Hannah Rioux December 4, 2015 Music 220-02 Research/ Listening Paper
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Hannah Rioux December 4, 2015 Music 220-02 Research/ Listening Paper Franz Liszt and his Piano Sonata in B Minor S.178 have left a long lasting legacy on musical history. Throughout his life, Liszt shaped the ways of music significantly. In fact, many of his imprints on musical history still have an impact, today. Similarly, his piano composition, Piano Sonata in B Minor S.178, is still considered to be one of history’s great pieces, which gained my interest in not only this piece of work, but Liszt and his lasting impact, as well. After traveling through Europe and composing hundreds of musical works, Liszt’s listeners were not only intrigued by his music, but other big names in the musical world were, as well. Liszt managed to change the way that things were done musically several hundred years ago by influencing other musicians through his work, but he has also changed the way of musicians to this day. Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was born on October 22, 1811 in Doborján, Hungary (now Raiding Austria) to father, and musician, Adam Liszt and mother Anna Maria Läger, who was an amateur musician (LaVine). Franz’s father played multiple instruments and taught Franz to play the piano at a young age, which began his musical career. From very early on, Liszt excelled in music. He was considered to be a child prodigy by age 6, and then he began writing and composing music at the age of 8, and was performing in concerts at the early age of 9 (Franz Liszt Biography). At the age of 12, Liszt went to Paris, with his father, to try to get into the Paris Conservatory but was turned down since he was not French (Franz Liszt Biography). However, Franz’s father was determined to further his son’s education and to continue his musical career and so Franz studied with Anton Reicha and Ferdinando Paer to further his studies in musical composition (LaVine). Several years later, when Liszt was only 15, his father died and the traumatic experience caused Liszt to question his musical profession and loose interest in music for a period of time (Franz Liszt Biography). Instead of music, Liszt turned to reading books about religion and art, which would have an impact on Liszt’s later works of music (Franz Liszt Biography). Years later, Liszt composed several pieces that were inspired by the Swiss countryside and shortly thereafter, composed several piano compositions, helping to shape his musical career (Franz Liszt Biography). After this, Liszt began to tour Europe, giving concerts and composing works (Franz Liszt Biography). His reputation was enhanced even further when he gave portions of his proceeds from concerts to charities (Franz Liszt Biography). Meanwhile, Franz’s relationship with Marie d’Agoult, whom he had three children with, ended (Franz Liszt Biography). Not long after, he met Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, in 1847, who wanted to settle down with Franz, so she convinced him to stop touring Europe and instead, teach and compose music so that they could be together (Franz Liszt Biography). A year after giving his final paid concert, Liszt and the princess moved to Weimar, Germany where Liszt began to concentrate on his compositions (Franz Liszt Biography). The works that Liszt was composing became very popular and were performed in concert halls all throughout Europe, giving him an even bigger name for himself (Franz Liszt Biography). Also, Franz created the “symphonic poem” genre which was significant to his style of compositions and forms of expression (LaVine). In fact, many of Liszt’s symphonic poems are dedicated to his lover of the time, Carolyne (LaVine). Liszt’s son, Daniel, died in 1859, and several years later, in 1862, his daughter, Blandine, died as well (Franz Liszt Biography). During this saddening period of time, Liszt and Carolyne wanted to get married, but where unable to since her divorce papers from a previous marriage were incomplete (Franz Liszt Biography). After this series of unfortunate events, Liszt moved just outside of Rome where he lived in an apartment in a monastery (Franz Liszt Biography). Throughout this time, Liszt still continued to compose music and eventually created the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music in Budapest (Franz Liszt Biography). Towards the end of his career, Liszt’s health began to decline and he suffered from depression, so naturally the music that he wrote became darker, and less traditional (LaVine). Ultimately, his use of non-traditional characteristics became an inspiration to future composers such as Scheinberg, Wagner, Debussy and Ravel (LaVine). Liszt left behind significant works as well as a significant legacy when he eventually died in Bayreuth, Germany on July 31, 1886. Franz was considered to be an “extroverted showman” who was very handsome and had great talent and confidence, and was considered to be “the musical sex symbol of the Romantic Era” (Wright). Our modern- day piano recitals are formatted after the way the Liszt gave his concerts in the 1840’s (Wright). This included memorizing the music to play in front of the audience, as opposed to reading the music, as well as playing with the piano parallel to the stage, and being the only one on stage, making the recital a solo (Wright). Liszt’s flamboyant performance style and ways of composing music changed the way that we look at music and the way that music is performed, today. One of Liszt more popular pieces is his Piano Sonata in B Minor S.178. This work was composed by Liszt beginning in 1852 and was completed on February 2, 1853 (Kirov). Although there are many speculations as to where Liszt’s idea for this sonata came from, it is thought to have been written after Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy (Leone). There is also thought that the composition was written to reflect either, “conflicts within Liszt’s own personality” or that is was “based on the Bible and on Milton’s Paradise Lost” or perhaps that it had no meaning at all (Leone). Also, this work was dedicated to Robert Schumann as a “gesture to Schumann in response to his being the dedicatee of the latter’s Fantasy in C major (1839)” (Leone). Unfortunately, “Schumann never knew of the B Minor Sonata’s existence since by the time a copy of the newly published work arrived at the Schumann’s home in May, 1854, Schumann was already at the asylum at Endenich” (Leone). Today, there are many unanswered questions that are still asked about the inspiration behind this popular work by Franz Liszt. The sonata runs for approximately thirty minutes in the classical sonata form of an exposition, followed by the development, and then the recapitulation (Leone). While the piece is truly only one movement, it is four movements that Liszt turned into one (Leone). The themes all throughout the piece transform and change all throughout the composition. The piece both begins and ends in the key of B minor, but shifts in the middle of the piece to the key of D major (The Grand Sonata). Liszt originally intended for the piece to end loudly; however, the “inspired quiet ending with which the work now concludes came to him as an afterthought” based on his manuscript (Leone). This piece is thought, by many, to be Liszt’s “finest composition and one of the greatest piano sonatas ever written” (The Grand Sonata). The first time that I listened to this piece was after I had done my research on it. I had high expectations for the piece since it is considered to be so great; however, after finally listening to it, it certainly was not what I was anticipating. I did not anticipate the ever changing dynamics of the piece, but instead I expected this to be similar to any other type of classical music and to be much more simple than it is. It seemed to me, that the piece was constantly changing mood. It began very quietly and then suddenly became very dramatic and loud. Also, the runs sounded more cheerful, at first, and then sounded as if they became darker as the beginning of the piece went on. Again, the sonata became very quiet, changing pace, yet again. The work also went from being very faced paced and full of runs, to sounding relaxing and somber. It was not long, though, until the the piece changed paces again went from slow and soft to louder and then back to quiet, again. The uses of dynamics throughout the entire piece adds great drama and keeps the listener anticipating what is yet to come. Instead of just crescendos and decrescendos throughout the piece, I felt as though Liszt also incorporated terraced dynamics to add even further contrast in the music. The time sounded to be in duple meter and seemed to remain constant in tempo. Once I had an idea of what I was listening to, I listened to the piece several more times to try to listen further for key elements throughout the piece. After listening to Liszt’s sonata several more times, key points of the piece became clearer to me. For example, I believe that I could hear the difference in the different sections throughout the movement as the theme varied. Also, it sounded to me that I could hear the difference between the key changes- when the piece went from B major to D major and then back to B major. This very technical work was full of different moods and varied quickly. Liszt did not keep the music the same for any extended period of time, which kept me constantly having to listen for new elements in the music.