Franz Liszt's Early Weimar Period Piano Waltzes

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Franz Liszt’s Early Weimar Period Piano Waltzes

A document submitted to

The Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

In the Performance Studies Division

Of the College-Conservatory of Music

2017

Wei-Ting Yin

B.A., National Taiwan Normal University, 2004

M.M., National Taiwan Normal University, 2006

Abstract

The piano concert waltz genre had already been established by Carl Maria von Weber, who had expanded the traditional waltz by combining several sequential dances, adding an introduction and coda, and using the first waltz as a refrain to create a rondo-like form. Weber therefore elevated the waltz genre to a concert piece and influenced later composers like Chopin and Liszt. Liszt’s waltzes from the early 1850s are either based on the concert waltz type innovated by Weber or draw on previous compositions by Liszt and other composers.

Franz Liszt published Soirées de Vienne, Valse-Impromptu, and Trois Caprices-Valses during the years 1850–53. Among these waltzes, Valse-Impromptu and Trois Caprices-Valses are based on previous versions composed from 1836–43. This document discusses Liszt’s compositional style in the waltzes from the early 1850s through an analysis of their formal structure, tonality, harmony, tempo changes, and virtuosic writing. It also includes the history of the piano waltz, the waltz style of Schubert, Weber, and Chopin, and the historical background of piano waltzes by Liszt from the early 1850s. In the end, my document will shed some light on the understanding of the stylistic diversity of Liszt’s piano waltzes from his early Weimar years.

iii Acknowledgements

This document could not have been accomplished without the help of many people. First,

I sincerely and gratefully thank my advisor, Dr. Jonathan Kregor, whose intelligent and erudite scholarship on Liszt has provided me with valuable suggestions and perspectives. I sincerely appreciate his guidance and encouragement during this process. I also want to thank Professor

Michael Chertock and Dr. Michelle Conda for their comments and insights on my document.

Special thanks to Dr. Adam Shoaff for his English help and thoughtful reminders while reading through my document.

Special thanks to my piano professors, Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff. They encouraged and inspired me during my study in Cincinnati. I am grateful to have had this opportunity to study with them.

To my family, the most heartfelt thanks to my parents, Jhen-Liang Yin and Guei-Chueh

Jian. I could not continue my musical journey without their love and enormous support. My sisters, Wei-Tzu Yin and Shao-Yi Yin, helped take care of my beloved pets and encouraged me while I was pursuing my doctoral degree. I am deeply thankful to have their warm support.

iv Copyright Permissions

All musical examples have been taken from the following sources:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………ii

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………...…. iv

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………vi

List of Musical Examples……………………………………………………………………….viii

List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………………..xii

Introduction

A. Statement of Purpose…………………………………………………………………...... 1

B. Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………2

C. Methodology……………………………………………………………………………...7

Chapter One: The Piano Waltz before Liszt

A. The Origin of Piano waltz…………………………………………………………………9

B. Franz Schubert…………………………………………………………………………...11

C. Carl Maria von Weber…………………………………………………………………...16

D. Frédéric Chopin………………………………………………………………………….19

Chapter Two: Soirées de Vienne and Liszt’s practices of arrangement

A. Historical Background…………………………………………………………………...26

B. Liszt and Schubert: other arrangements from the 1830s………………………………...27

C. Examination of Soirées de Vienne………………………………………………………..29

Chapter Three: Trois Caprices-Valses, S 214

A. Historical Background…………………………………………………………………..47

vi B. Examination of Trois Caprices-Valses. S 214……………………………………..…..49

Chapter Four: Valse-Impromptu and Liszt’s revision processes

A. Historical Background of Valse-Impromptu…………………………………………69

B. Examination of Valse-Impromptu …………………………………………………....70

C. Revision Process of Trois Caprices-Valses, Valse-Impromptu and Soirées de Vienne,

no.6……………………………………………………………...... 72

1. Grande Valse di Bravura (1836) and Valse de Bravoure (1852)……………………..73

2. Valse Mélancolique of 1840 and 1852 ………………………………………………..80

3. Valse a Capriccio (1842) and Valse de Concert (1852)………………………………85

4. Petite Valse Favorite and Valse-Impromptu……………………………………………92

5. Soirées de Vienne, no. 6……………………………………………………………….95

Epilogue……………………………………………………………………………………...98

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...101

vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

1.1. Schubert, 38 Waltzes, Ländler and Ecossaises, D. 145, Op. 18, No. 6, mm. 17–32. 13 1.2. Schubert, 36 Originaltänze, D. 365, Op. 9, No. 2, mm. 9–16. 13 1.3. Schubert, Valses sentimentales, D. 779, Op. 50, No. 4, m. 4. 15 1.4. Schubert, Valses sentimentales, D. 779, Op. 60, No. 29, mm. 1–5. 15 1.5a. Weber, Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65, mm. 1–8. 18 1.5b. Weber, Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65, mm. 35–42. 18 1.5c. Weber, Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65, mm. 16–17. 19 1.5d. Weber, Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65, mm. 143–47. 19 1.6. Chopin, Op. 34, No. 1, mm. 157 and 159. 21 1.7. Chopin, posthumous E-minor waltz, mm. 9–11. 22 1.8. Chopin, Op. 64, No. 1, mm. 29–36. 22 1.9a. Chopin, Op. 34, No. 2, mm. 1–7. 23 1.9b. Chopin, Op. 42, mm. 9–13. 23 1.10. Chopin, Op. 34, No. 1, mm. 25–26. 24 2.1. Liszt, Soirées no. 4, mm. 134–37. 35 2.2a. Liszt, Soirée no. 2, mm. 1–8. 36 2.2b. Liszt, Soirée no. 2, mm. 24–33. 36 2.3a. Liszt, Soirée no.4, waltz A, mm. 17–21. 37 2.3b. Liszt, Soirée no.4, waltz A with different treatment, mm. 134–37. 37 2.4a. Schubert, 36 Originaltänze, D. 365, Op. 9, No. 2, mm. 1–4. 38 2.4b. Liszt, Soirée no. 4, 2nd theme, mm. 66–69. 38 2.5a. Schubert, 12 Valses nobles, D. 969, Op. 77, No. 2, mm. 1–4. 38 2.5b. Liszt, Soirée no.8, 3rd theme, mm. 89–92. 39 2.6. Liszt, Soirée no. 4, unstable tonality, mm. 1–16. 40 2.7. Liszt, Soirée no.6, harmonic progression, mm. 241–55. 40 2.8. Liszt, Soirée no.5, enharmonic changes, mm. 93–97. 41 2.9. Liszt, Soirée no.9, chromatic passage, m. 7. 41 2.10. Liszt, Soirée no.1, successive 10th chords, mm. 225–30. 42 2.11a. Schubert, 36 Originaltänze, D. 365, Op. 9, No. 14, mm. 1–4. 42 2.11b. Liszt, Soirée no.5, 1st theme, mm. 1–4. 43

viii 2.12a. Liszt, Soirée no.4, 2nd waltz, mm. 100–3. 43 2.12b. Schubert, 36 Originaltänze, D. 365, Op. 9, No. 33, mm. 1–4. 43 2.13. Liszt, Soirée no.9, left-hand melody, mm. 100–4. 44 2.14. Liszt, Soirée no.5, melody in the middle voice, mm. 73–76. 44 2.15. Liszt, Soirée no.8, chordal octaves, mm. 445–49. 45 2.16. Liszt, Soirée no.4, pendular motion, mm. 198–201. 46 2.17. Liszt, Soirée no.8, 2nd theme with left hand ascending octaves, mm. 57–61. 46 3.1. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, elements from the 1st theme, mm. 123–30. 51 3.2. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, unrelated notes, mm. 1–4. 52 3.3a. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, enharmonic changes, mm. 21–24. 53 3.3b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, enharmonic changes, mm. 41–42. 53 3.4. Liszt, Valse de Concert, enharmonic changes, mm. 290–91. 54 3.5. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, unstable harmony, mm. 177–86. 54 3.6. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, chromaticism within melody, mm. 75–77. 55 3.7. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, diminished chords as thematic material, mm. 19–21. 55 3.8. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, diminished chords in the melody, mm. 123–26. 56 3.9. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, agitated atmosphere using diminished chords, mm. 209–19. 56 3.10. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, 2nd theme with three accompanying voices, mm. 23–25. 58 3.11. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, left hand countermelody, mm. 41–44. 58 3.12a. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, left-hand melody, mm. 198–201. 59 3.12b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, separated 3rd theme, mm. 378–86. 59 3.13. Liszt, Valse de Concert, coda, mm. 439–42. 60 3.14. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, the return of the introduction, m. 168. 61 3.15. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, contrasting character, mm. 378–86. 61 3.16a. Liszt, Valse de Concert, single melody, mm. 365–68. 62 3.16b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, melody in octaves, mm. 373–76. 62 3.17. Liszt, Valse de Concert, counter voice, mm. 400–3. 63 3.18. Liszt, Valse de Concert, shifting registers, mm. 338–41. 63 3.19. Liszt, Valse de Concert, wide register, m. 190. 64 3.20. Liszt, Valse de Concert, dramatic effect, mm. 288–93. 64 3.21. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, dramatic effect in dynamic, mm. 111–14. 65

ix 3.22a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, large leaps in the left hand, mm. 147–50. 66 3.22b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique, technique challenge in the cadenza, m. 168. 66 3.23a. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, ascending arpeggios, mm. 448–51. 66 3.23b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, ascending arpeggios, mm. 274–76. 66 3.24. Liszt, Valse de Concert, chromatic parallel octaves, mm. 252–56. 67 3.25. Liszt, Valse de Concert, technique challenge, mm. 476–81. 68 4.1. Liszt, Valse-Impromptu, diminished-seventh broken chords, m. 8. 71 4.2. Liszt, Valse-Impromptu, enharmonic changes, mm. 245–46. 71 4.3a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, 2nd part of the third theme, mm. 216–18. 74 4.3b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, 2nd part of the third theme, mm. 240–46. 74 4.4a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, introduction, mm. 1–4. 76 4.4b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, introduction, mm. 1–4. 76 4.5a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, 2nd theme, mm. 21–24. 76 4.5b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, 2nd theme, mm. 23–26. 76 4.6a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, 3rd theme, mm. 61–64. 77 4.6b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, 3rd theme, mm. 78–81. 77 4.7a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, parallel sixth, mm. 384–87. 77 4.7b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, chromaticism, mm. 421–24. 78 4.8a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, broken 9th intervals, mm. 199–203. 78 4.8b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, various intervals, mm. 220–24. 78 4.9a. Liszt, Grande Valse di Bravura, dynamic contrast, mm. 59–62. 79 4.9b. Liszt, Valse de Bravoure, dynamic contrast, mm. 66–71. 79 4.10a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), introduction, mm. 1–4. 80 4.10b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), introduction, mm. 1–4. 80 4.11a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), second-theme area, mm. 148–51. 81 4.11b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), second-theme area, mm. 160–63. 81 4.12a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), motive-like fragment, mm. 1–12. 82 4.12b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), melodic line in introduction, mm. 1–9. 82 4.13a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), 2nd theme, mm. 74–77. 83 4.13b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), 2nd theme, mm. 76–79. 83 4.14a. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), climax, mm. 122–25. 83

x 4.14b. Liszt, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), climax, mm. 131–37. 84 4.15a. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, octave melody, mm. 67–70. 86 4.15b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, single line melody, mm. 55–59. 86 4.16a. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, four-staff texture, mm. 178–82. 87 4.16b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, three-staff texture, mm. 280–82. 87 4.17a. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, coda, mm. 521–24. 87 4.17b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, coda, mm. 439–42. 88 4.18a. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, second-theme area, mm. 280–82. 89 4.18b. Liszt, Valse de Concert, second-theme area, mm. 249–51. 89 4.19. Liszt, Valse de Concert, hemiola, mm. 554–55. 90 4.20. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, introductory melody, mm. 98–101. 90 4.21. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, technical challenges, mm. 149–52. 90 4.22. Liszt, Valse de Concert, reduced technique, mm. 128–31. 91 4.23. Liszt, Valse a Capriccio, large leaps, mm. 354–56. 91 4.24. Liszt, Valse de Concert, chromatic scale in thirds, mm. 320–23. 92 4.25a. Liszt, Petite Valse Favorite (1843 version), first theme, mm. 32–34. 94 4.25b. Liszt, Valse-Impromptu, question and answer, mm. 30–32. 94 4.26a. Liszt, Petite Valse Favorite (1843 version), second theme, mm. 50–53. 94 4.26b. Liszt, Valse-Impromptu, second theme, mm. 85–89. 95 4.27. Liszt, Soirée no. 6, trills and chromatic passages, mm. 110–13. 96 4.28. Liszt, Soirée no. 6, cadenza, mm. 147–64. 96

xi LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1. Number of Schubert waltzes used in Soirées de Vienne. 30 Table 2.2. Schubert’s waltzes used in each Soirées de Vienne. 30 Table 2.3. Formal structure in Soirées de Vienne. 31 Table 2.4. Large-scale structure in Soirée no. 2. 31 Table 2.5. Ternary form in Soirée no. 8. 32 Table 2.6. Rondo form in Soirée no. 3. 32 Table 2.7. Quasi-rondo form in Soirées nos. 1 and 6. 33 Table 2.8. Extended C section in Soirée no. 6. 33 Table 2.9. Two-part form in Soirée no. 7. 34 Table 2.10. Key changes in Soirée no. 4. 39 Table 4.1. Changed tempo marking between Grande Valse di Bravura and Valse de Bravoure 75 Table 4.2. Difference of tempo markings in Grande Valse di Bravura and Valse de Bravoure 75 Table 4.3. Tempo markings in 1842 and 1843 versions of Petite Valse 93 Table 4.4. Formal structures of Petite Valse (1843 version) and Valse-Impromptu. 93

xii Introduction

Statement of Purpose

This document is an examination of the compositional style of Franz Liszt’s Soirées de

Vienne, Valse-Impromptu, and Trois Valses-Caprices and his revision process in Valse-

Impromptu and Trois Valses-Caprices; all of which were published during the early 1850s.

Dance music was one of the major genres Liszt cultivated during the Weimar years (1848–61), especially the genre of the waltz. The most well-known waltz from Liszt’s Weimar period is his

Mephisto Waltz No. 1, which was written between 1856 and 1861. However, Liszt published thirteen other waltzes from 1850–53. These waltzes present a variety of characteristics; some preserved the technical demands of Liszt’s compositional style during the virtuoso years (1839–

47), others discard the virtuosic trend, instead maintaining the simple, less-ornate character of the traditional Viennese waltzes. These waltzes from the early 1850s can be classified into two genres: (1) transcriptions or arrangements and (2) revisions of his own compositions. Soirées de

Vienne, based on Schubert’s waltzes, and Trois Valses-Caprices No. 3, based on two themes from operas by Gaetano Donizetti, are examples of arrangements and transcriptions. Valse-

Impromptu and nos. 1 and 2 from Trois Valses-Caprices are revisions of earlier compositions by

Liszt. A comparison of the first version and 1850s versions shows that Liszt was increasingly interested in thematic transformation.

Most scholarship on Liszt’s waltzes does not provide a comprehensive view of the early-

1850s waltzes and references to these works occur only sporadically. None of them discuss these thirteen waltzes as a group, instead focusing on them individually. This document is an attempt to fill a gap in our understanding of Liszt’s waltzes from 1850–53 and further elucidate aspects of his compositional style from the early Weimar period, thus setting the stage for his later

1 waltzes, including the famous “Mephisto” Waltzes.

Literature Review

This document discusses the compositional style in thirteen of Liszt’s waltzes from the early 1850s. However, information on these waltzes is scattered throughout several different sources. For Soirées de Vienne, there are three important references: Gerhard J. Winkler’s essay,

“Die Soirées de Vienne: Gibt es ein ‘Österreichisches’ in Franz Liszts Schubert-

Bearbeitungen?”1 from 1994, Rita Bennett’s thesis, “A Study of Franz Liszt’s Soirées de

Vienne”2 from 1982, and Edward N. Waters’s article, “Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne” from 1949.3

These three resources provided the musical background for this collection.

