poems “Preludes” and “Tasso”, the concept of “Hungary” is more generalized and therefore the form is simpler - a sonata allegro with an introduction and a developed coda. The intonational unity of themes plays an important role, although the principle of monothematism is not fully adhered to: in the introduction the germ of a group of themes of the connecting part is laid; The differently interpreted theme of the march serves as the basis for both the main and secondary parties. Not only in the theme, but also in the principles of its presentation, Liszt sought to emphasize the folk-genre features of this poem. The themes are shown very broadly, there are many repetitions and colorful comparisons, the construction often resembles two varied stanzas (main and secondary parts, development, funeral march) or approaches tripartite (linking part, coda).

Franz Liszt

Hungarian Rhapsody

prepared by music teacher Danilina N.S.

Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811 in the village of Doborjan (Hungary). As a child, he was fascinated by gypsy music and the cheerful dances of Hungarian peasants. Liszt's father, manager of the large estate of Count Esterhazy, was an amateur musician and encouraged his son's interest in music; He also taught the child the basics of playing the piano.

At the age of 9, Ferenc gave his first concert in the neighboring town of Sopron. Soon he was invited to the magnificent Esterhazy Palace; the boy's performance so impressed the count's guests that several Hungarian nobles volunteered to pay for his further musical education. Ferenc was sent to Vienna, where he studied composition with A. Salieri and piano with the largest teacher in Europe, K. Czerny.

After the death of his father (1827), Liszt began giving lessons. At the same time, he met the young composers G. Berlioz and F. Chopin, whose art had a strong influence on him: he was able to “translate into the language of the piano” the coloristic richness of Berlioz’s scores and combine Chopin’s soft lyricism with his own stormy temperament.

In the early 1830s, Liszt's idol became the Italian virtuoso violinist N. Paganini; Liszt set out to create a piano style as brilliant as

and even adopted from Paganini some of the features of his behavior on the concert stage. Now Liszt had virtually no rivals as a virtuoso pianist .

• The composer's fate was such that he lived for many years in separation from his homeland - Hungary. But he never ceased to serve her faithfully and always remained a Hungarian composer.
• In many of his works you can hear national melodies, in particular the well-known csardas. Row best essays Liszt was created on themes taken from the life and history of Hungary. Among them are the most famous “Hungarian Rhapsodies”, which have become a kind of musical epic of the Hungarian people; these are piano works on folk themes. Liszt owns 19 “Hungarian Rhapsodies” using gypsy motifs.

• "...My piano is for me what his frigate is for a sailor, or his horse for an Arab, Furthermore, until now he was my self, my language, my life! He is the guardian of all that moved my soul in the ardent days of my youth; I will entrust to him all my thoughts, my dreams, my sufferings and joys.” That's what Franz Liszt said. Liszt was the first to discover the immense possibilities of the piano. Liszt “turned” the piano into an orchestra, performing Beethoven’s symphonies and operatic fantasies of Mozart, Berlioz, Wagner, and Verdi on it. Liszt's piano sang Schubert's songs and turned into an organ when the pianist performed Bach's fugues.

• Liszt decisively brought the piano out of the rooms and home halls onto the concert stage. He was the first pianist who dared to perform alone in a concert, occupying the attention of listeners for several hours only with playing the piano. “Starting with Liszt,” said V.V. Stasov, “everything became possible for the piano.”

• Liszt guessed the great future of the instrument, which at that time was not very highly valued, leaving it for home music playing. Liszt once compared the piano to engravings: “in relation to an orchestral composition, it is the same as an engraving is to a work of painting, which it reproduces and distributes.”

• Liszt was a musician who considered his first duty to bring to people (not just a few - the masses of people!) the best musical creations of the past and present. And he did this before last days life.

Hearing.

Questions:

• - Intonations of what genre did you hear;
• - Who performed the music?;
• - How many images were heard in the work;
• - Describe the work.

We listened to music called “Rhapsody”.

• The history of rhapsody will lead us to Ancient Greece, where at festive feasts storytellers, called rhapsodists, recite their large, fascinating poems, like Homer’s “Odyssey” or “Iliad.” Rhapsode, that’s how it’s translated from Greek language- the one who composes the song.
• Rhapsody experienced its rebirth in the 19th century. This is caused by the interest of romanticism in folklore. So far, the rhapsody resembles a fantasy on folk themes, later it will approach poems, to solo concerts for piano and orchestra and even for cantatas.
• What is rhapsody in our time?
• Rhapsody (Greek word ῥαψῳδία, “rhapsodia” - folk epic song) - a free-form instrumental or vocal work of several contrasting parts, most often using folk national motifs.

