Happy 200th Abbe Franz Liszt

[Teo]

Creator of Piano Recital, Tone Poem and many more wonderful gifts. Thank you for being, dear Farenc (Franz) Liszt!

Amour, Teo

[Teo]

"Life Of Chopin" by Franz Liszt:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4386
Really a great read, important if you play Chopin

[wljmrbill]

yes he did leave us many fine compositions for the ages to enjoy. World a better place because he lived.

[Corno Dolce]

Even though I might find Liiszt's music to be like so much flash in the pan these days, I am forever indebted to him for composing the Fantasy on "Ad Nos, Ad Salutarem Undam" for Organ. It is a veritable Symphony/Tone Poem that transcends Time and Space imnsoho.......

[Teo]

yes he did leave us many fine compositions for the ages to enjoy. World a better place because he lived.

Well put, Bill! I attached his opera I'm scoring for a trio. Also, he did so many other things such as transcribe Beethoven's symphonies for piano, have you seen them? Fantastic music! He helped many musicians all around the world as well. Recently I found the free book that I attached, I'm only partly through it but it really is fascinating reading his feelings about Chopin!

In making an analysis of the works of Chopin, we meet with beauties of a high order, expressions entirely new, and a harmonic tissue as original as erudite. In his compositions, boldness is always justified; richness, even exuberance, never interferes with clearness; singularity never degenerates into uncouth fantasticalness; the sculpturing is never disorderly; the luxury of ornament never overloads the chaste eloquence of the principal lines. His best works abound in combinations which may be said to form an epoch in the handling of musical style. Daring, brilliant and attractive, they disguise their profundity under so much grace, their science under so many charms, that it is with difficulty we free ourselves sufficiently from their magical enthrallment, to judge coldly of their theoretical value. Their worth has, however, already been felt; but it will be more highly estimated when the time arrives for a critical examination of the services rendered by them to art during that period of its course traversed by Chopin.

It is to him we owe the extension of chords, struck together in arpeggio, or en batterie; the chromatic sinuosities of which his pages offer such striking examples; the little groups of superadded notes, falling like light drops of pearly dew upon the melodic figure. This species of adornment had hitherto been modeled only upon the Fioritures of the great Old School of Italian song; the embellishments for the voice had been servilely copied by the Piano, although become stereotyped and monotonous: he imparted to them the charm of novelty, surprise and variety, unsuited for the vocalist, but in perfect keeping with the character of the instrument. He invented the admirable harmonic progressions which have given a serious character to pages, which, in consequence of the lightness of their subject, made no pretension to any importance.

His daring bringing Hungarian Gypsy music to concert stages (and all of us) is to me, the most amazing of feats that Franz Liszt accomplished. His Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, though I may never get it perfect, I feel I am in the company of hilarious and thrilling virtuoso gypsies the whole time I work on it (hours and hours!).

I have been charged with a passion to gather and keep cultures alive like he did and many of my new songs bring the afro-caribbean percussionist knowledge into the scores I am writing in such ways to share these beautiful forms of musical arrangement the best I can.

Corno Dolce, Is that piece you mention in the religious music he created when he was in the Vatican in Rome? I saw Louis Lortie do a concert of Journeys of Pilgrimage a week ago, amazing music too but it was for piano.

From the movie about Clara Weick-Schumann Liszt helped Schumann with his many contacts so that he could conduct his own symphony's performance. Well in that movie he also defended Schumann in court so that he could marry Clara. I don't know how true that movie is.

Though in Schumann's publication: "Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik" he was against the "banal and empty theatrical and virtuoso-compositions," he did not criticize Franz Liszt. This says something.

I suggest you look at the free book by Liszt on Chopin. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4386

[Contratrombone64]

I have no idea how this amazing individual actually had the time to write his music out. There's just so damned much of it. Happy birthday, Franz.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Teo,

Liszt had paid several visits in the Summer of 1855 to the Merseburg Cathedral and was so impressed by its sound that he began to write the "Ad Nos". He arranged for to have access to it so that he could get to know personally the resources of the instrument built by Ladegast.

Btw, the "Ad Nos" is based on a theme by Meyerbeer's opera "Le Prophete".

[Contratrombone64]

Corno - Ad Nos is just the most wonderful piece, yes?

[Corno Dolce]

Hi CT64,

Indeed it is!!!!!!!!

I believe that Liszt was "ahead of the curve" when he composed "Ad Nos". With all due respect to Widor, Liszt was even more transcendant. I sometimes wonder if Widor had received inspiration from Liszt's "Ad Nos" when Widor was composing his Organ Symphonies. Does anyone wish to take a stab at finding any correlation with Liszt and Widor?

[Contratrombone64]

Widor's organ music is VERY uneven in genius ... some of the symphonies are just plain tedious to me. I love the fifth, especially the first movement, sadly its always over looked by ugly-festering-ingrown-toe-nail that is it's final toccata.

[Corno Dolce]

Nay, 'tis'nt uneven - it is a logical progression from youthful to mature - Personally, my faves are the 6th and 10th.

[Contratrombone64]

Ah, Corno - you may be right, some composers managed to compose sublimie music throughout their lives (Bach springs to mind).

[Corno Dolce]

Br. David,

Spot on! Bach is what Bach is. The Music he penned and the Words which caused the Music are inseparable - They seek into the Heart, Soul, Body, Mind, and Spirit - Anyone who honestly opens their ears will hear a Message.............

[Teo]

Corno - Ad Nos is just the most wonderful piece, yes?

And what an organ!

[Contratrombone64]

Hey Teo (if that's your photo on your avatar you are indeed extremely handsome). I know the Wanamaker organ only by recordings, I hope to get there one day and hear it live. Thanks for posting that - you've reminded me to get more of its recordings.