Bennett’s thesis covers historical context and musical structure. The historical discussion includes a brief survey of Schubert’s waltz style, the history of the composition of the waltzes in

Soirées de Vienne, and the general influence of Schubert. She also provides a musical analysis of the work’s basic formal and harmonic structure and the general mood or character of each of

Schubert’s waltzes. Building on Bennett’s thesis, this document explores the transformation of

Schubert’s waltzes in Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne by expanding the historical context to include the history of the genres of waltz and piano waltz and Liszt’s other Schubert arrangements from the

1830s. It also explores Schubert’s influence, Liszt’s two editions of Soirées, and his process of

1 Gerhard J. Winkler, “Die Soirées de Vienne: Gibt es ein ‘Österreichisches’ in Franz Liszts Schubert- Bearbeitungen?” Liszt und die Nationalitäten: Bericht über das internationale musikwissenschaftliche Symposion Eisenstadt, 10.–12. März 1994 (Eisenstadt: Burgenländisches Landesmuseum, 1996), 74–97.

2 Rita J. Bennett, “A Study of Franz Liszt’s Soirées De Vienne.” Master’s thesis (Bowling Green State University, 1982).

3 Edward N. Waters, “Liszt’s Soirées De Vienne.” Library of Congress Quarterly Journal 6, no. 2 (1949): 10–19.

2 dedicating the work. Moreover, I will compare Schubert’s waltzes to the waltzes in Liszt’s collection, examining their formal designs, tonality, tempos, melodies, sonorities and technical demands.

Concerning historical background, Winkler’s article is the most important source for my study. In it, he indicates the meaning of the title, compares the 1852 and 1883 editions, and examines the process of dedicating the work. He further describes how Liszt was fond of Soirées de Vienne and speculates about his possible motives for changing the original dedication. In his discussion of the musical design, he explores Liszt’s principal idea for arranging Schubert’s waltzes in this collection. Winkler does not examine each waltz in Soirées, instead gives details only on the fourth waltz as case study from this collection. While Winkler notes that Liszt changed the original dedication from Simon Löwy to Pauline Metternich, he does not explore other possible reasons to explain why Liszt might have done so. However, Waters gives general background on this issue, providing details on the process of a typical dedication.

Additional books covering this topic include Liszt4 by Sacheverell Sitwell and A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and Its Forerunners by Stewart Gordon.5 These books contain snapshots of Liszt’s attitude towards this collection. Together, these sources provide a thorough description of the historical context of Soirées de Vienne and describe the general characteristics of Liszt’s compositional style.

4 Sacheverell Sitwell, Liszt (New York: Dover Publications, 1967).

5 Stewart Gordon, A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and its Forerunners (New York: Prentice Hall, 1996).

3 The most detailed discussion of the historical background in Valse-Impromptu and Trois

Valses-Caprices is found in the preface of the Budapest score editions.6 It includes compositional dates, a description of the work’s genesis, and provides Liszt’s and other pianists’ performing records. Ben Arnold’s The Liszt Companion is the only book which mentions these waltzes and provides a basic formal analysis and discussion of the tempo changes from the first version to the

1852 version.7 In my document, I provide details on the style changes in these four waltzes by comparing the first version and the version from the 1850s. Building on Arnold’s work, I analyze the form and tempo changes in these waltzes. Furthermore, I examine the aspects of virtuosic writing and tonality.

None of the main sources discuss the topic of virtuosity in these waltzes from the early

1850s. I do include this aspect in my examination Liszt’s revision process. Jim Samson’s

Virtuosity and the Musical Work is the primary reference for my study. 8 Samson connects the concepts of work and performance, and uses Liszt’s Transcendental etudes as a primary example of the virtuosic aspects of his compositional style. The virtuosity of Liszt’s style is multifaceted, incorporating elements of form, texture, sonority, and technique. Samson mentions that the formal structure and texture can be expanded by adding an accompaniment layer, cadenza, introduction and coda, and that the sonority is variegated through the expansion of register and chordal texture. All of these components create technical challenges for the performer. I

6 Franz Liszt, Tänze, Märsche und Scherzi I, ed. Imre Sulyok (Budapest: Editio Musica, 1985), XXXVI– XXXIX. Freie Bearbeitungen. VI, ed. László Martos and Imre Sulyok (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2001), XI–XX. Valse-Impromptu: Petite valse favorite, ed. Imre Sulyok, Imre Mezö, and Adrienne Kaczmarczyk (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2015), 8–9.

7 Ben Arnold, “Piano Music: 1835–1861,” in The Liszt Companion, ed. Ben Arnold (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), 73–137.

8 Jim Samson. Virtuosity and the Musical Work: The Transcendental Studies of Liszt (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003).

4 demonstrate these various aspects of virtuosity in Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne, Valse-Impromptu, and Trois Valses-Caprices from the information I have gathered.

For the context of the piano waltz before Liszt, Martin Chusid’s Schubert’s Dance for family, Friends and posterity9 from 2013, Eric McKee’s Dance and the Music of Chopin: The

Waltz10 from 2004, Sevin Yaraman’s Revolving Embrace: The Waltz as Sex, Steps, and Sound11 from 2002, and Stewart Gordon’s A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and Its

Forerunners from 1996 offer useful information.12 The most detailed source on this context is

Yaraman’s book. She discusses the relationship between functional and stylized dance music in regards to the genre of the waltz. The most useful part is her discussion of the function of the nineteenth-century Viennese waltz and the genesis of the concert waltz. In particular, she devotes an entire chapter to the history of the concert waltz in which she argues that waltzes composed for listening, such as those by Chopin, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky, demonstrate a departure from the actual dance steps. Moreover, she argues their refinement further separates them from the genre of ballroom waltzes. In addition to the discussion by Yaraman, other sources provide information on the characteristics of waltzes by Schubert, Chopin, and Weber, including their historical background. Building on these sources, I discuss the compositional style of each composer as it relates to their piano waltzes. In order to examine the harmonic language and

9 Martin Chusid, Schubert’s Dances: For Family, Friends and Posterity (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2013).

10 Eric McKee, “Dance and Music of Chopin: The Waltz,” in The Age of Chopin: Interdisciplinary Inquiries, ed. Halina Goldberg (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004), 106–61.

11 Sevin Yaraman, Revolving Embrace: The Waltz as Sex, Steps, and Sound (New York: Pendragon Press, 2002).

12 Stewart Gordon, A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and its Forerunners (New York: Prentice Hall, 1996).

5 tonal scheme, I relied on Larry Todd’s “The ‘Unwelcome Guest’ Regaled: Franz Liszt and the

Augmented Triad”13 and Alan Walker’s “Liszt and the Twentieth Century.”14 These two references provide a general discussion of Liszt’s use of harmony in other works, in particular his use of median key relationships, enharmonics, chromaticism, augmented triads, and diminished thirds and sevenths, all of which can be found in the waltzes of the early 1850s.

On the influence of Schubert, I have referenced Alan Walker’s Reflections on Liszt,15

Humphrey Searle’s The Music of Liszt,16 and Jonathan Kregor’s Liszt as Transriber.17 Walker explains the purpose and the importance of Schubert’s song transcriptions. He further provides details about Liszt’s lifelong interest in Schubert’s music. While Walker considers Liszt’s

Schubert transcriptions as evidence of Schubert’s influence, Searle indicates that the third

Apparition is another example of Liszt transforming Schubert’s waltzes using his own compositional style. This piece was later transformed into the fourth waltz of Soirées. Kregor’s book is my primary reference on Schubert’s influence on Liszt. In chapter three, Kregor indicates the importance of Liszt’s Schubert arrangements, citing their popularity among his contemporaries. Kregor further describes how Liszt regarded Schubert’s songs as sources which contained dramatic potential upon which he could greatly elaborate. This is one reason why Liszt composed numerous transcriptions of Schubert’s lieder during the 1830s. Furthermore, the practice of arranging was used by Schubert himself, who borrowed from his songs while

13 Larry Todd, “The ‘Unwelcome Guest’ Regaled: Franz Liszt and the Augmented Triad,” 19th century Music XII/2 (Fall 1988): 93–115.

14 Alan Walker, “Liszt and the Twentieth Century,” in Franz Liszt: The Man and His Music, ed. Alan Walker (New York: Taplinger, 1970), 350–64.

15 Alan Walker, Reflections on Liszt (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2005).

16 Humphrey Searle, The Music of Liszt (New York: Dover Publications, 2012).

17 Jonathan Kregor, Liszt as Transcriber (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010).

6 composing his instrumental music. In addition to providing a detailed analysis of song transcriptions, Kregor also points out that these transcriptions are an aesthetic characteristic of the major works of the Weimar years. Synthesizing these sources has allowed me to demonstrate

Schubert’s profound influence on Liszt.

Methodology

In my document, I investigate the style of Soirées de Vienne, Valse–Impromptu and Trois

Valses–Caprices and the revision process in Valse-Impromptu and Trois Valse-Caprices. This examination focuses on issues of formal design, tonality, tempo, and virtuosity, including melody, sonority, and technique. With this in mind, I am able to provide details about the nature of Liszt’s revisions of older waltzes during a period characterized by his virtuosic style of composition. After discussing the relevant scholarship, chapter one explores the piano waltz before Liszt, including the history of the piano waltz and the stylistic characteristics of waltzes by Schubert, Weber, and Chopin. In chapter two, I discuss the musical relationship between Liszt and Schubert including his arrangements of Schubert’s music from the 1830s. Liszt arranged

Schubert’s works for solo piano, providing further evidence of Schubert’s influence. There follows a discussion of the historical background of Soirées de Vienne’s composition, including dates of composition for the individual waltzes, information about the dedications, changes between the two editions, and their popularity during that time. Finally, I draw on the previously- mentioned sources to examine the following questions: What is the formal design of each waltz from Soirées? Does Liszt maintain Schubert’s original thematic and tonal design? What is the general tempo setting and sonority? In chapters three and four, I discuss the historical context of

Valse-Impromptu and Trois Valses-Caprices separately, including the compositional dates for

7 each waltz, the different versions, and history of each piece’s creation. As in chapter two, I consult the references discussed in the literature review to examine the following aspects in chapters three and four: formal design, tonality and harmony, tempo, virtuosity (technique, sonority, and melody). In chapter four, I also examine the revision process within Trois Valses-

Caprices, Valse-Impromptu and Soirées de Vienne, no. 6 including its formal structure, tempo, textures, and technique. Finally, I include a conclusion discussing the stylistic contrast and similarities in waltzes from the early 1850s and how these findings help inform an understanding of Liszt’s later waltzes.

8 Chapter One: The Piano Waltz Before Liszt

The Origins of the Piano Waltz

Piano waltzes originated in the eighteenth century as transcriptions of orchestral dances.

These pieces were often arranged for solo or duet and were typically performed in smaller settings such as the home.18 One of the earliest piano waltzes can be found in a sonatina by

Haydn from 1766, in which he replaced the minuet with a “movement de Waltze.” The popularity of the waltz increased in the early nineteenth century, particularly in Vienna, where the opening of large dance halls led to a greater demand for new waltzes.

In addition to the large dance hall, the waltz was popular in private settings, where the piano was one of the most important instruments for musical accompaniment. According to

Martin Chusid, the improvement of the piano in the late eighteenth century was one reason publishers issued piano editions of dance music.19 Anton Diabelli, a Viennese music publisher, was well-known by publishing a set of 50 variations on a waltz theme in 1824. He asked 50 composers, including Czerny, Hummel, Liszt, and Schubert, to write variations based on a waltz theme he himself had composed.

These circumstances led to a great increase in the number of piano waltzes being composed in the early nineteenth century. Johann Nepomuk Hummel was one of the early composers who cultivated the piano waltz. He composed five sets of dance music for piano,

18 Oxford Music Online, “Waltz,” by Andrew Lamb, accessed November 20, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.

19 Martin Chusid, Schubert’s Dances for Family, Friends, and Posterity (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2013.), xvii. “Now everyone plays, beats, drums and tootles on this instrument: the nobleman and commoner, the dilettante and expert, man and woman, boy and girl […] The current big improvements in this instrument can be attributed to this general enthusiasm.”

9 Tänze für die Apollo Säle,20 for the opening of Apollo Hall from 1808–22. Minuets and German dances are the two main types of dances in these collections, and the German dances were written in a more elaborate fashion containing trios and florid codas.

Beethoven also composed a set of dances called Mödlinger Tänze in 1819. In this collection he incorporated several dance forms including the waltz. Furthermore, he composed a set of variations using the waltz theme composed by Anton Diabelli in 1819–22. Other interesting collections of piano waltzes are Muzio Clementi’s two sets of waltzes, op. 38 and op.

39, published in 1798 with tambourine and triangle as an accompaniment. The addition of tambourine and triangle provided extra sound support for piano similar to the pedals or kneepads.21 Clementi also published another version for piano and flute, but the solo piano version was the most popular.

Clementi favors major keys and fast tempos in these two collections, op. 38 and 39, marking half of the waltzes presto. They are also technically demanding for the performer. For example, there are glissandos in waltzes nos. 9 and 16, scales in op. 38, no. 2, and op. 39, no. 1, octaves and large jumps in op. 38, no. 4, op. 39, nos. 3 and 11, and crossing hands in op. 38, no.

11, and op. 39, no. 4.

The Piano Waltz in the Nineteenth Century

The waltz became a favorite genre for composers in the nineteenth century. Schubert,

Weber, and Chopin were the leading composers who cultivated the waltz during that time,

20 Ibid.

21 Muzio Clementi, 24 walzer, op. 38 e op. 39: con accompagnamento di triangolo e tamburello, ed. Maria Tipo (Milano: Edizioni Curci, 1982), preface.

10 including Schubert’s more intimate settings and Weber’s and Chopin’s more elaborate and virtuosic waltzes. Furthermore, the function of the waltz changed later in the nineteenth century as it moved from the dance hall to the concert hall. Examining the waltzes by Schubert, Weber, and Chopin, clearly demonstrates the development of the waltz in the nineteenth century.

Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert cultivated dance music for solo piano. He composed more than thirty sets of dance music, which comprise forty percent of his compositional output. These waltzes are suitable for dance and are not virtuosic pieces. Instead, they feature an intimate, charming, or elegant character. Schubert’s dance music was not written for public dance halls but rather as entertainment for his close circle of friends and were performed mostly at home.22 According to

Leopold von Sonnleithner, Schubert improvised waltzes and only wrote down the music once he was satisfied with the result:

He never dances, but was always ready to sit down at the piano, where for hours he improvised the most beautiful waltzes; those he liked he repeated, in order to remember them and write them down afterwards.23

Schubert’s waltzes are typically in binary form, comprising two repeating sections, eight measures in length without introductions, transitions, or codas. In his longer waltzes, he expanded the formal structure to ternary form, sometimes adding a trio section. Moreover, eight- measure phrases are lengthened to sixteen or twenty-four bars. Some waltzes were published as a set, meant to be performed as whole, such as Grazer Walzer, Op. 91 (D. 924). Others are grouped together as two, four, or six dances depending on the needs or preferences of the

22 Chusid, Schubert’s Dances, xxvi.

23 Ibid.

11 performer.24 Schubert’s Op. 33 waltzes, Sixteen Deutsches and Two Ecossaisen for piano, are examples of the paired design. In these paired waltzes, two successive waltzes have the same key or tonal design and contain contrasting or similar characteristics in some of the waltzes.25 For example, nos. 12 and 13 are both in C major with lively characteristics and contrasting dynamics.

Schubert’s innovation is more apparent in modulations, lyrical melodies, and harmonic progressions than in the formal structure.26 He does not limit the key to the major mode as

Clementi did, instead showing a preference for minor keys in these waltzes. Schubert also makes use of modulation to relative keys when the second section occurs. For example, op. 9, no. 22, begins in B major and changes to g# minor in the second section. Modulations to parallel keys are also found in some of Schubert’s waltzes. For example, op. 18, no. 6, begins in b minor, but changes abruptly to B major in the second half of the second section without preparation

(example 1.1).