Sketches of the highest performing skills (1st edition - 1826, 2nd 1836, 3rd 1851)

Large studies after Paganini (1st edition - 1838, 2nd - 1851)

3 concert studies (circa 1848)

2 concert etudes (circa 1862)

"The Traveler's Album" (1835-1836)

"Years of Wandering" (1st year: 1835-1854, 2nd: 1838-1859, 3rd: 1867-1877)

"Poetic and Religious Harmonies" (1845-1852)

"Consolations" (1849)

"Hungarian historical portraits" (1870-1886)

2 legends (1863)

2 ballads (1848-1853)

Sonata (1850-1853)

“Mephisto - Waltz” (circa 1860, first orchestral version)

Hungarian Rhapsodies (1st edition – 1840-1847, 2nd – 1847-1885)

Waltzes, gallops, polonaises, czardas, marches and others.

The quantitatively huge legacy of Liszt’s piano music captures various genres: paraphrases (free fantasies on themes of works by other authors) and transcriptions (arrangements for piano of symphonic, organ, vocal works); sketches; musical paintings - program pieces, mainly combined into cycles and collections; sonatas; Rhapsodies. Let's look at these genres in the given order.

Paraphrases on themes from operas gained wide popularity among pianists of the 20s and 30s. Just as in the times of Mozart and Beethoven there was a widespread fascination with salon variations, so now, under the sign of the growing influence of romanticism, a type of free improvisational fantasy has become established, the source of which was impressions from the musical theater. It was the “theatrical” clarity of paraphrases that corresponded to the demands of the new democratic audience, which filled large concert halls. But under the hands of fashionable pianists (Hertz, Pixis, Thalberg and others), such paraphrases often turned into meaningless pieces that only stunned listeners with cascades of virtuosic passages.

And Liszt first paid tribute to this fashion. However, he soon set himself other, higher goals: paraphrases became a means of promoting both classical and, mainly, modern art. Mozart, Weber, Rossini, Bellini, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Wagner, Verdi, Erkel, Mossonyi - that's who he borrowed melodies from operas for his fantasies. Moreover, unlike salon pianists, who usually gave simple medleys of similar melodies, Liszt chose those musical images that helped him identify the ideological and artistic concept of this opera. Thus, turning to Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” he builds his fantasy on the contrast of images of inevitable fate (the Commander’s theme) with sparkling fun, the joy of life (variations on the theme of the duet of Don Juan and Zerlina, the theme of Don Juan’s aria). And Verdi’s paraphrase on the themes of “Rigoletto” is based on the famous quartet, in whose music the fates of the opera’s heroes seemed to cross. In addition, Liszt arranged for piano individual scenes from modern operas, which by that time were still not well known. (Among them are the spinner's song and Senta's ballad from The Flying Dutchman, the chorus of pilgrims and Wolfram's romance from Tannhäuser, The Death of Isolde, excerpts from Lohengrin, The Ring of the Nibelung, Die Meistersinger, Parsifal by Wagner; episodes from “The Lombards”, “Il Trovatore”, “Aida” by Verdi; waltz from “Faust” by Gounod; March of Chernomor from “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Glinka, polonaise from “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky and others).

Piano transcriptions of symphonies and overtures (both opera and concert) are dedicated to the same goal of promoting the best creations of world art. With the conviction of a democratic educator, List wrote about this: “The piano occupies the first place in the hierarchy of instruments: it is the most frequently heard and the most widely used... In the range of its seven octaves it contains the volume of a whole orchestra, and ten fingers of a man are sufficient to reproduce the harmonies carried out by the union of hundreds of musicians *.

* Liszt himself often proved this with his concerts, performing on the piano in the first movement the symphony that was then to be performed in the orchestra.

Through it, it becomes possible to disseminate works that otherwise, due to the difficulties of assembling an orchestra, would remain unknown. Therefore, in relation to an orchestral composition, it is the same as an engraving is to a work of painting, which it reproduces and distributes...”

These “engravings” were Liszt’s “piano scores.” Their significance is very great. On the one hand, they opened up new paths for truly artistic arrangements, displacing previous craft arrangements. On the other hand, they enriched the capabilities of the piano, revealing hitherto unknown orchestral effects, preparing high achievements piano creativity Liszt himself.

His first “piano score” was Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique” (1833) - so perfect that Schumann considered it possible to make an analysis of the symphony in the “New Musical Journal” based on Liszt’s transcription. This was followed by Berlioz's overtures "The Secret Judges" and "King Lear", the symphony "Harold in Italy", Beethoven's symphonies (Fifth, Sixth, Seventh - 1837, the rest - 1865), overtures to Rossini's operas (William Tell), Weber (“The Magic Shooter”, “Oberon”), Wagner (“Tannhäuser”), Wedding March and Round Dance of the Elves from the music to Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and others.