24 Stewart Gordon, A History of Keyboard Literature: Music for the Piano and its Forerunners (New York: Prentice Hall, 1996), 235.

25 Elizabeth Aldrich, “Social Dancing in Schubert’s World.” in Schubert’s Vienna, ed. Raymond Erickson (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 131.

26 Gordon, 214.

12 Example 1.1. Op. 18, no. 6, b minor to B major, mm. 17–32.

Moreover, Schubert uses unexpected modulations particularly in the second strain. For example, op. 9, no. 2, is in E♭ major. However, the harmonic progression leads to f minor at the beginning of the second strain, followed by E major for two measures, then E♭ minor in m. 13, and finally back to A♭ major (example 1.2).

Example 1.2. Op. 9, no. 2, unexpected modulation, mm. 9–16.

13 Schubert also balances key relationships within the waltz collections. Most of the collections begin and end in the same keys. For example, op. 77 begins and ends in C major, while op. 67 begins and ends in G major. Likewise, D. 420 begins and ends in the same key and also uses only related keys. For example, all of the dances are in D or A major, except for no. 7 in E major, which is the center of this set.27

Valses sentimentales, op. 50, and Valses nobles, op. 77, are two well-known sets that had a considerable influence on later composers: Liszt used waltzes from these two collections in

Soirées de Vienne and Maurice Ravel used some in Valses nobles et sentimentales (1911).

Martin Chusid describes Schubert’s op. 50 as “the most ambitious of the composer’s later dance publications.”28 Like the examples mentioned above, op. 50 begins and ends in the same key and makes use of unexpected modulations and minor keys. Op. 50, however, also has some unique characteristics. For example, op. 50, no. 13, uses a two-part contrapuntal texture (soprano and alto) in the right hand. The alto part in particular is more important in this waltz. Moreover, the use of the indication Zart (tenderly) is marked by Schubert at the beginning of op. 50, no. 13.

Margaret Notley has noted this expressive terminology is “exceptional in this repertory by

Schubert.”29 Moreover, Schubert often creates an ambiguous sense of tonality in op. 50. Here,

Schubert begins the piece with a different key, only to arrive at the true key of the piece a few measures into the first strain. For example, no. 4 begins in D major before modulating to G major abruptly in m. 4 (example 1.3).

27 Chusid, 79.

28 Ibid., 129.

29 Margaret Notley, “Schubert’s Social Music: “Forgotten Genres,” in The Cambridge Companion to Schubert, ed. Christopher H. Gibbs (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 141.

14 Example 1.3. Op. 50, no. 4, D major to G major, m. 4.

No. 29 is an example of the influence of the Alpine region instrument known as the zither, resulting in the absence of a single-voice soprano melody and dance-like rhythmic features.30 In addition to the folk elements and a contrapuntal texture (five voices), frequent use of subdominant triads above a dominant pedal is an important feature (example 1.4).31

Example 1.4. Op. 50, no. 29, contrapuntal texture and dominant pedal, mm. 1–5.

According to Margaret Notley, op. 77 is not like the other sets that were composed as improvisations at parties, arguing that it is possible that Schubert wrote them while in the hospital being treated for syphilis.32 Op. 77 enjoyed great popularity within Schubert’s circle of friends. Franz von Hartmann played the set at Franz von Schobert’s house. A few days after

Hartmann’s performance, they were played by amateur pianist Josef von Gahy.33 Another unique feature among these twelve waltzes is the formal design in no. 9. This waltz has an asymmetrical

30 Chusid, 138.

31 Ibid., 139.

32 Notley, 141.

33 Chusid, 148.

15 binary form, which is rarely found in any of Schubert’s waltzes. The first strain has sixteen measures (8+8) while the second strain has twelve measures (8+4).

Carl Maria von Weber

Weber was one of the first to expand the small-scale design of the waltz into a large-scale concert work for piano solo which greatly influenced later composers such as Chopin and Liszt.

His Aufforderung zum Tanz (Invitation to the Dance), Op. 65, is the best example of this. It was composed in 1819, around the same year Weber started writing the opera Der Freischütz. Later,

Aufforderung zum Tanz was orchestrated by Hector Berlioz for the ballet Le Spectre de la Rose in 1841.

In contrast with Schubert, who utilized various types of tonalities in his piano waltzes,

Weber did not treat tonality in an innovative way. Thus, the sense of key in Aufforderung is quite stable throughout. All the waltzes which include refrains are in D♭ major, except for waltz no. 4 in f minor and C major, transitioning later to D♭ major. Its structure is similar to a rondo form or large-scale ternary form with an introduction and coda.34 Weber not only expanded the original small-scale waltz form to a large-scale concert waltz but also incorporated more waltzes into Aufforderung. Here, there are four waltzes, each containing two sections. In the rondo form design, Weber used waltz no. 1 as a refrain which returns twice before the coda. In the ternary form, the four waltzes are divided into two parts (waltz nos. 1 and 2 versus waltz nos. 3 and 4).

The first group (waltz nos. 1 and 2) return after the second group. Before the reappearance of waltz no. 1, there is a transition section using the second part of waltz no. 1 resulting in a “false

34 Lawrence M. Zbikowski, “Music, Dance, and Meaning in the Early Nineteenth Century,” Journal of Musicological Research 31, no. 2–3 (January 2012): 151.

16 recapitulation.”35 This formal structure, used in several of his waltzes, is the typical formal design that appears in most of Liszt’s waltzes from the early Weimar period. Moreover, the idea of formal expansion not only affected the piano waltz after Weber but also influenced the form of the orchestral waltz. Johann Strauss, Jr. applied the slow introduction and same internal structure into his orchestra waltzes.36

Another innovation of Weber’s was the use of programmatic titles and descriptions.

Weber dedicated this waltz to his wife Caroline, first playing it for her with the following programmatic notes:

First approach of the dance (mm. 1–5); the lady’s evasive reply (5–9); his pressing invitation (9–13); her consent (13–16); they enter into conversation–he begins (17–19), she replies (19–21), he speaks with greater warmth (21–23), she sympathetically agrees (23–25). Now for the dance! He addresses her with regard to it places, are waiting for the commencement of the dance (31–35). –The dance. – Conclusion: his thanks, her reply, their retirement. Silence.37

The cordial meeting between male and female dancers in the introduction is depicted musically by Weber through a dialogue in contrasting registers (tenor in the left hand for the male dancer and soprano in the right hand for the female dancer) to represent the interaction between the two dancers. Furthermore, the rising and falling musical gesture depicts the intonation of questions and answers, with the agreement of both partners to dance symbolically represented by parallel tenths.

Four waltzes contain two contrasting characteristics: waltz nos. 1, 2, and 4 are in a more brilliant style, while waltz no. 3 features more lyrical characteristics where Weber indicated the

35 Michael C. Tusa, “In Defense of Weber” in Nineteenth-Century Piano Music, 2nd ed., ed. Larry Todd (London: Routledge, 2004), 172

36 Ibid., 171.

37 John Gillespie, Five Centuries of Keyboard Music: an historical survey of music for harpsichord and piano (Belmont, Calif., Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1966), 202.

17 marking “Wiegend.” Michael C. Tusa notes that the introduction contains traces of waltz nos. 1 and 3. Waltz no. 1 features question and answer characteristics similar in design to those heard at the beginning of the introduction. The repeated-chords accompaniment in the introduction further draws on waltz no. 3, especially in the second strain (example 1.5).38

Example 1.5. Aufforderung zum Tanz, op. 65.

a. Question and answer in introduction, mm. 1–8.

b. Question and answer in waltz no. 1, mm. 35–42.

38 Tusa, 171–2.

18 c. Repeated chords in introduction, d. repeated chords in second strain of waltz 3, mm. 16–17. mm. 143–47.

Virtuosic display is another characteristic of Aufforderung. John Gillespie has summarized the characteristics of Weber’s keyboard technique as including large stretches for the hand, wide leaps from one keyboard register to another, rapid passages in thirds, sixths, and octaves, and dramatic crescendos.39 Indeed, most of these characteristics are found in

Aufforderung, including large leaps in waltz no. 4, rapid passages and abrupt crescendos in waltz no. 2, octaves in waltz no. 1, and thirds in waltz no. 4. Furthermore, the tempo in the main waltzes is Allegro vivace, which places more technical demands on the performer. The choice of a fast tempo in the piano waltz would influence later composers such as Chopin and Liszt.

Frédéric Chopin

Chopin greatly contributed to the development of dance music in the Romantic Era.

Dance music comprises nearly fifty percent of Chopin’s compositional output, including his mazurkas, polonaises, and waltzes. He composed seventeen waltzes, nine of which were published posthumously. The popularity of his waltzes can be seen through his students, amateurs, and professionals, all of whom performed Chopin’s waltzes. 40

39 Gillespie, 200.

40 Gordon, 300.

19 In addition to playing dance music for his friends, Chopin himself enjoyed dancing.

According to Eric Mckee, “Chopin eagerly and actively took part in Warsaw’s ball scene, especially during carnival.”41 Furthermore, Chopin’s friend Józefa Wodzińska described

Chopin’s fondness for entertaining his younger friends, noting how he would play pranks on the piano or perform waltzes, polkas, gallops, and mazurkas to which they could dance.42 Chopin’s involvement with dancing and dance music was confirmed by Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann.

Liszt commented on Chopin’s waltz playing during a party at the home of Princess de Lowicz:

It was [Chopin’s] lot, while still young, to play the piano for their dancing. At these parties…he was able to discover, many times perhaps, the secrets of excited and tender hearts fleetingly disclosed in whirling rounds…like frolicking nymphs, to wheedle some waltz of dizzying speed, shower him with smiles which taught him to merge with their merriment?43

The formal structures used in Chopin’s waltzes are a combination of rondo form (or ternary) and the concept of the Viennese chain of waltzes with an introduction and coda.44 The introductions tend to be very short and there is often no introduction or coda in the shorter waltzes. In the traditional rondo form, the first theme is generally used as the refrain. However,

Chopin does not use the first waltz as a refrain in all of his waltzes. Op. 42 exemplifies this type.

Here, the second waltz is used as the refrain instead of the first waltz, but does not end with the second waltz. Chopin brings a fragment of the first theme back at the end to make the form

41 Eric Mckee, “Dance and Music of Chopin: The Waltz,” in The Age of Chopin: Interdisciplinary Inquiries, ed. Halina Goldberg (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004), 118.

42 Ibid., 118.

43 Ibid., 121.

44 A series of waltzes with one single section repeated at last two times. For example: Intro–ABBA– CDDC–Coda.

20 circular.45 Another innovation in formal structure made by Chopin was the break within some of his waltzes which could be either silent or um-pah-pah accompaniment only, occurring usually near the end (example 1.6).

Example 1.6. Op. 34, no. 1, m. 157 (um-pah-pah accompaniment only) and m. 159 (silent measure)

In these published waltzes, Chopin liberally used non-danceable tempos, from molto vivace to lento. Moderate tempos only appear in op. 69, no. 2 (moderato), and op. 64, no. 2

(tempo giusto).46 Furthermore, Chopin often applied several tempo changes within a single waltz, for example, piu lento, piu mosso, and accelerando. In terms of key structure, most of

Chopin’s waltzes are in major keys while only five are in minor keys, and these minor-key waltzes are similar to his nocturnes.47 Moreover, Chopin’s waltzes usually involve several keys, but op. 42 and op. 64, no. 1, are exceptions, remaining in the original key throughout.

Theorist Adolph Bernard Marx (1795–1866) claimed that a good waltz should correspond to the dance.48 The melodic arch and um-pah-pah accompaniment are two important elements of Chopin’s waltzes especially. For example, the arching design is not only used in the

45 Sevin Yaraman, Revolving Embrace: The Waltz as Sex, Steps, and Sound (New York: Pendragon Press, 2002), 75.

46 Gordon, 301.

47 Yaraman, 73.

48 Eric Mckee, Decorum of The Minuet, Delirium of the Waltz: A Study of Dance–Music Relations in ¾ Time (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012), 148.

21 melodic line but also in the accompaniment. The posthumous e-minor waltz, for example, contains a staccato quarter note with a downward slur from the high point from the second beat to the third beat (example 1.7).

Example 1.7. Chopin, e-minor waltz, arch figuration in the left-hand accompaniment, mm. 9–11.

The arch design of melodic lines usually appears over an eight-measure phrase where the first four measures move in an upward direction while the second four move in a descending direction in general. Thus, the high point occurs at the end of the first four measures. For example, op. 64, no. 1, demonstrates the 4+4 arch phrasing in the first theme area (example 1.8).

Example 1.8. Op. 64, no. 1, arching phrase, mm. 29–36.

22 To be clear, the arch design is more often found in waltzes published during Chopin’s lifetime rather than in posthumous ones (except the e-minor waltz and op. 70, no. 3).49 Stepwise motion is one of the significant features of Chopin’s melodic design, but the musical expression varies according to tempo. For example, in the opening measures of op. 34, no. 2 there is a series of neighbor tones in the tenor part. The combination of a minor key, “lento” tempo marking, and stepwise motion creates a melancholy character. In contrast, the neighbor tones in the first theme of op. 42 with its “vivace” tempo create a swirling musical effect (example 1.9).

Example 1.9a. Op. 34, no. 2, stepwise motion in the tenor part, mm. 1–7.

Example 1.9b. Op. 42, stepwise motion in the alto part, mm. 9–13.

Chopin also paid close attention to his use of rhythm. In order to avoid the regular metric accent of a 3/4 meter, Chopin uses polyrhythms to blur the regular rhythmic pattern, sometimes creating hemiola effects. This feature is common in Chopin’s waltzes. Op. 42, for example, contains two voices in the right hand, a melodic line in the top voice, and accompaniment in the

49 Ibid., 153.

23 alto voice. The melody is really in duple meter (though the time signature is 3/4), while the left- hand accompaniment contradicts it with a triple-meter, um–pah–pah figuration (see example 1.9, op. 42).

In addition to the music itself, Chopin paid close attention to the dance steps, particularly those corresponding to the woman’s dance part. For example, twirling is an essential part of dancing the waltz. Chopin incorporated twirling into his waltzes by using longer note values on the second measure of each six-beat rotation.50 In the first theme area in op. 34, no. 1, for example, three quarter notes are followed by half notes in the third phrase. Here, Chopin uses a trill on the first beat of the quarter notes, and an appoggiatura on the half notes to indicate the preparation of a twirl in mm. 25–26 (example 1.10).

Example 1.10. Op. 34, no. 1, women twirl, mm. 25–26.

Another dance movement which is an essential part of the waltz was the “lift.” Chopin incorporated the “lift” often on the first beat of a measure and usually uses leaping grace notes.

50 Mckee, “Dance and Music of Chopin: The Waltz” In The Age of Chopin: Interdisciplinary Inquiries, 141.

24 For example, the e-minor waltz demonstrates leaping grace notes; as seen in m. 13, the leaping notes create dissonant sevenths on the first beat. Mckee further notes this occurs often on “the accented passing tone, what Marx would call an auxiliary note.”51

Conclusion

While evolving from amateur entertainment into the virtuosic concert waltz, the piano waltz underwent a dramatic transition during the nineteenth century. Schubert was the first composer dedicated to the development of the piano waltz. He composed a considerable number of waltzes for the instrument, and his efforts made the piano waltz one of the popular genres of the nineteenth century. Weber’s Aufforderung zum Tanz represented a key evolution of the piano waltz to concert program use. Its brilliant writing in sonority and technique and its large-scale design influenced later composers. Chopin absorbed Weber’s innovations. He further incorporated the dancing interaction in certain gender and transformed these details into the music. All of these composers established the style of the piano waltz, and it was through Liszt’s contributions that the genre finally reached full bloom in the nineteenth century.

51 Mckee, 144.

25 Chapter Two: Soirées de Vienne and Liszt’s Practices of Arrangement

Historical Background

Soirées de Vienne is a collection of arrangements of Schubert’s waltzes published in

1852–53. Their dating remains uncertain, as Liszt did not write it on the manuscript. However, several resources provide relevant information as to the compositional year. The biographer

Sacheverell Sitwell claims that Liszt frequently played selections from Soirées de Vienne when he travelled during his virtuoso years, 1839–47.52 The preface of the Budapest edition of the score also indicates, “According to the lists of works, these transcriptions were written between

1846 and 1852.”53 Waters claims that “Liszt conceived the exquisite Soirées de Vienne in 1846, perhaps sketched them in that year, and elaborated them later.”54

The first edition of Soirées de Vienne was published by Spina in Vienna: waltzes nos. 1–5 were printed in 1852, and nos. 6–9 followed in 1853. Liszt dedicated them to Simon Löwy, a

Viennese banker who was familiar with Liszt’s uncle-cousin Eduard, and also a person Liszt admired. Liszt and Löwy knew each other since 1838. It is believed that Löwy provided

Schubert’s biographical material to Liszt, and they started contacting frequently in 1851.55

However, their friendship had dissolved by 1857 because of Löwy’s public betrayal. Therefore,

52 Sacheverell Sitwell, Liszt (New York: Dover Publications, 1967), 132.

53 Franz Liszt, Freie Bearbeitungen Vol.X, ed. László Martos and Imre Sulyok (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2002), XI.

54 Edward. N. Waters, “Liszt’s Soirées De Vienne.” Library of Congress Quarterly Journal 6, no. 2 (1949): 14.

55 Gerhard J. Winkler, “Die Soirées de Vienne,” 74.

26 in the 1883 edition, published by August Cranz in Leipzig with the description “New Editions, edited by the Author,” Liszt changed the dedication to Princess Pauline Metternich.56

Liszt favored this collection, and usually included some of them in his repertoire. In a letter to Pauline Metternich dated December 12, 1875, Liszt indicated that he had played Soirées de Vienne in Paris and Vienna: “I hope that she will continue it in memory of the Backhändel

(Sans Bach ni Händel), who was happy to serve you in Paris and Vienna.” (“Wiener

Backhändel” was a nickname that Liszt gave to the Soirées de Vienne; another was “poulet frits”).57 After Soirées de Vienne was published, it soon became one of Liszt’s bestselling scores.58 It was also popular among Liszt’s contemporaries Anton Rubinstein and Ferruccio

Busoni, both of whom included selections from it in their repertoire. Additionally, Liszt performed the sixth waltz from Soirées in his last concert on July 19, 1886, only two weeks before his death.59

Liszt and Schubert: Other Arrangements from the 1830s

Schubert’s music greatly influenced Liszt. He began to transcribe Schubert’s songs for the piano in the 1830s and maintained this fascination throughout his life. Of his 150 song transcriptions, nearly sixty (over one-third) are transcriptions of Schubert songs. Die Rose,

56 Pauline Metternich was a friend of Liszt and Richard Wagner. She also helped the Parisian première of Wagner's opera Tannhäuser in 1861.

57 Liszt, XI.

58 Alan Walker, Franz Liszt: The Weimar Years, 1848-1861 (New York: Knopf/Random House, 1989), 232.

59 Malou Haine, “Franz Liszt feted in Belgium in 1881 by his Former Pupils Julius Zarebski, Johanna Wenzel, Anna Falk-Mehlig and Franz Servais,” in Liszt the Progressive, ed. Hans Kagebeck and Johan Lagerfelt (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2001), 50.

27 composed in 1835 and revised in 1838, was Liszt’s first Schubert song transcription. From 1838–

39, he also transcribed twelve Lieder and two song cycles by Schubert, Winterreise and

Schwanengesang.60 Liszt also based the third of his Apparitions from 1834 on Schubert’s waltz op. 9, no. 33, which he later reused in the fourth waltz of Soirées. In addition to transcribing

Schubert’s works, Liszt contemplated writing a biography of Schubert during his Weimar period; however, he never finished the project.61 In 1870, Liszt published his own edition of Schubert’s piano music, which Alan Walker has described as “a model of correct musicological practice.”62

Liszt’s respect for Schubert’s artistry is also found in his letter to Sigmund Lebert: “My responsibility with regard to Cotta’s edition of Weber and Schubert I hold to be: fully and carefully to retain the original text together with provisory suggestions of my way of rendering it, by means of distinguishing letters, notes and signs.”63

These Schubert transcriptions were a major part of Liszt’s repertoire throughout his virtuosic period and were popular among audiences. According to Thomas Kabisch, audiences repeatedly requested Liszt play his Schubert song transcriptions, such as “Erlkönig,” “Ave

Maria,” and “Ständchen,” despite his reluctance to do so.64 Liszt’s contemporary critics also praised the quality of his Schubert transcriptions. Joseph von Seyfried, critic of the Viennese magazine Der Sammler, explained after a Liszt concert in which he performed both the “Ave

60 Humphrey Searle, The Music of Liszt (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2012), 37.

61 Alan Walker, Reflections on Liszt (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005), 30.

62 Alan Walker, Franz Liszt: The Virtuoso Years, 1811–1847 (New York: Knopf/Random House, 1983), 318.

63 Janita R. Hall-Swadley, ed. and trans. The Collected Writings of Franz Liszt: Dramaturgical Leaves: Essays about Musical Works for the Stage and Queries about the Stage, Its Composers, and Performers, (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2011), 11.

64 Thomas Kabisch, Liszt und Schubert (Munich: E. Katzbichler, 1984). 73.

28 Maria” and the serenade, “One must listen to Liszt play Schubert to be able to appreciate his genius.”65 Jonathan Kregor has examined the popularity that Liszt arrangements had with musicians and the public. Pianists like Clara Wieck and Sigismond Thalberg included them in their programs.66 Furthermore, composer-pianists such as César Franck, Stephen Heller, and

Leopold Godowsky, regarded Liszt as a model for composing their own Schubert song transcriptions for piano solo.67 Liszt considered Schubert’s songs as sources containing dramatic potential upon which he could greatly elaborate; this led him to compose numerous transcriptions of Schubert’s Lieder during the 1830s.

Examination of Soirées de Vienne

Soirées de Vienne is an omnibus of selected Shubert’s waltzes in which Liszt adapted thirty-four of Schubert’s waltzes into nine new concert waltzes. All are derived from six of

Schubert’s dance collections: op. 9, 18, 33, 50, 67, and 77. As shown in Table 2.1, the ninth waltz from Soirées de Vienne uses only one Schubert waltz, while nos. 3 and 8 use seven different Schubert waltzes. Liszt borrows two Schubert waltzes for nos. 4 and 5 in Soirées; three waltzes for nos. 1, 6, and 7; and six waltzes for no. 2.

65 Kabisch, 69.

66 Jonathan Kregor, Liszt as Transcriber (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 76.

67 Kregor, 76.

29 Table 2.1. Number of Schubert waltzes used in Soirées de Vienne.

Number of Schubert Soirées de Vienne Waltzes Used One No. 9 Two No. 4, No. 5 Three No. 1, No. 6, No. 7 Six No. 2 Seven No. 3, No. 8

Liszt never uses any of Schubert’s waltzes more than once in this collection, and each of the Soirées has its own unique combination of Schubert’s waltzes. However, Liszt does not adopt waltzes from Schubert’s six waltz collections evenly, but rather shows certain preferences. As

Table 2.2 shows, the waltzes from Schubert’s op. 9 are incorporated into all of the Soirées except nos. 6, 7, and 8. Furthermore, Liszt shows a preference for combining waltzes from several of

Schubert’s collections, although three Soirées use only a single collection: Soirée no. 4 uses op.

9, no. 7 uses op. 33, and no. 9 also uses only op. 9.

Table 2.2. Schubert’s waltzes used in each Soirées de Vienne.

Soirées de Vienne Schubert’s waltz No. 1 Op. 9 no. 22 Op. 67 no. 14 Op. 33 no. 15 No. 2 Op. 9 no. 1, 6, 32 Op. 18 no. 3, 4, 5 No. 3 Op. 9 no. 20, 25 Op. 18 no. 1, 6, 9 Op. 33 no. 4 No. 4 Op. 9 no. 29, 33 No. 5 Op. 9 no. 14 Op. 77 no. 3 No. 6 Op. 50 no. 13 Op. 77 no. 9, 10 No. 7 Op. 33 no. 1, 7, 10 No. 8 Op. 33 no. 2, 5, 9, 13, 14 Op. 77 no. 2, 11 No. 9 Op. 9 no. 2

The formal structures in Soirées de Vienne present a potpourri of forms—ternary, repeated binary, rondo, quasi-rondo, variation, and two-part form—rather than consistent structures (Table 2.3).

Table 2.3. Formal structures in Soirées de Vienne.

Formal Structure Soirées de Vienne

Variation No. 9

Ternary form No. 8 A (abc) B (repeated defg) A’ (ab+coda using c) Repeated binary form Nos. 2, 4, 5

Rondo form No. 3

Quasi-rondo form No. 1 (ABABCB)

No. 6 (ABACB) (refrain does not return at the end)

Two-part form No. 7 (rondo with ternary)

Liszt, like Weber and Chopin, uses introductions and codas. A coda or codetta is found in every Soirée, but introductions are used only in nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, and 9. The repeated binary form features two types: the first utilizes only two themes, resulting in the small-scale structures found in Soirées nos. 4 and 5; the other is a large-scale structure with six waltzes found in Soirée no. 2

(Table 2.4).

Table 2.4. Large–scale structure in Soirée no. 2.

Theme I II III IV V III II VI I III IV V III II VI

Form A B A’ B

31 Both B sections retain the same contour while the A’ section omits waltz II, which had appeared in the initial A section. Combining several of Schubert’s waltzes into a single section is a common method that Liszt employs in the Soirées de Vienne to unite several waltz themes into a simple formal structure; he follows the same strategy in Soirées nos. 3 and 8.

The eighth of Liszt’s Soirées is a ternary (ABA) form containing a unique design among the composer’s arrangements, where the A section borrows three waltzes and the B section four.

In Bennett’s thesis, she proposes that Soirée no. 8 reflects a mirror form (ABBA).68 However, the four waltzes in the second B do not change their order; they only repeat the first B section.

With this in mind, ternary form is a more suitable label for Soirée no. 8 (Table 2.5).

Table 2.5. Ternary form in Soirée no. 8.

Theme I II III IV V VI VII IV V VI VII I II III

Form A B A

The rondo form found in Soirée no. 3 can be described as a five-part ABACA. However, the two episodes (B and C) contain four and two of Schubert’s waltzes, respectively, while the refrain (A) includes only one (Table 2.6).

Table 2.6. Rondo form in Soirée no. 3.

Theme I II III IV V I VI VII I

Form Intro A B A C A Coda

68 Rita J. Bennett, “A Study of Franz Liszt’s Soirées De Vienne” (Master’s Thesis, Bowling Green State University, 1982), 35.

32 Soirées nos. 1 and 6 provide examples of quasi-rondo form because the refrain does not come back at the end; instead, they introduce a second theme for the ending (Table 2.7).

Table 2.7. Quasi-rondo form in Soirées no. 1 and 6.

No. 1 Soirée Intro-A-B-A-B-Intro-C-Intro-B-Coda (using Intro)

No. 6 Soirée Intro-A-B-A-C-B-Coda

In addition to uncommon formal structures, Liszt includes other unique innovations in these two waltzes. For Soirée no. 1, the introduction functions not merely as an opening statement but also as linking material between the themes. Moreover, the first Soirée presents the only coda in this collection in which the introductory material is used to create a self-rounded formal structure. In other words, if we consider the introduction as one refrain within a quasi- rondo structure, the coda supplies the missing concluding refrain (Table 2.7). Soirée no. 6, however, has an extended C section that occupies almost half of its total measures. To be clear, as illustrated in Table 2.8, the source material for Soirée no. 6 consists of three Schubert waltzes: op. 77, nos. 9 and 10, and op. 50, no. 13. Op. 77, nos. 9 and 10 present almost the same contour in Liszt’s arrangement, but Liszt selects op. 50, no. 13 to expand his piece, building to the climax and creating a brilliant effect.

Table 2.8. Extended C section in Soirée no. 6.

Intro A B A C B Coda mm. 1–8 mm. 9–44 mm. 45–60 mm. 61–95 mm. 96–275 mm. 276–291 mm. 292–302

Op. 77, Op. 77, no. Op. 77, no. Op. 50, no. Op. 77, no. 10

no. 9 10 9 13

33 The two-part form is one of the particular designs in this waltz collection, and it is found in Soirée no. 7. In this piece, Liszt repeats three of Schubert’s themes, creating a large-scale binary form. Both A and A’ sections group four of Schubert’s waltzes into an arch form.

Meanwhile the returning second theme in the A’ section uses only the first part of Schubert’s waltzes (Table 2.9).

Table 2.9. Two-part form in Soirée no. 7.

Themes I II III II I II III II III (partial)

Form A A’ Coda

Most of Schubert’s thirty-four waltzes are in binary form except op. 9, no. 33, which has only one section. In most cases, Liszt duplicates Schubert’s design. However, some examples show Liszt opting either to lengthen or shorten certain sections. The first waltz in Soirée no. 1 reveals an example of extended length. In this piece, the original binary design in Schubert’s version (op. 9, no. 22) becomes a ternary form by repeating the first A section after the B section

(ABA). This occurs only in the first A but returns to the binary form in the second A section. On the contrary, Soirée no. 2 is an example of a shortened design. In addition to the first theme

(Schubert’s op. 9, no. 1), Liszt uses only the first section from five other Schubert waltzes. In other words, the second parts never appear in later repetitions.

In the Soirées de Vienne, Liszt maintains the original contour of Schubert’s waltzes the first time they appear, but varies them in later reappearances. Most of the time, Liszt favors adding new material to expand the length but not changing Schubert’s original setting. In

Example 2.1, Liszt expands the original Schubert waltz, op. 9, no. 29, in Soirée no. 4 by adding extra measures between the melodic lines. Liszt organizes the accompaniment with two-measure

34 phrases. Because the two-measure phrasing is longer than the one-measure thematic motive, the melodic line is broken up by the accompaniment.

Example 2.1. Soirée no. 4, mm. 134–37.

Using contrasting thematic materials is one of the idiomatic compositional techniques found in most of the Soirées, and these materials may range from two different themes to the grouping of opposing melodic sections. Soirée no. 8 offers a good example of Liszt’s use of contrasting affects in two melodic groups. The A section contains three Schubert waltzes; the B section involves four. The waltzes in the A section have a chordal texture while the waltzes in the B section have a lyrical yet lively character. Still, some exceptions are found in the Soirées.

For example, all the themes in Soirée no. 1 are consistently melancholic throughout the movement. No. 2 likewise presents the similarity within two Schubert’s waltzes; the first (op. 9, no. 1) and third themes (op. 9, no. 6) adopt almost the same contour (Example 2.2).

35 Example 2.2a. Soirée no. 2, First theme, mm. 1–8.

Example 2.2b. Soirée no. 2, Third theme, mm. 24–33.

Even within this collection, Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne demonstrate a great deal of variety in their treatment of Schubert’s waltzes. Most often, Liszt chooses a waltz in each Soirée to later reuse with variation. Example 2.3 shows excerpts from Soirée no. 4, which is based on two

Schubert waltzes. Liszt uses waltz A (Schubert’s op. 9, no. 29) to expand the formal structure with varied accompaniments. However, waltz B (Schubert’s op. 9, no. 33) retains Schubert’s original structure with only a key change.

36 Example 2.3a. Waltz A, no. 4 Soirées, mm. 17–21.

Example 2.3b. Waltz A with different treatment, no. 4 Soirées, mm. 134–37.

When Liszt uses more Schubert waltzes in his Soirées, his arrangement is more restrictively applied. For example, in Soirée no. 8, Liszt did not favor any particular waltz, instead using them all equally. Each waltz is presented twice, and the second appearance is similar to the first. An equal treatment of themes is also found in Soirée no. 2.