Along with the opera, symphonic music Liszt was also attracted to the organ. His transcriptions of six preludes and fugues, as well as g-moll fantasy and fugue by J. S. Bach appeared important milestone in promoting the works of the great master. Following Liszt, his students and followers created a number of remarkable piano arrangements of Bach's organ works (K. Tausig, F. Busoni and others). At the same time, the piano music itself was enriched with new organ effects.

Just as consistently, Liszt promoted the best of the world's song heritage: the first such arrangement - Schubert's "Rose" - was made in 1835, the last - two songs by Rubinstein - in the early 80s *.

* Liszt arranged for piano songs and romances by Schubert (50 works), Beethoven (19), Schumann (15), Robert Franz (13), Weber (12), Rossini (12), Mendelssohn (9), Chopin (6), Russian composers (Alyabyev, Bulakhov, Mikhail Vielgorsky, A. Rubinstein) and others. Liszt also has processing own songs (24).

In these transcriptions, Liszt sought to improve the capabilities of singing on the piano. Inventively moving the melody vocal voice from one register to another, with both hands taking part in its implementation, Liszt simultaneously developed the “second plan” of the song, contained in its accompaniment.

This is where the “multi-layered” piano texture that was mentioned above arose. All this required truly creative imagination and deep penetration into the content and mood of this work. To this end, Liszt often added an introduction and conclusion to it, increased or reduced the number of varied verses, changed harmony and tonality, freely combined two songs together in order to create a more complex holistic composition, etc. Liszt's vocal arrangements represent high school piano transcription. Many generations of pianists and composers have studied and continue to study with it.

1. 
   ^ The nature of Franz Liszt's music

Progressive, democratic orientation creative activity Liszt is associated to a large extent with the liberation struggle of the Hungarian people. The national liberation struggle of the people against the yoke of the Austrian monarchy. Merged with the struggle against the feudal-landlord system in Hungary itself. But the revolution of 1848 - 1849 was defeated, and Hungary again found itself under the yoke of Austria. A significant part of Franz Liszt's works uses Hungarian musical folklore, characterized by great richness and originality. Rhythms, modal and melodic turns, and even genuine melodies of the Hungarian folk music(mainly urban, such as “verbunkosh”) received creative implementation and treatment in numerous works of Liszt, in their musical images. Liszt did not have to live long in Hungary itself. His activities mainly took place outside his homeland - in France, Germany, Italy, where he played outstanding role in the development of advanced musical culture. Liszt's close connection with Hungary is evidenced by his book about the music of the Hungarian gypsies, as well as the fact that Liszt was appointed the first president of the national music academy in Budapest. The inconsistency of Liszt's work arose in the desire for programmatic, concrete imagery of music, on the one hand, and sometimes in the abstraction of solving this problem, on the other hand. In other words, the programming in some of Liszt’s works was abstract - philosophical character(symphonic poem “Ideals”). Amazing versatility characterizes the creative and musical social activities Liszt: a brilliant pianist who belonged to greatest performers XIX century; great composer; social and musical figure and organizer, who stood at the head of the progressive movement in musical art, fighting for program music against unprincipled art; teacher - educator of a whole galaxy of wonderful musicians - pianists; writer, musical critic and a publicist who boldly spoke out against the humiliating position of artists in bourgeois society; conductor - such is Liszt, the man and the artist, creative look and intense artistic activity which represent one of the most outstanding phenomena in the musical art of the 19th century.

^ III. Hungarian Rhapsodies by Franz Liszt

1. 
   About the genre “rhapsody”

The rhapsodies were created in the following order: No. 1 - around 1851, No. 2 - 1847, No. 3-15 - around 1853, No. 16 - 1882, No. 17-19 - 1885. Six of them (Nos. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14) arranged for orchestra by Liszt and Franz Doppler.
The initial sketch was “Hungarian Melodies and Rhapsodies” (twenty-one plays, 1840-1848). Most of the tunes contained here were included in the nineteen rhapsodies that were later written. “I drew wealth there,” Liszt wrote about these topics, “where I found it: first in my own childhood memories, which go back to Bihari and other gypsy celebrities, and then in the fields, in the very depths of the gypsy orchestras of Edenburg, Pressburg, Pest, etc. etc., finally, I remembered and reproduced in my own way many motives, characteristic features that were communicated to me with rare generosity either on the piano or in the recording...”

The genre of instrumental rhapsody is Liszt's invention, although this name (from the ancient Greek "rhapsode", a performer of epic songs) was used before him, for example, by the Czech composer Tomasek. Liszt interprets the rhapsody as a virtuoso concert fantasy in the spirit of paraphrase, where folk themes are used instead of operatic melodies. These are the themes of Hungarian and Gypsy songs and dances, most of which are taken from a collection of Hungarian folk melodies recorded by Liszt.