Although Liszt retains most of the original contour of Schubert’s waltzes, there are some exceptions. In example 2.4, the second waltz used in Soirée no. 4 is different from Schubert’s waltz: Schubert accented the last beat in each measure, creating a mazurka-like characteristic, but Liszt omits the accent. Moreover, the right hand chordal structure, with a traditional

Viennese waltz accompaniment (um-pa-pa), is also changed to a single-line melody placed in the alto voice with a single chord in the left hand and soprano.

37 Example 2.4a. Schubert, op. 9, no. 33, mm. 1–4.

Example 2.4b. Soirées de Vienne no. 4, 2nd waltz, mm. 66–69.

The third waltz in Soirée no. 8 gives another example. Liszt changes the accent from the second beat to the last and entirely omits Schubert’s accompaniment. Furthermore, Liszt divides the original right-hand melody between the two hands (Example 2.5).

Example 2.5a. Schubert, op. 77, no. 2, mm. 1–4.

38 Example 2.5b. Soirées de Vienne no. 8, third waltz, mm. 89–92.

While Liszt maintains the formal design of Schubert’s waltzes, he regularly changes the keys of the originals, with the exception of Soirées nos. 6 and 9. For example, two of Schubert’s waltzes are used in the fourth of the Soirées. The original keys of the two Schubert waltzes, op.

9, nos. 29 and 33, are D major and F major, but Liszt changes them to D-flat major and A major, respectively. The first theme (op. 9, no. 29) always remains in D-flat major while the second theme (op. 9, no. 33) modulates from A major to D-flat major at the very end (Table 2.10).

Table 2.10. Key changes in Soirée no. 4.

Schubert’s version Liszt’s version

Op. 9, no. 29 D major D-flat major

Op. 9, no. 33 F major A major à D-flat

major

In most of Liszt’s waltzes, the tonality is clearly established in the beginning. However, in some of his Soirées, Liszt uses unstable harmonies to postpone the arrival of the actual key.

For example, in the beginning of Soirée no. 4, D-flat major is finally confirmed only in m. 16, as shown in Example 2.6. Liszt uses seventh chords on the supertonic from m. 1 to m. 10, then a borrowed diminished-seventh chord on G major in m. 13, and a dominant-seventh chord on A- flat in the penultimate measure before he finally reaches a D-flat major chord in m. 16.

39 Example 2.6. Unstable tonality in Soirée no. 4, mm 1–16.

Median and enharmonic key relationships are also found in Soirées de Vienne. In

Example 2.7, an excerpt from Soirée no. 6, the accompaniment triads in the left hand follow a harmonic progression from an A-major triad (m. 241) to an F-major triad (m. 245) to a D-flat- major triad (m. 249) before switching enharmonically to an A-major triad. The A-major tonality is finally confirmed in m. 255.

Example 2.7. Harmonic progression in Soirée no. 6, mm. 241–55.

40 Liszt applies enharmonic changes frequently in this waltz collection, especially in Soirée no. 5. He uses this technique to modulate more smoothly from one key to another. Highlighted by a red box in Example 2.8, a G-flat octave enharmonically becomes an F-sharp octave, in turn becoming the dominant in the key of B major. This resolution to B major occurs in the next measure.

Example 2.8. Enharmonic changes in Soirée no. 5, mm. 93–97.

Chromaticism, frequent augmented triads, and diminished sevenths are principal characteristics of Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne. In general, chromatic passages often appear in transitions or cadenza-like passages, as shown in Example 2.9. Here, the introduction involves chromatic passages and numerous accidentals, thus creating an ambiguous sense of key.

Example 2.9. Chromatic passage in Soirée no. 9, m. 7.

Parallel harmonic progressions are also found in some Soirées. It is used extensively in the coda of Soirée no. 1 where the successive tenth chords (fifth+sixth or sixth+fifth) in the right hand respond to the bass’s hesitant melody in octaves (Example 2.10).

41 Example 2.10. Successive tenth chords in Soirée no. 1, mm. 225–30.

According to Jim Samson, the virtuosity of Liszt’s style is multifaceted, incorporating elements of form, texture, sonority, and technical difficulty.69 In his textures, Liszt often adds layers to expand Schubert’s original waltz, resulting in a contrapuntal setting. Soirée no. 5, for example, features almost entirely a multi-voiced texture. Here, Liszt uses Schubert’s op. 9, no.

14 and op. 77, no. 33 for two themes. Op. 9, no. 14 is a three-voice texture in Schubert’s version, which Liszt increases to four voices by adding an extra layer in the tenor to enrich the accompaniment (Example 2.11).

Example 2.11a. Schubert’s op. 9, no. 14, mm. 1–4

69 Jim Samson, Virtuosity and the Musical Work: The Transcendental Studies of Liszt (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 4.

42 Example 2.11b. First theme, Soirées no.5, mm. 1–4

In addition to adding contrapuntal layers to the theme, Liszt also adds notes to enrich the sonority, making the texture denser than in Schubert’s original waltz. In Example 2.12, from

Soirée no. 4, the right-hand melody of the second waltz, Schubert’s op. 9, no. 33, is expanded to an octave, chordal texture. The original left-hand accompaniment, based on traditional Viennese waltz accompaniment (um-pa-pa), is changed to a chordal accompaniment figure.

Example 2.12a. Second waltz from Soirée no. 4, mm. 100–3.

Example 2.12b. Schubert’s op. 9, no. 33, mm. 1–4

Liszt not only enriches the sonority but also changes the timbre. The waltz theme is usually placed in the right hand in Schubert’s waltzes, but Liszt occasionally relocates the

43 melody to the left hand, as in nos. 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9. In Example 2.13, the original theme is moved to the left hand in the beginning of the fifth variation in Soirée no. 9.

Example 2.13. Soirée no. 9, var. 5, left-hand melody, mm. 100–4.

In some cases, Liszt changes the timbre and expands sonority within a single Schubert waltz. For example, the first theme of Soirée no. 5, derived from Schubert’s op. 9, no. 14, was originally placed by Schubert in the right hand, but Liszt switches the melody to the tenor part with an eighth-note accompaniment in the bass while the right hand plays several arpeggios. The arpeggios add extra sound to the higher register, balancing the heavy left-hand sonority

(Example 2.14).

Example 2.14. Melody in the middle voice in Soirée no. 5, mm. 73–76.

Schubert wrote his waltzes for the purpose of dancing. Although he did not indicate tempos in his dance collections, these waltzes should be played in a danceable tempo. However,

Liszt favored faster tempos in the Soirées, ranging from Andante con sentimento in no. 9 to

Allegro vivace in no. 3 Most of the waltzes are Allegro and Allegretto, as in nos. 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8,

44 while no. 4 is Andantino a capriccio and no. 5 is Moderato cantabile con affetto. In addition to setting a generally undanceble tempo, the last waltz section and coda of Soirée no. 3 even use

Vivace, Presto, and Prestissimo.

Although Liszt did not intend to compose this waltz collection as virtuosic music, there are still examples of virtuosic passages in Soirées de Vienne, including dense sonorities and melodic shifts from high to low registers. Furthermore, octaves are found in almost every waltz, especially in the final moments of Soirée no. 8, which consists of chordal octaves only (Example

2.15).

Example 2.15. Chordal octaves in Soirée no. 8, mm. 445–49.

Liszt also favors chromatic chords in some of the waltzes, as in nos. 2, 3, 6, and 9. Parallel thirds or octaves are also commonly used, including in Soirées, nos. 3, 4, 5, and 8. Liszt frequently adds elaborate designs to embellish the original Schubert waltzes for bravura effect. For example, in the second A section of Soirée no. 4, Liszt expands what was originally a simple accompaniment to a chordal texture and octaves; he further heightens the drive to the climax with a fortissimo, agitated left-hand pendular motion (Example 2.16).

45 Example 2.16. Left-hand pendular motion, Soirée no. 4, mm. 198–201.

Soirée no. 8 provides another example of Liszt’s brilliant effects. The second theme, from

Schubert’s op. 77, no. 11, repeats with the left hand in ascending octaves as a countersubject to the right-hand melody (Example 2.17).

Example 2.17. Second theme with left hand ascending octaves, Soirée no. 8, mm. 57–61.

Conclusion

Liszt’s arrangement of Soirées de Vienne is multifaceted. In addition to faithfully maintaining the schema and style of Schubert’s waltzes, Liszt inserts several of his own innovations, including an expanded formal structure, decorated melodic lines, and his personal language of harmony and tonality. While the Soirées have many challenging passages, virtuosity is not the primary characteristic that Liszt intended to cultivate in this waltz collection. Still, he carefully adds elements of expanded sonority, contrasting dynamics, fast tempos, and of course, pianist techniques. Within the early Weimar waltzes, the style of Soirées de Vienne is an initial representation that allows Liszt to establish a fundamental level from which the later Trois

Caprices-Valses will explore even greater freedoms.

46 Chapter Three: Trois Caprices-Valses, S214

Historical Background

Trois Caprices-Valses was published in 1852. The first waltz, Valse de Bravoure, is a revision of Grande Valse di Bravura, published in 1836. According to an incomplete draft of music found at the end of an autograph dated 1834–35, Liszt probably began to compose this piece in 1835 in Paris, and premiered it in his friend Pierre Érard’s salon on May 29, 1836, in

Paris. This waltz was Liszt’s first large-scale composition in the dance genre, and was the only waltz to appear often in Liszt’s concert programs over the following fifteen years, in particular during the German concert tour of 1840–44. Liszt played this piece as an encore in an 1840 concert and included it in programs in 1842 and 1844.70

Liszt provided his Grande Valse di Bravura with another title, Valse mariotique. This nickname suggests a dedication to his mistress, Marie d’Agoult. D’Agoult’s fondness for this piece may be the reason Liszt hinted at her name within the title. Furthermore, Liszt regarded this waltz as a valuable work, republishing it in 1852 as Valse de Bravoure. In a letter from

Geneva to Ferdinand Hiller, Liszt mentioned that he had composed this waltz for “the demands of his career as a performer and not for the restricted circle of the cognoscenti.”71

Moreover, Grande Valse di Bravura was the only work by Liszt that Chopin may have learned.72 A concert program dated April 9, 1837, indicated that Chopin and Liszt were to have

70 Michael Saffle, Liszt in Germany, 1840–1845: A Study in Sources, Documents, and The History of Reception (Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1994), 96.

71 Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage. deuxième année, Italie (Frühfassungen); und andere Werke, ed. Kaczmarczyk Adrienne (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2010), IV.

72 Liszt and Chopin planned to play a version for four hands of Valse di Bravura in a concert on April 9, 1837. However, the performance did not happen due to Chopin’s illness.

47 played the four-hand version of Grande Valse di Bravura in Érard’s Paris salon, but because of

Chopin’s illness, the two composers did not play at this concert. Liszt indicated two dedicatees for his waltz: Camilla Ludlow’s name appeared in the Wessel & Co. London edition, while that of Pierre Wolff, a former pupil and friend who helped Liszt and Marie d’Agoult settle in Geneva, was included in other editions.

The second of the Trois Caprices-Valses, Valse Mélancolique, can be traced back to the autograph album leaf containing twenty-six measures written on April 14, 1838, and had a story related to Clara Wieck. The preface of Budapest edition (2010) indicated that Clara, who had just finished six concerts in Vienna in March 1838, had remained in the city, waiting to attend Liszt’s concert the following month.73 They both admired each other’s talent, according to their letters.

Clara, on April 12, 1838, wrote, “We heard Liszt, incomparable, unique…. His appearance at the piano is indescribable.” Liszt wrote a letter to Marie d’Agoult talking about Clara’s playing on

April 13, 1838: “Totally absorbed in her art, but nobly, without any childishness…Her compositions are really remarkable, particularly for a woman…She played the Frequenti palpiti here with unbelievable success.”74 The day after Liszt wrote his letter to Marie d’Agoult, he composed the waltz. Later, Liszt quoted measures 1–8 from this 1838 version in his Valse mélancolique.

Liszt later reworked and published this waltz in 1840–41, probably around the time of his third English tour, and it became his second large-scale waltz. Like Valse de Bravoure, this composition had a final version published in 1852. Liszt first performed Valse mélancolique

73 Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage. deuxième année, Italie (Frühfassungen); und andere Werke, ed. Kaczmarczyk Adrienne (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2010), XXXVIII.

74 Jonathan Kregor, Liszt as Transcriber, 81.

48 during his stay in Brussels in February 1841. The last time Liszt played it was on January 2,

1886, the same year he performed the sixth waltz from Soirées. 75

The third waltz in this collection, Valse de Concert sur Deux Motifs de Lucia e Parisina de Gaetano Donizetti, was published in its first version in 1842 with the title Valse a Capriccio.

Liszt adapted two themes from operas by Gaetano Donizetti. The Lucia theme occurs in act I, scene 3 of Lucia di Lammermoor while the second was from act II of Parisina. This is the only waltz that is an opera transcription, and it contains the most demanding technique of all the waltzes from the early 1850s.76

Examination of Trois Caprices-Valses

Liszt’s innovations in this collection include aspects of form, harmony and tonality, and virtuosity. For the formal structure, his goal was not to create a unique type of formal structure but to add variations on it. Among the three waltzes, Valse de Bravoure is the grandest. Ben

Arnold mentions that this waltz has elements related to sonata-allegro form: an exposition, an abbreviated development, and a recapitulation.77 To be more specific, the four themes in Valse de Bravoure are divided into two groups: the first two waltzes belong to the first theme area, and the third and fourth waltzes are part of the second theme area. However, the first theme is absent in the development section, which contains only the second theme. The recapitulation is

75 Franz Liszt, Années de pèlerinage. deuxième année, Italie (Frühfassungen); und andere Werke, XXXIX.

76 David Wilde, “Transcriptions for Piano,” in Franz Liszt: The Man and His Music, ed. Alan Walker (City, State: Publisher, Date). In the operatic transcriptions, more than in any others, Liszt explores aspects of piano technique that were then new yet are still challenging. This part of his output provided him with a piano workshop, important for the growth of his ideas such as the Transcendental Etudes.

77 Ben Arnold, “Piano Music: 1835–1861,” in The Liszt Companion, ed. Ben Arnold (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), 129.

49 shortened because the first theme appears only once after Liszt had presented it twice in the exposition. In addition to the unusual formal construction in the main sections, this waltz also presents a distinctive “unbalanced design” in the outer parts: a brief four-measure introduction and a long coda of eighty measures. The introduction further functions as both a connection leading to a waltz theme and as an accompaniment to the waltz. The coda, however, is the most brilliant part within Valse de Bravoure. It not only contains the first two themes and the introductory motives, but it also uses time signature changes. Here, Liszt changes from 3/4 to 2/4 with a Presto tempo marking. The basic triple dance rhythm is therefore replaced by duple meter

(or one beat per measure), creating stretto and virtuosic features.

In contrast to the quasi sonata-allegro form in Valse de Bravoure, Valse mélancolique is a ternary form (ABA) with an introduction and a coda. The uniqueness of its formal structure arises from Liszt’s expansion of the large-scale ternary form through an unusually long B section and a long introduction. Moreover, the introduction reappears at the end of the piece, making the waltz a self-rounded structure. Liszt expands the second theme area by repeating the second waltz several times and adding a cadenza. Additionally, the most significant part involves elements from the first waltz in the più mosso part, in which Liszt adapts only two measures from the first theme, bringing the music to its climax (Example 3.1).

50 Example 3.1. Elements from the first theme in the second thematic area, Valse Mélancolique, mm. 123–30.

The Valse de Concert sur Deux Motifs de Lucia e Parisina de Gaetano Donizetti features a repeated binary form (ABAB) with an introduction and a coda. The notable aspect in this waltz’s formal structure is its transitions, which are grander than in the previous two waltzes. For example, the two waltz themes are both preceded by a large transitional part that even includes a return of the first theme. The introduction, particularly, is further interlaced within the first theme area. The codas in the Valse de Bravoure and the Valse mélancolique use, respectively, either all the themes impartially or introductory material only. However, the coda in the Valse de Concert is based entirely on the first and second themes.

Liszt, like Schubert, treats tonality and harmony in a free manner. One of the common features in this collection is the use of ambiguous tonality. The keys of the three waltzes are B- flat major, E major, and A major, respectively, but the original key is not confirmed at the beginning. In Valse de Bravoure, for example, the G-flats and E-naturals are not related to B-flat

51 major, and B-flat tonic chords are even absent throughout the introduction (Example 3.2).

Example 3.2. Unrelated notes (G-flat and E-natural) of B-flat major, Valse de Bravoure,

mm.1–4.

Another treatment blurring tonality involves the use of a series of borrowed broken chords

(arpeggios). This technique is found in the introduction of Valse mélancolique, where the E- major tonic is not confirmed until the first measure of the first theme. Valse de Concert presents another example of ambiguous tonality as the introduction features numerous accidentals to obscure the A-major tonal center. The only chord present that relates to A major is its dominant.

After appearing several times and helping to stabilize and build anticipation for the tonic, the dominant chord at the end of the introduction finally leads into the first theme in A major (V to

I). Compared to Soirées de Vienne, Liszt applied more freedom with the tonality and harmonic exploration in Trois Caprices-Valses. Frequent modulations, mediant and enharmonic key relationships, chromaticism, and frequent augmented triads and diminished sevenths are more often used in this collection than in Soirées.

In addition to the unstable tonality in the introduction, the key changes in the main sections are related by mediant key relationships. For example, Valse de Concert begins in A major, abruptly modulates to F-sharp major and D-flat major in the second-theme area, and returns to A major with the return of the first theme. Modulations by mediant key relationships

52 are also found in Valse de Bravoure where B-flat major changes to D-sharp minor in the second theme and then back to B-flat major while returning to the first theme.

Modulation incorporating enharmonic relationships is another characteristic of Liszt’s innovation. For example, the B-flat ending the first theme switches to A# in the first measure of the second theme, and the F# ending the second theme becomes G♭in the introduction

(Examples 3.3a and 3.3b).

Example 3.3a. Enharmonic changes, Valse de Bravoure, mm.21–24.

Example 3.3b. Enharmonic changes at the end of second thematic area, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 41–42.

Another example of enharmonic relationships appears in Valse de Concert, where in mm. 290–

91 the D-flat-major triad acts as a pivot chord, switching to a C-sharp note in the following measure and easing the return of the A-major tonality (Example 3.4).

53 Example 3.4. Enharmonic changes in Valse de Concert, mm. 290–91.

Frequent key changes are found especially in the Valse de Bravoure and Valse de

Concert while Valse Mélancolique uses only E major. However, Liszt does not abandon his innovations in key relationships in Valse Mélancolique; he instead uses consistently unstable harmony, borrowed chords, and accidentals blurring the original E-major tonality throughout the entire waltz. For example, in the second theme area, from mm. 177–86, Liszt uses an E-major tonic chord, D-minor tonic chord, C-major dominant-seventh chord and tonic chord, D-flat major tonic, a dominant-seventh chord in G major, and a diminished-seventh of vii chord within the key of E minor (Example 3.5).

Example 3.5. Unstable harmony in Valse Mélancolique, mm. 177–86.

54 Chromaticism is another idiomatic compositional technique used frequently throughout these waltzes. In general, the chromatic passages often appear in transitions or cadenza-like passages, especially in Valse de Concert. However, Liszt also applies chromaticism in the themes as well. For example, the third theme in Valse de Bravoure contains a chromatic and arching melody (Example 3.6).

Example 3.6. Chromaticism within a melody, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 75–77.

For the harmony, Liszt frequently uses borrowed augmented and diminished chords as means of creating unstable tonality. Moreover, the augmented triads and diminished-seventh chords also function either as harmonic support or as part of the thematic material. For example, the series of diminished chords at the end of the first theme of the Valse de Bravoure function as part of the thematic material (Example 3.7).

Example 3.7. Diminished chords as thematic material in Valse de Bravoure, mm. 19–21.

Another example occurs in Valse Mélancolique where Liszt expands the theme by involving the diminished chords as part of the melody (Example 3.8).

55 Example 3.8. Diminished chords in the melody, Valse Mélancolique, mm. 123–26.

Another function of diminished chords is to create an agitated atmosphere helping the music progress to its climax, and these are found particularly in no. 1 from the collection. For example, before the climax, Liszt uses diminished triads as the harmonic support. Furthermore, the roots of the last six diminished chords (C♭, B#, C#, D, D#, E, and E# ) ascend chromatically

(Example 3.9).

Example 3.9. Agitated atmosphere using diminished chords, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 209–19.

The nineteenth century was a period in which the concept of virtuosity was influenced by many social spheres, including literature, politics, and even the vogue of ethic.78 Liszt, the

78 Dana Gooley, The Virtuoso Liszt (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 1.

56 representative virtuoso, continuously assimilated these non-musical elements into his music and performances. Samson describes the reasons for the rise of the virtuoso generation in piano music.79 First of all, the piano instrument in the nineteenth century underwent technical improvement, culminating in the double escapement action devised by Érard in 1822. This progress enabled the piano to produce a wider dynamic range and become a vehicle for greater musical expression. Second, the virtuoso contests that had already existed before the Romantic period reached their peak in the nineteenth century. Handel and Domenico Scarlatti had competed in Rome in the Baroque period, Mozart dueled with Clementi in the Viennese court in the Classic period, Paganini and Lafont went head to head in Milan, and Liszt and Thalberg held a famous competition in Paris. The celebrity of the “pianist-composer” figure encouraged interest in virtuoso contests in which performers showcased the new generation of pianos by presenting different technical challenges. Liszt once mentioned in a letter to Simon Löwy that he had always considered the public to be “the born judge of a pianist.”80 From this statement we can see the close relationship between the audience and performer. Additionally, audience admiration for the performer, along with more and bigger public spaces, further stimulated the virtuosic current.81

Liszt presented virtuosity in music through a combination of acoustic effect, body language, and technical challenges. Gooley points out, “Liszt’s playing drew on the metaphor of the orchestra,” and he further indicates that the inspiration the composer derived from orchestral sound, with its varied character and dynamic levels, served to “multiply timbres, stratify

79 Samson, 71–72.

80 Franz Liszt, Letters of Franz Liszt: From Paris to Rome. Years of travel as virtuoso. Trans. Constance Bache, ed. by La Mara (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1894), 55.

81 Samson, 72.

57 registers, [and] differentiate dynamics.” 82 Tempo rubato and notation for expression are also devices utilizing pianistic technique. Among waltzes of the 1850s, virtuosity culminates in the

Trois Caprices-Valses.

In this collection, Liszt also makes use of multi-voice textures. For example, the second theme of Valse de Bravoure uses a four-voice texture, a melody in the top voice supported by three accompanying voices (Example 3.10).

Example 3.10. Second theme with three accompanying voices in Valse de Bravoure, mm 23–25.

The melodic aspect is another feature related to virtuosity. The melody not only functions as musical expression but also features a countermelody supported the melodic line. For example, the duet occurs in the first theme in Valse Mélancolique where the countermelody in the left hand placed tenth below the right-hand melody (Example 3.11).

Example 3.11. Left hand countermelody in Valse Mélancolique, mm 41–44.

82 Gooley, 35.

58 Other features include separate melodies and combined melodies. Liszt sometimes places the melody in the left hand or employs both hands in turn. For example, the original fourth theme in Valse de Bravoure places the melody in the right hand before switching to the left in the development section. Furthermore, the third theme in Valse de Bravoure is broken up into both hands in the recapitulation (Example 3.12a and 3.12b).

Example 3.12a. Left-hand melody in Valse de Bravoure, mm 198–201.

Example 3.12b. Separated third theme in Valse de Bravoure, mm 378–86.

In addition to placing the melody in different registers, combining melodies is a particular compositional technique found in these waltzes, especially in the codas. For example, the right hand plays the first theme while the left hand plays the second theme simultaneously in Valse de

Concert (Example 3.13).

59 Example 3.13. First and second themes combined in the coda in Valse de Concert, mm 439–42.

A common method to express virtuosity in Liszt music involves the sudden alternation of bravura and lyrical passages. The surprising emotional change interrupts the melodic line and creates the drastic contrast for the audience. Gooley describes his thoughts on the shifting moods: “This characteristic of his playing can only make the artist more worthy still, for it allows the listener moments of peace amid the excited race of tones. … Such intermediate sections are like sunshine after a lightning storm.”83 Unexpected mood changes also occur within this set. For example, in the expanded second theme area of Valse Mélancolique, the sorrowful second theme is interrupted by a light and skillful cadenza, providing a break from the preceding melancholic mood. This respite does not last long; at the end of the cadenza, the introductory material reappears and brings with it a return to the somber atmosphere (Example 3.14).

83 Gooley, 240.

60 Example 3.14. The return of the introduction, Valse Mélancholique (blue bracket).

An essential element in his compositional practice, Liszt’s expressive markings deliver his thoughts on interpretation. Moreover, they also emphasize the varied, virtuosic aspects of his musical expression. The jaunty third theme in Valse de Bravoure transforms into a question-and- answer style in its later reappearance, and the dialogue also involves contrasting character within the melodic line. The beginning four measures of melody feature staccato articulation with a dolce marking in contrast to the accented, chromatic marcato forte indication in the next four measures (Example 3.15).

Example 3.15. Valse de Bravoure, contrasting character within the melody, mm. 378–86.

61 The dense sonorities and textures contribute to the technical challenges of the waltzes in

Trois Caprices-Valses. Comparing these waltzes reveals that Liszt employs greater variety of texture and sonority in Trois Caprices-Valses than in Soirées de Vienne, whose lighter character emphasizes beauty, elegance, and an intimate style reminiscent of the traditional Viennese waltz.

Thick chordal textures seldom appear in the latter collection, and the range of textures is narrower. As mentioned above, the orchestral quality is a key to understanding Liszt’s diversity of sound. Multiple layers are a major characteristic of this set, such as in the first theme of the second A section of Valse de Concert. Here Liszt maintains a single melodic line and adds two staccato accompaniment layers at the beginning. The texture expands later because the melody is doubled in octaves (Example 3.16a and 3.16b).

Example 3.16a. Single melodic line with staccato accompaniment, Valse de Concert, mm. 365– 68.

Example 3.16b. Melody in octaves with staccato accompaniments, Valse de Concert, 373–76.

62 Another way of adding layers is to involve a countermelody. The original simple introductory material at the beginning of Valse de Concert, for example, reappears before the coda, now with an accompaniment and an additional voice part (Example 3.17).

Example 3.17. Counter voice, Valse de Concert, mm.400–3.

Besides his use of multiple layers, Liszt further experiments with sonority by exploiting the piano’s uppermost registers. In the return of the first theme in Valse de Concert, the right- hand melody floats in a higher octave while the left-hand constantly shifts registers from C2 to

C5 (Example 3.18).

Example 3.18. Shifting registers, Valse de Concert, mm.338–41.

Liszt also uses broad registeral technique in his cadenza passages. The cadenza in Valse de

Concert, for example, ranges from D#7 to D3 (Example 3.19).

63 Example 3.19. Wide register, Valse de Concert, m. 190.

In addition to his use of the upper register, Liszt often incorporates different dynamic levels and timbres into his expanded sonority. This dramatic effect is one of the reasons why audiences were enraptured by Liszt’s performances. Within this set, Liszt uses contrasting dynamics, sudden crescendo, and abrupt accents to create tension. Measures 286–90 in Valse de

Concert offer a good example of the dramatic effect created by using contrasting dynamics. The two hands play in octaves in contrary motion, followed by ascending arpeggios and ending with a D♭chord. Moreover, the dynamic surges violently within four measures, as Liszt marks a crescendo, fortissimo, and a sforzando on the last chord. A fermata holds the tension, which is resolved in the next measure by the introductory melody and a piano dynamic (Example 3.20).

Example 3.20. Dramatic effect, Valse de Concert, mm. 288–93.

64 This kind of dramatic effect is not exclusive to waltzes with a fast tempo (Valse de

Bravoure and Valse de Concert). It also appears at a slower tempo and with a melancholic characteristic in Valse Mélancolique. Compared to Valse de Bravoure and Valse de Concert,

Liszt treats it in a less intense way by using a narrower dynamic range. Instead of forte, Liszt articulates the G6 with a stinging rinforzando before declining to pianissimo (Example 3.21).

Example 3.21. Valse Mélancolique, the dramatic effect in dynamic, mm.111–14.

The pedal marking is another way to generate different timbres. In Valse de Concert, for example, the dolce con grazia at the beginning of the first theme carries an una corda pedal marking while the transition before the second theme is marked energico, forte, and tre corda.

Both pedal markings contribute to the contrasting timbre and musical expression.

Pianistic technique is the core of virtuosity, and often incorporates aspects of sonority and orchestral color. Liszt as a piano virtuoso often surprised his audiences with bravura technical challenges. One statement by Liszt’s student Richard Pohl describes Liszt’s talents: “Virtuosity

… was at best a transitional phase … Liszt is one of the most significant artistic figures of the present...he is the most outstanding piano virtuoso of our age.”84

Technical challenges are the most important component of Trois Caprices-Valses, and these kinds of pianistic techniques are also frequently used in the Transcendental Etudes. Of the

84 James Deaville, “The Making of a Myth: Liszt, the Press, and Virtuosity,” in New Light on Liszt and His Music: Essay in Honor of Alan Walker’s 65th Birthday, ed. Michael Saffle and James Deaville (Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1997), 192.

65 three waltzes, challenging techniques are found mostly in Valse de Bravoure and Valse de

Concert. Liszt reduces the technical difficulty in Valse Mélancolique because of the melancholic character and moderate tempo (Andantino), but he still preserves some virtuosic technique, such as the octaves with large left-hand leaps in the climax and the parallel fourths in the cadenza followed by descending chromatic broken chords in both hands (Example 3.22). Furthermore, having the two hands play octaves or chordal textures in opposite directions is one of the brilliant techniques commonly found in the other two waltzes.

Example 3.22a. Valse Mélancolique, Large leaps in the left hand, mm. 147–50.

Example 3.22b. Valse Mélancolique, Parallel fourths and descending chromatic broken chords, m.168.

66 Another technique in Trois Caprices-Valses is the ascending arpeggios as an accompaniment in the right hand while the left hand plays a modified melody with technical challenges, including the successive octave as in Example 3.23a and big jumps as in 3.23b.

Example 3.23a. Ascending arpeggios accompaniment in Valse de Bravoure, mm. 448–51.

Example 3. 23b. Ascending arpeggios accompaniment in Valse de Concert, mm. 274–76.

Chromatic parallels in thirds, sixths, and octaves are regularly found in Valse de Bravoure and

Valse de Concert, in particular, employs chromatic parallels either as part of the thematic material or as a transitional passage (Example 3.24).

Example 3.24. Chromatic parallel octaves in Valse de Concert, mm. 252–56.

67 The Coda is the place where Liszt introduces his most demanding piano techniques. In

Valse de Bravoure and Valse de Concert, Liszt increases the tempo to Presto and Vivace, respectively. He even changes the triple meter to 2/4 at the beginning of the coda in Valse de

Bravoure, creating a more rapid rhythmic pace. Both codas feature chordal textures with constantly shifting registers in both hands, octaves, and parallels. In the final moment of Valse de

Concert, Liszt changes the time signature to 2/4 with ascending chords and octaves, producing the final bravura gesture of this set (Example 3.25).

Example 3.25. 2/4 time signature with chords and octaves, Valse de Concert, mm. 476–81.

Conclusion

Trois Caprices-Valses contains two types of waltzes: Liszt’s original compositions and an opera transcription. In this collection, Liszt explores grander formal structures, greater expressivity through the use of abundant terminology and drastic dynamic contrasts, expanded sonority, and demanding technique. Among these three waltzes, Valse de Bravoure and Valse de

Concert are splendid works composed during Liszt’s virtuoso years while Valse Mélancolique presents a sentimental yet graceful character. In sum, Liszt had set aside the intimate nature that characterizes Soirées de Vienne. By turning to heavier textures and brilliant effects, he made this waltz collection more like a concert work.