The musical language of the rhapsodies has a distinct national character due to its reliance on urban Hungarian folklore, the so-called. Verbunkosh style. Its features:

Proud, passionate, pathetic character;

Free, improvisational style of presentation;

Acute rhythm with frequent accents, dotted lines, syncopations, in particular, special dotted cadences (“with spurs”);

The use of hemiolic modes with level 2, including the Hungarian (Gypsy) scale.

Most famous work Verbunkos style - the famous “Rakoczy March” (Hungarian “Marseillaise”), which Liszt used in his 15th Rhapsody.

Deeply national musical language, Liszt's Hungarian rhapsodies objectively responded to the growth national identity of the Hungarian people during their struggle for national independence. This is their democracy and the reason for their widest popularity.

It is curious that Liszt retains a similar ratio of parts in the “Spanish Rhapsody” (circa 1876): the slow part (cis-moll) is built on a variation of the theme of the folia, close to the sarabande; the fast part (D-dur) is also based on the variation principle, but in the continuation of the themes, features of a freely interpreted sonata form are revealed (the main part is D-dur, the secondary part is F-dur, the final part is E-dur).

The best examples of Liszt's rhapsodies are 2,6,12,14.
^ 2. The structure of F. Liszt’s rhapsodies
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies objectively responded to the growth of national self-awareness of the Hungarian people during the period of their struggle for national independence. This is their democracy, this is the reason for their popularity both in Hungary and abroad. In most cases, each Liszt rhapsody contains two contrasting themes, often developing variations. Many rhapsodies are characterized by a gradual increase in dynamics and tempo: a passionately recitative theme of a significant nature turns into a dance that gradually accelerates and ends with a violent, rapid, fiery dance. These are, in particular, the 2nd and 6th rhapsodies. In many piano texture techniques (rehearsals, leaps, various types of arpeggios and figurations), Liszt reproduces the characteristic sonorities of Hungarian folk instruments. The second rhapsody belongs to the most characteristic and the best works of such kind. A short recitative and improvisational introduction introduces the world of bright, colorful pictures of folk life that make up the content of the rhapsody. Grace notes are sounds characteristic of Hungarian folk music and reminiscent of the singing of singers - storytellers. Accompanying chords with grace notes reproduce the jingling of the strings of folk instruments. The intro transitions into a dance-filled song that then transitions into light dance with variational development. The sixth rhapsody consists of four clearly demarcated sections. The first section is a Hungarian march and has the character of a solemn procession. The second section of the rhapsody is a quickly flying dance, enlivened by syncones in every fourth measure. The third section - song and recitative improvisation, reproducing the singing of singers - storytellers, equipped with grace notes and richly ornamented - is distinguished by a free rhythm, an abundance of fermatas, and virtuosic passages. The fourth section is a fast dance, painting a picture of folk fun.
^ 3.Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

(Music analysis)
Composed in 1847.

The Second Rhapsody belongs to the most characteristic and best works of this kind. A short recitative-improvisational introduction (Lento a capriccio) introduces us to the world of bright, colorful pictures of folk life that make up the content of the rhapsody:

The sound taken by the grace note and the “singing” of its melodic ornamentation are characteristic of Hungarian folk music and resemble the singing of singer-storytellers. Accompanying chords with grace notes reproduce the strumming of folk instruments. The intro transitions into a song (Lassan):

The most typical form for Liszt's rhapsodies is based on a contrasting comparison of two sections - slow and fast (lashan and frishka).

The first, slow section of the rhapsody - lashan - has a pronounced Hungarian national character, especially due to the dotted endings characteristic of the verbuncosh style. Its genre basis is a song with dance elements (thanks to the dotted rhythm of the accompaniment). During the second performance, the theme of the song varies texturally, is decorated with a typical Liszt virtuoso passage and moves into the second, dance theme. The high register, grace notes, reminiscent of the playing of folk plucked string instruments, create a very gentle, light image, and the constant organ point emphasizes the folk flavor. After variational development dance theme The first two themes (intro and song) reappear, like a reprise in 3-part form.
The 2nd, fast section of the rhapsody - frishka - is built on the free variational development of the dance theme of the 1st section. The content is a picture national holiday, during which the dance becomes more and more temperamental and fiery. Characterized by an ever-increasing acceleration of the tempo, a complication of the texture, dynamic waves from p to ff, conveying the attenuation and resumption of the dance.

An extremely interesting technique, characteristic of folk instrumental music of various nations, including Hungarian: strumming on alternating dominant and tonic harmonies, colored with numerous variations.

Having reached enormous strength and swiftness, the dance then gradually subsides, the movement slows down - only echoes of the dance; The melody, sounding alone against the background of the accompanying dancing figures, depicts, perhaps, a lingering couple of dancers; Yes, and she stops. But the merry, festive crowd comes running again, the dance resumes with the same fiery swiftness, everything began to spin and spin in a whirlwind of exuberant dancing!

In the development of thematic material, a predominant role is played by techniques of ornamental variation associated with folk instrumental practice.