68 Chapter Four: Valse-Impromptu and Liszt’s Revision Processes

Historical Background of Valse-Impromptu

The Valse-Impromptu, like other waltzes by Liszt published around 1850, exists in an earlier version. This previous incarnation, named Petite valse favorite, was published in 1843 by the Schuberth firm. The earliest fragment contains only the main theme (mm. 7–15) and is found in an album leaf dated March 28, 1840. The first full version of Petite valse favorite appears in

Alexandra Feodorovna’s album with an introduction, expanded main section, and a recapitulation. It was finished in the spring of 1842 during Liszt’s first journey to Russia. While in Russia, Liszt earned a positive reputation for his performances, and Tsar Nicholas I invited him to their summer residence, Tsarskoye Selo, before the virtuoso left Russia. This waltz was written at that time.85

According to the preface of the Budapest edition, Alexandra Feodorovna’s album was not the only resource containing Petite valse favorite. Fragments of this piece were also found in other albums, including an album leaf written in Frankfurt am Main dated on November 11,

1842, and March 16, 1844, and an album leaf dated November 22, 1847. There is another version of Petite valse favorite that Liszt dedicated to Countess Marie Moukhanoff–Kalergis during his second Russian tour in June 1843 in St. Petersburg. Countess Kalergis, a former student of Chopin and admirer of Liszt, was a talented pianist. In this version, Liszt expanded the structure by adding a cadenza and a coda; he also expanded the introduction and the second theme area. Moreover, Kalergis’s version demands more pianistic technique than the original

85 Franz Liszt, Valse-Impromptu: Petite valse favorite, ed. Imre Sulyok, Imre Mezö, and Adrienne Kaczmarczyk (Budapest: Editio Musica, 2015), 8.

69 version. It was not until 1888, when the owner, Siegmund Karpeles, brought it to the Liszt archive in Weimar, that Kalergis’s version finally became known to the public.86

Valse-impromptu was based on Kalergis’s version. In an April 1, 1844 letter to August von Koscielski, Liszt asked Marie Kalergis to send the composer a copy of the 1843 version of the waltz. Valse-impromptu was published in 1853 by Schuberth with a formal structure more expanded than in Kalergis’s version. Liszt performed this waltz during his concert tour to St.

Petersburg in 1842.87 During his Weimar period, after Liszt had ended his concert tour, this waltz appeared in his students’ programs instead, including Hans von Bülow.

Examination of Valse-Impromptu

Valse-Impromptu features a repeated binary form (ABAB) with an introduction and a coda. The second A section has the same length as the first because Liszt simply repeated it without adding new material. The second B, however, is longer than the first because Liszt includes climactic passages and sections with partial first- and second-theme alternation.

The introduction reflects a unique design among Liszt’s early Weimar waltzes. First, its key differs from that in the main section. The introduction is in C major, but Liszt blurs the tonality, especially in the cadenza section, consisting of a series of descending, broken diminished-seventh chords (Example 4.1).

86 Franz Liszt, Valse-Impromptu: Petite valse favorite, 9.

87 Ben Arnold, “Piano Music: 1835–1861,” in The Liszt Companion, ed. Ben Arnold (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), 129.

70 Example 4.1. Diminished-seventh broken chords in the cadenza, Valse-Impromptu, m. 8.

Second, the tempo, Vivace Scherzando, begins with the main theme. Like Soirée no. 9, Liszt does not indicate the tempo marking in the introduction. According to Lina Ramann, Liszt once told a student that the introduction should be played Andante espressivo.88 In addition to the diminished-seventh sonority, Liszt manipulates the enharmonic changes in the key relationship and modulation. For example, the original key of A♭ major modulates to G# minor in the climax (mm. 238–45) before returning to A♭ major (m. 246). Moreover, the A# octave enharmonically changes to a G♭octave in the next measure (Example 4.2).

Example 4.2. Enharmonic changes, Valse-Impromptu, mm. 245–46.

In addition to the use of modulation, Liszt uses motives to connect sections together. For instance, the triplet motive is a key means of linking the piece, and Liszt uses it often in the introduction, the first theme area, and the coda.

88 Lina Ramann, “Liszt Pädagogium-Valse-Impromptu,” Journal of the American Liszt Society 51 (Spring, 2002): 82.

71 Ramann writes, “The piece was not related to the Master’s great bravura compositions.

However, it can be classified together with other showpieces in waltz-tempo.”89 From the technical and expressive points of view, this waltz does not present an impact as intense as the

Trois caprices-valses. However, some virtuosic traces are still preserved in the Valse-Impromptu.

Regarding the dynamic aspects, the whole waltz maintains a piano volume except for the occasional rinforzando and crescendo. Still, Liszt keeps a dramatic effect, and it is found before and within the climactic section. These two sections are the only places having forte and fortissimo. The piano dynamic, delicate musical style, and the use of appoggiaturas, especially in the first theme area, represent devices incorporating light texture and delicate style into the

Valse-Impromptu. This light characteristic creates more exquisite timbre changes compared to the waltzes in the Trois Caprices-Valses. For example, Liszt emphasizes each theme separately by indicating the lively first theme with sempre scherzando and the lyrical second theme with espressivo.

Though the technical challenge is not the primary trait in this waltz, Liszt still uses some virtuosity to polish the sound effect, such as the wide-leaping left hand in the second section of the first-theme area, in the introductory cadenza, and before the return of the A section. Dense sonority is seldom used in this waltz. Octaves are found only in the transition passage (mm. 116–

223), and the densest chordal sonorities and octaves occur in the climax.

Revision process of Trois Caprices-Valses, Valse-Impromptu and Soirée no. 6

All of these early Weimar waltzes have either a prior version or a later version. As described in chapters 2 and 3, Soirées de Vienne appeared in a much later version published in

89 Ramann, 81.

72 1883; Trois Caprices-Valses, Valse-Impromptu are based on a version written during 1839–47.

According to the types of revision, these waltzes can be classified into two groups: simplified and elaborated.

Liszt revised his waltzes because he wanted to make them more practical, and he wanted to create a greater distinction between his roles as a virtuosic pianist and a composer.90 Liszt’s process of simplification usually involved omitting demanding parts, reducing dense textures, and emphasizing thematic transformation. He employed these processes to make the earlier piano works suitable for playing. Besides the early Weimar waltzes, Trois Caprices-Valses belongs to this simplification process as well.

Grande Valse di Bravura (1836) and Valse de Bravoure (1852)

Grande Valse di Bravura, the earlier version of Valse de Bravoure, was published in

1836. The similarity of the formal structure is found in both versions (see chapter 3 for detailed historical background information); they not only share the same formal structure

(approximating sonata-allegro form) but also retain the same thematic order. Valse de Bravoure is the only one combining simplified and elaborated processes. Although Liszt removes extra bravura sections from Grade Valse de Bravura, the total length of Valse de Bravoure is not shortened; it is even lengthier than Grande Valse de Bravura. The most significant expanded sections occur in the third theme areas. Here, Liszt adds chromatic passages to replace the second part of the third theme in the Presto section (Example 4.3).

90 Alan Walker, Franz Liszt: The Weimar Years, 1848–1861 (New York: Knopf/Random House, 1983), 147.

73 Example 4.3a. Grande Valse di Bravura, second part of third theme, mm. 216–18.

Example 4.3b. Valse de Bravoure, second part of the third theme, mm. 240–46.

Most of the sections in Valse de Bravoure are longer than Grande Valse di Bravura. In Valse di

Bravoure, Liszt shortens only the transitional parts before the coda and omits the Ancora più animato section.

For the tempo arrangement, Liszt changes from a faster tempo to a more moderate one in

Valse de Bravoure. The beginning tempo is marked Presto con fuoco in Grande Valse di

Bravura, but it slows to Allgero con fuoco in Valse de Bravoure. Prestissimo in the climax in the

Grande Valse di Bravura is replaced by Presto in Valse de Bravoure, and Presto fuocoso in the coda is decreased to Presto (Table 4.1). Additionally, Liszt showed a tendency to highlight the intense expression in Grande Valse di Bravura, but these terms were replaced by moderate character in Valse de Bravoure (Table 4.2).

74 Table 4.1. Changed tempo marking between Grande Valse di Bravura and Valse de Bravoure.

Grande Valse di Bravura Valse de Bravoure Place

Presto con fuoco Allegro con fuoco Introduction

Più moderato Poco meno allegro Third theme areas

Prestissimo Presto Climax

Presto fuocoso Presto Coda

Table 4.2. Difference of tempo markings in Grande Valse di Bravura and Valse de Bravoure.

Grande Valse di Bravura Valse de Bravoure Place

Piu mosso m. 176 (1st version)

Poco meno allegro m. 261 (2nd version)

Tempo I m. 337 (2nd version)

Piu mosso m. 396 (1st version)

Un poco reten. Il tempo m. 419 (1st version)

Ancor più animato m. 435 (1st version)

Prestissimo m. 524 (1st version)

Basically, the first-theme area in both versions features a similar structure, but Liszt makes significant changes in the second-, third-, and fourth-theme areas. Furthermore, the texture of the introduction in Valse de Bravoure is thicker than that of Grande Valse di Bravura by expanding single notes to octaves (Example 4.4).

75 Example 4.4a. Introduction in Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 1–4.

Example 4.4b. Introduction in Valse de Bravoure, mm. 1–4.

Comparing the second themes of the two versions, Liszt simplifies the accompaniment in Valse de Bravoure and also changes the articulation of the second theme from lyrical to a staccato character (Example 4.5).

Example 4.5a. Lyrical second theme in Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 21–24.

Example 4.5b. Staccato second theme in Valse de Bravoure, mm. 23–26.

76 A simplified process is also found in the third-theme area where Liszt reduces the layers from three voices to two (Example 4.6).

Example 4.6a. Three-voice third theme, Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 61–64.

Example 4.6b. Two-voice third theme, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 78–81.

Additionally, the transition (mm. 384–95) before the return of the fourth theme in the Grande

Valse di Bravura features parallel sixths with jumping notes between two registers. However,

Liszt reduces this to chords and harmonic thirds with chromatic lines in both hands (Example

4.7).

Example 4.7a. Parallel sixths in transition, Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 384–87.

77 Example 4.7b. Chords and harmonic thirds with chromatic lines in transition, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 421–24.

In general, the sonority is thicker in Grande Valse di Bravura than in Valse de Bravoure, but the two versions do not have strong contrasting differences. In other words, the bravura parts in Grande Valse di Bravura are mostly preserved. In some places, Liszt maintains bravura effects in Valse de Bravoure, but presents these in another way, often in the transitional sections.

For example, the introductory materials change from single notes in the Grande Valse di

Bravura to octaves in Valse de Bravoure (see Example 4.4). The Presto section in Valse de

Bravoure is another example. Here, Liszt omits the successive broken minor ninths, replacing them with various other intervals similar to those in the introduction (Example 4.8).

Example 4.8a. Broken ninth intervals, Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 199–203.

Example 4.8b. Various intervals, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 220–24.

78 While Liszt used similar formal structures for these two versions, he diversified their sonorous character by using contrasting dynamic and expression markings. A fortissimo appears at the end of the second-theme area in Grande Valse di Bravura but changes to pianissimo abruptly at the beginning of the third theme. Liszt also maintains the contrast in articulation by using rinforzando in Valse de Bravoure and piano at the beginning of the third theme (Example

4.9).

Example 4.9a. Fortissimo and pianissimo, Grande Valse di Bravura, mm. 59–62.

Example 4.9b. Rinforzando and piano, Valse de Bravoure, mm. 66–71.

The fourth theme features the expressions rubato and piangevolmente (tearfully), but these are replaced by espressivo in Valse de Bravoure. Additionally, the directive in the più mosso section of the Grande Valse de Bravura (m. 176) indicating sotto voce ed agitato un poco marcato and misterioso is omitted entirely in Valse de Bravoure and replaced by only a piano dynamic marking.

Just like other revisions in the Weimar period, the thickened sonority and difficult technique are generally reduced in the 1850s. For example, descending chromatic scales in thirds

79 are reduced to single chromatic lines in mm. 290–93, and the left hand’s repeated B-flat octaves are replaced by a rhythmic figure consisting of repeating sixteenth notes and one eighth note in mm. 540–46, thus resembling the introductory material.

Valse Mélancolique of 1840 and 1852

Liszt’s conservative treatment of tonality and formal structure is also found in Valse

Mélancolique (see chapter 3 for detailed historical background of the two versions). However,

Liszt’s renovation of the 1852 version focuses on texture, sonority, and melodic transformation.

In general, Liszt shows a tendency to loosen and thin the texture in 1852 version. The most dissimilar texture in the two versions is found in the introduction. The 1840 version consists of two parts: a tremolo-like accompaniment with a right-hand chordal melody and scattered pairs of sixteenth-note chords. However, Liszt replaces the original setting’s texture with a passage entirely of arpeggios (Example 4.10).

Example 4.10a. Tremolo-like accompaniment and chordal melody in introduction, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), mm. 1–4.

Example 4.10b. Arpeggios in introduction, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), mm. 1–4.

80 A similar revision process is also found in the second-theme area, where a melody in octaves supported by an “um-pa-pa” accompaniment in the 1840 version is changed to arpeggios with the melody embedded in the top notes (Example 4.11). Furthermore, the introductory material used in the first version is replaced by cadenza passages.

Example 4.11a. Melody in octaves with “um-pa-pa” accompaniment in the second-theme area, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), mm. 148–51.

Example 4.11b. Arpeggios with the melody in the top notes, second-theme area of Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), mm. 160–63.

Melodic development is another aspect that Liszt cultivates in the 1852 version. The melody in the introduction, for example, is extended from a motive-like fragment to a more expressive and lyrical melodic line. That is, the melody (in red circles in example 4.12b) is formed by the last note in every measure.

Example 4.12a. Motive-like fragment on the right hand, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), mm. 1–12.

Example 4.12b. Melodic line in introduction (red circles), Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), mm. 1–9.

The second theme offers another example of melodic development that also displays the different natures of the two versions. It starts on the downbeat in the 1840 version but later moves to an upbeat and adds some chromatic embellishment (Example 4.13).

82 Example 4.13a. Downbeat character of the second theme in Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), mm. 74–77.

Example 4.13b. Upbeat character of the second theme in Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), mm. 76–79.

The climactic section is where Liszt shows his interest in thematic creation. In the 1840 version,

Liszt had used only fragments from his second theme in the climax; however, this phrase in the

1852 version reveals a combination of the first- and second-theme material (Example 4.14).

Example 4.14a. Materials from the second theme in the climax, Valse Mélancolique (1840 version), mm. 122–25.

83 Example 4.14b. Combination of themes in the climax, Valse Mélancolique (1852 version), mm. 131–37.

The melancholic character is more apparent in the 1852 version through the use of unresolved sonorities in the introduction and the unsteady, upbeat character of the second theme.

The slower tempo (from Allgretto to Andantimo espressivo) and abundant use of terminology are other devices emphasizing the melancholic style found in the 1852 version. The introduction, for example, has una corda and dolce markings at the beginning and rinforzando, ritenuto, smorzando, and dolcissimo within six measures (mm. 12–17), which is in contrast to the sotto voce, sempre legato, and leggero in the 1840 version. In addition to the melancholic character,

Liszt also emphasizes a contrast of emotional expression with 1852 version. For example, the più mosso marking at the beginning of the climactic section is found only in the 1852 version.

Furthermore, the crescendo ed agitato molto and appassionato assai in the climax (mm. 143–47) last only ten measures, but the momentum suddenly changes to smorzando and rallentando.

Dynamic contrast, from the fortissimo in the climax to the pianissimo at the end of the piece, is another element contributing to the dramatic emotional expression.

84 Valse a Capriccio (1842) and Valse de Concert (1852)

The third waltz in Trois Caprices-Valses, Valse de Concert sur Deux Motifs de Lucia e

Parisina de Gaetano Donizetti, was published in its first version in 1842 with the title Valse a

Capriccio. This waltz is an opera transcription which was based on two themes from operas by

Gaetano Donizetti. The Lucia theme occurs in act I, scene 3 of Lucia di Lammermoor while the second was from act II of Parisina.

In addition to transcriptions of Schubert’s songs, Liszt also made a number of opera transcriptions during his virtuosic period. In the opera transcriptions, pianistic technique is considered as fundamental as in the Transcendental Etudes.91 Johannes Brahms once mentioned in the 1880s, “Whoever really wants to know what Liszt has done for the piano should study his old operatic fantasies. They represent the classicism of piano technique.”92 Opera transcriptions, like other works in the Weimar period, also underwent Liszt’s transforming process. In the revisions, thematic materials became more important than pianistic technique. According to

Charles Suttoni, in order to merge his idea with the cited theme, Liszt used compositional ideas, introductions, development sections, reharmonizations, and codas in his opera transcription revisions.93

The Valse de Concert is the longest and grandest of the Trois Caprices-Valses. Although its two versions are of different lengths, 690 measures versus 489 measures, both are based on the same formal structure: Intro-A-B-A-B-Coda. The reason for the discrepancy in length is that

Liszt shortened every section by cutting down partial transitional passages; in particular, he

91 Alan Walker, “Transcriptions for Piano,” in Franz Liszt: The Man and His Music, ed. Alan Walker (New York: Taplinger, 1970), 182.

92 Charles Suttoni, “Opera Paraphrases,” in The Liszt Companion, ed. Ben Arnold (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), 179.

93 Ibid., 186.

85 omitted large parts of the returning introductory section, the returning second-theme area, and the coda. That is, in Valse de Concert, the più allegro passage is omitted from the returning introductory section, the repeated melody in octaves and fortisisimo part are removed in the returning second-theme area, and the altered time-signature passage is eliminated in the coda.

The major differences between the two versions lie in the virtuosic aspects: texture, melody, time signature, sonority, and technique. Except for the similar texture at the beginning of each introduction, the rest of the parts have a thicker texture in Valse a Capriccio. For example, the octave melody with chordal accompaniment changes to a single-note melody accompanied by eighth notes and staccato quarter notes in Valse de Concert (Example 4.15).

Example 4.15a. Octave melody with chordal accompaniment, Valse a Capriccio, mm. 67–70.

Example 4.15b. Single note melody with eighth notes and staccato quarter notes accompaniment, Valse de Concert, mm. 55–59.

Furthermore, Valse a Capriccio is the only waltz involving multiple staves, a characteristic related to orchestration. For example, the four-staff texture is found in the transition section

(mm. 178–90) and three staves in the second-theme area (mm. 280–94) (Example 4.16).

86 Example 4.16a. Four-staff texture in Valse a Capriccio, mm. 178–82.

Example 4.16b. Three-staff texture in Valse a Capriccio, mm. 280–82.

The melodic line is another way of presenting virtuosity. In the coda, Liszt uses both themes simultaneously, placing each in one hand. Valse a Capriccio contains only fragments from the two themes, but in Valse de Concert the themes are written out in their entirety

(Example 4.17).

Example 4.17a. Fragments from two themes in the coda, Valse a Capriccio, mm. 521–24.

87 Example 4.17b. First and second themes in the coda, Valse de Concert, mm. 439–42.

A change in time signature is another important aspect related to virtuosity, and it is used particularly in Valse a Capriccio. The original 3/4 time signature switches to 2/4 in m. 406 and

3/8 in m. 452. The coda even requires the two hands to play in different time signatures: 1/4 in the right hand and 3/8 in the left hand in m. 555. The use of contrasting time signatures ends at m. 635, but Liszt does not stop changing the time signature. It then shifts to 3/8 in the next measure (m. 636) and 1/4 in m. 668. Liszt also changes time signatures in Valse de Concert but in a less intensive way; the return of the B section changes from 3/8 to 3/4 in the Valse de

Concert, and the 1/4 time signature used at the end of Valse a Capriccio is replaced by 2/4 in the

Valse de Concert.

The use of the chromatic scales and heavy sonority are typical characteristics in Valse a

Capriccio. The chromatic scale enriches the sonority, especially in places omitted in the Valse de

Concert. For example, the più allegro section (mm. 321–62) in the Valse a Capriccio has a descending chromatic scale, but it is omitted in Valse de Concert. Other examples in Valse a

Capriccio are found in mm. 136–42 and mm. 297–320, where the chromatic scales accompany the return of the introductory theme. However, these scales are replaced by arching scales to provide different colors in Valse de Concert. The heavy sonority is still apparent in Valse de concert because Liszt continues employing contrapuntal compositional techniques in it. For

88 example, the three staves in the second-theme area of Valse a Capriccio are changed to three voices on two staves in Valse de Concert (Example 4.18).

Example 4.18a. Three staves in the second-theme area, Valse a Capriccio, mm. 280–82.

Example 4.18b. Three-voiced version of the second theme, Valse de Concert, mm. 249–51.

Technical challenges, including parallel chords in both hands and registral extremes, represent the primary component of the two versions, particularly in Valse a Capriccio. These kinds of pianistic techniques are also widely used in the Transcendental Etudes. The most striking part is the multiple staves, which feature hand jumps of chords and octaves requiring precise execution from the performer. The most difficult writing is in the long coda section; rapid, repeated octaves occupy half of the coda. Moreover, Liszt uses different meters in both hands to create a hemiola effect (Example 4.19).

89 Example 4.19. Octaves and hemiola in the coda in Valse de Concert, mm 554–55.

The two themes are repeated several times with various contours, and they both involve technical challenges. For example, Liszt places the returning introductory melody in the middle voice, requiring two thumbs to play in turn in the Valse a Capriccio (Example 4.20).

Example 4.20. Introductory melody in the middle voice (red circles), Valse a Capriccio, mm. 98–101.

The pendulum-motion technique is used particularly in the first theme in both versions. In the

Valse a Capriccio, it features two-octave spans and finishes with octave intervals that challenge virtuoso pianists, particularly those with small hands (Example 4.21).

Example 4.21. Technical challenges, Valse a Capriccio, mm. 149–52.

90 In the corresponding section, the technical difficulty is reduced in Valse de Concert where the two-octave span decreases to one octave, and the octave intervals are replaced by broken triads

(Example 4.22).

Example 4.22. Reduced technique, Valse de Concert, mm. 128–31.

Large leaps are one of the major technical challenges found especially in the Valse a Capriccio.

In addition to its appearance in the sections with multiple staves, transitional passages and thematic areas also include this technique. Within these passages, the most challenging part is found in mm. 353–61. Both hands play the jumps in contrary motion, starting with the interval of a sixth to two octaves apart, and finishing with an E in octaves in both hands approached by contrary motion (Example 4.23).

Example 4.23. Large leaps in contrary motion, Valse de Capriccio, mm. 354–56.

In Valse de Concert, Liszt simplifies the texture and reduces the range between the hands.

However, the revision still contains technical challenges. For example, the cadenza-like passage is one of Liszt’s favorite devices featuring rapid movement and a wide range of registers.

Chromatic scales and chromatic scales in thirds and octaves are often used in the Valse a

91 Capriccio. For example, an ascending version of these chromatic scales runs as an accompaniment to the first thematic materials (Example 4.24). Other features, including chords, parallel intervals, octaves, and large leaps, are also found in Valse de Concert, but the level of difficulty has been reduced compared to Valse a Capriccio.

Example 4.24. Chromatic scale in thirds, Valse de Concert, mm. 320–23.

Petite Valse Favorite and Valse-Impromptu

As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, each Petite Valse Favorite was composed separately during Liszt’s concert tours to Russia of 1842 and 1843. The second version is based on the first version (Intro-A-B-A-B) but adds a coda. Except for the first-theme area, the introduction, cadenza-like passages, and the second B section are expanded in the 1843 version.

Both iterations of Petite Valse Favorite have intimate characteristics and do not belong to virtuosic music. However, Liszt adds some virtuosic components to make the second version more challenging than the first. The tempo is marked Vivamente at the introduction, Più tosto vivace in the first theme, Molto vivace in the returning A section, and Rallentando il tempo in both B sections in the 1843 version. However, Liszt does not indicate any specific tempo markings in the first version. He indicates Prélude at the beginning of the introduction and

Tempo rubato in the two second-theme areas (Table 4.3).

92 Table 4.3. Tempo markings in 1842 and 1843 versions of Petite Valse.

Introduction A B A B 1842 Petite Valse Prélude Tempo rubato Tempo rubato

1843 Petite Valse Vivamente Più tosto Rallentando il Molto Rallentando il vivace tempo vivace tempo

The cadenza in the 1842 Petite Valse features only a descending pentatonic scale, but this is extended in the 1843 Petite Valse by adding successive broken diminished-seventh chords. This

1843 Petite Valse also indicates more dynamic markings, including accents, forte, and fortissimo, all seldom found in the first version.

The characteristics of Valse-Impromptu have already been mentioned in the style analysis section. In this comparison section, I indicate only the formal structure and the thematic transformation. The formal structure in the 1843 Petite Valse is preserved in the Valse- impromptu, with the main sections expanded by repeating themes (Table 4.4).

Table 4.4. Formal structures of Petite Valse (1843 version) and Valse-Impromptu.

Intro A B A B Coda

1843 Petite Valse 1–15 16–49 50–80 81–114 115–135 136–160

33 30 33 20 24

Valse-Impromptu 1–13 14–84 85–139 140–210 211–297 298–311

70 54 70 86 13

Compared to the 1843 Petite Valse, the repeated melodies have varied contours in the Valse-

Impromptu. The second part of the first theme in the 1843 Petite Valse, for example, features an

93 “um-pa-pa” accompaniment throughout. However, Liszt uses a question-and-answer dialogue method, either between two hands or within one voice, in the later arrangement (Example 4.25).

Example 4.25a. Second part of the first theme, Petite Valse Favorite (1843 version), mm. 32– 34.

Example 4.25b. Question and answer, Valse-Impromptu, mm. 30–32.

The second theme originally featured a melody in octaves, but Liszt changes it to a single-line melody with an upbeat accompaniment (Example 4.26). Furthermore, syncopation and left-hand melody are two features of the second theme.

Example 4.26a. Octaves in the second theme, Petite Valse Favorite (1843 version), mm. 50–53.

94 Example 4.26b. Single-line melody of the second theme, Valse-Impromptu, mm. 85–89.

Soirées de Vienne, no. 6

Soirées de Vienne was first published in 1852–53, and existed in another version, published in 1883. According to Edward Waters, the sixth of the nine waltzes was broadly expanded in the second version.94 If comparing earlier and later examples of this waltz, this expanded structure is the most striking difference; there were no other significant changes in the

1883 version. The most expanded parts occur in the second- and third-theme areas. The second theme, for example, adds a section featuring a variation of the second theme, and the total length of the extended passage is longer than the original B section in the 1852 version. The C section is longer in the 1883 revision, as the waltz theme is repeated three times with extra transitional material derived from waltz C.

Liszt adds extra decorations in the 1883 version of Soirée no. 6, such as the trills and chromatic passages in both hands. These are shown in Example 4.27.

94 Edward N. Waters, “Liszt’s Soirées De Vienne.” Library of Congress Quarterly Journal 6, no. 2 (1949), 19.

95 Example 4.27. Trills and chromatic passages in Soirées, no. 6, mm. 110–13.

A cadenza containing a harp-like texture is found only in the 1883 version. The notes from the low register are moved to a higher register, presenting a technical challenge to the performer while enriching the tone color. Furthermore, the tremolo figurations demonstrate the technical ability of the performer while providing a contrasting sonority, such as bell-like effects, shown in

Example 4.28. The pedal sign is found only in the 1883 version where Liszt indicates detailed pedal markings, including the specific description “Pedal with each beat.” Those pedal indications provide performers with a good source for Liszt’s interpretation in both versions.

Example 4.28. Cadenza in Soirées, no. 6, mm. 147–64.

96 Conclusion

The Soirées de Vienne resemble the Valse-Impromptu in their delicate musical style with an infrequent use of demanding technique and brilliant effect. Liszt does not abandon aspects of the traditional Viennese waltz style, such as the use of elaborate ornamentation with light texture.

In the climax, Liszt enriches the sonority but still preserves the intimate character. In the revision process, he reduces the difficulty of pianistic technique and simplifies the texture. However, he still embellishes the work by adding extra materials, including the cadenza and thematic transformation. All of the revisions have a common goal: to enrich the work’s playability.

97 Epilogue

Originally transcriptions of orchestral dances, piano waltzes gradually transformed into stylized individual piano works in the eighteenth century. In these early years, Beethoven,

Clementi, Haydn, Hummel, and Schubert all contributed to the development of the piano waltz.

Schubert’s contribution to the piano waltz is evident within his many volumes of waltz publications. His waltz style inclined to the intimate, danceable, and non-virtuosic, characteristics that were discarded by later Romantic composers.

The genre reached its florescence in the nineteenth century, when Chopin, Schubert, and

Weber were the leading composers whose waltz styles greatly influenced later artists. Weber’s

Aufforderung zum Tanz, Op. 65, is the first piano concert waltz. He elevated the piano waltz from dance accompaniment to stylized music. The significance of this piece lies in its combination of brilliant sonority and technique with an expanded formal structure, the rondo form. Chopin later adopted Weber’s innovations in the concert waltz, including his use of an introduction and coda, fast tempo, and a contrasting tempo within the waltz. Moreover, Chopin also composed waltzes with a melancholic character, signaled with either a slower tempo or the use of a minor key. The melancholic style of waltz was already found in Schubert’s Sentimental

Waltz, Op. 50, but Chopin adapted the manner to his own compositional nature by imbuing the concert waltz with nostalgic color. Thus, Chopin’s waltzes are considered to be a stylistic combination of Weber’s and Schubert’s, a mixture of brilliant style and intimate character.

The piano waltz reached its level of greatest achievement with Liszt’s innovations. His waltzes were forged through the influence of Schubert, Weber, and Chopin. Liszt was clearly attracted by Schubert’s artistry, a fact confirmed by his large output of Schubert song transcriptions and his later editions of Schubert’s works. Soirées de Vienne offers abundant

98 evidence of Schubert’s influence: Liszt incorporated thirty-four of Schubert’s waltzes into his nine concert waltzes. His arrangements greatly elaborate on Schubert’s pieces in a tasteful manner, not overly bombastic, all the while remaining faithful to the original. Thus he insisted the publisher print alongside his name the indication “the composer-transcriber.”95 On the other hand, Liszt promotes brilliant effects and virtuosity in the Trois Caprices-Valses. In this collection, Liszt exhibits his liberty in harmony, sonority, tempo, and pianistic technique. The harmony blurs the actual tonality by using borrowed and unresolved broken chords, such as in the introduction to Valse Mélancolique (1852 version). Mediant and enharmonic key relationships, chromaticism, and frequent augmented triads and diminished sevenths are often found in this collection. Liszt favors fast tempos, contrasting dynamics, and dramatic expression.

He had already displayed these elements in Soirées de Vienne, but they become more violent in

Trois Caprices-Valses, especially in Valse de Concert. However, Liszt does not discard the intimate style in the piano waltz, and it can be seen in Valse-Impromptu, which features a constant piano dynamic, airy sonority, and light texture.

Melodic transformation and the importance of melody are major compositional characteristics of the 1850s revisions. In his first version of Grande Valse di Bravura, Valse

Mélancolique and Valse a Capriccio, Liszt showed a tendency to use thematic fragments with demanding technique and a heavier texture. However, Liszt sensed the essential quality of melody and replaced the melodic fragments with full melodic lines characterized by varied contours and accompaniments. In order to prevent technical challenges from disturbing the music, he reduced the technical difficulty and thinned the texture, making these revisions more playable.

95 Edward N. Waters, “Liszt’s Soirées de Vienne,” Library of Congress Quarterly Journal 6, no. 2 (1949): 10.

99 In summary, the early Weimar waltzes represent a diversity of characteristics, from conservative styles to avant-garde directions. Liszt’s innovations in the piano waltz opened new avenues for later generations.

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