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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
lftmm^^
The Student of Classical Music Will Find the Player-Piano an Invaluable
Help in Obtaining a Knowledge of the Works of Franz Liszt and His Genius,
as Shown By the Widely Diversified Range Covered By His Compositions
Just how long the artistic reputation a mu- slight. The cause must be found in some other Countess d'Agoult through Switzerland and
sician has carved out for himself from the fact altogether. That fact, without much doubt, Italy, produced three sets of what he called
rock of public appreciation may be expected is that the nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies, and "Annals of a Pilgrimage" (Annees de Perler-
to withstand the erosive influences of time is a especially two or three out of these, have been inage). These short pieces are musical sketches,
question which may be answered plausibly, but played to death; and the name of their composer as it were, of various places and scenes visited
cannot be answered infallibly. It is all very has become popularly associated with them, to by the pilgrims. The titles are various: The
well to talk about immortal works, and to say the almost complete exclusion of all his other Chapel of William Tell, By the Lake of Wallen-
glibly that he who sings from the heart sings works. Similar remarks might be made regard- stadt, At the Fountain's Side (after Schiller's
an immortal song. But the blunt facts of his- ing Beethoven, who is known to the popular poem), The 47th Sonnet of Petrarch, The Cy-
tory do not back up so nice and simple a solu- mind mainly through his Moonlight Sonata, press Trees at the Villa D'Este, and others. Sev-
tion. Besides, who is to be the arbiter? And which is not even one of his strongest works; eral of them have been published in music rolls,
how is it that some obviously bad things sur- and regarding Chopin, too, who is known to notably the first four of the above list. They are
thousands who call themselves music lovers, lovely things and represent Liszt at his very
vive, while some obviously good ones die?
It is often assumed that a musician who is almost entirely through a few nocturnes and best, showing him to be a true poet of nature
and a man who looked on the world with rever-
not recognized during his life will become en- half a dozen etudes and preludes.
ent and seeing eyes.
Paganini
shrined in the hearts of the world after he is
The
works
of
Liszt
which
the
player-pianist
safely planted six feet underground. But be-
The little set of pieces called Venice and Na-
cause Schubert died neglected and Hugo Wolf should first study, after he feels himself ready ples (Venezia e Napoli) is especially famous for
was driven to insanity by artistic indifference, to shake off the hypnotic influences of the Hun- the Tarantelle, which forms the third in the set.
this does not mean that every neglected musi- garian Rhapsodies, are the Paganini studies. Sev- This wonderful dance is something that must be
cian is another Beethoven; any more than be- eral of these are listed in music-roll catalogs. seen to be appreciated. It is peculiar to Italy
cause men of genius are usually absent-minded, They were based on the wonderful Caprices for and Spain and is reputed to have arisen from
all absent-minded men must be hailed as men solo violin, devised by the wizard violinist Pa- the peculiar music once commonly played to
ganini, and heard by young Liszt upon the oc- cause persons who had been bitten by a taran-
of genius.
Contrariwise it is assumed that a man who ob- casion of the visit made by the former to Paris tula to dance furiously, in order to shake off
tains great and potent success during his life in 1831. Liszt seized upon several of these as- the poison. Liszt's treatment of this rhythm
necessarily possesses only an ephemeral genius tonishing compositions, in which Paganini had is dazzlingly brilliant.
The two "legends," of St. Francis preaching
which will die when his influence no longer produced effects hitherto wholly unknown to the
keeps it warmed into fitful existence. Yet while violin, and made them over into great technical to the birds, and St. Francis walking on the
one may instance Buononcini, Field, Steibelt and studies for piano, illumining them with his gen- waves, are also interesting specimens of the
Ariosti, one may, with equal propriety, range on ius and rendering them even more brilliant and religious side of Liszt. The first one is the
the other side Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and fascinating than they had been in their original more charming to the writer, who finds the sec-
shape. They should be studied assiduously by ond somewhat turgidly dramatic.
—Franz Liszt.
the player-pianist.
Mephisto
A Neglected Composer
But the Etudes of this and other sets which
The extraordinary Mephisto Valses, which are
To what extent Liszt's once overpowering
reputation has been dimmed by time would be Liszt composed should not take up too much obtainable in roll form, should be in every
hard to compute. To what extent there is pres- of one's time. He has done work more im- player-pianist's library. They are simply amaz-
ent reason to revere him as composer and as portant. Fascinating as are the Chasse-Neige, ing exhibitions of the composer's brilliant mas-
man may be guessed at plausibly. To what the Gnomen-reigen, the Eroica and the Mazeppa, tery over every sort and kind of pianistic ex-
extent his brilliant musical genius is interesting they are, after all, mainly interesting because pression. They are waltzes gone mad, dance
to player-pianists may be stated quite definitely. of their brilliancy. And brilliancy in piano rhythms turned by magic into tragedies and—
It is no exaggeration to say that, although the playing is something that should receive as lit- just as much Mephistophelian comedies. They
rhapsodies of Liszt are only too well known tle, not as much, of our attention as we can are the devil at the keyboard; and then some.
to player-pianists, the astonishing variety of his give. It is so easy for the player-pianist to be If you have not got them, get them—TO-
DAY! as the advertising men say.
other works, save only in respect of a few etudes brilliant.
like La Campanella, is scarcely known. Yet, in
Liszt, the Religious
This is not the place to speak of the number-
truth, the greatest pianist of all time left be-
Far more interesting is the great Ballade in less arrangements for the piano of symphonic
hind him a mass of composition which at one D flat, based upon Liszt's idea of the legend of and operatic works made by the indefatigable
time was the reigning attraction of the musical the Prisoner of Chillon, that unfortunate Bonni- Liszt. Suffice it to remark that he made the
world, and which ill deserves the partial neglect vard, who remained chained to a pillar in the Beethoven symphonies and the organ works of
of the present day.
dungeon of the Castle of Chillon, with its floor J. S. Bach accessible to the piano student and
For, indeed, it is no more than fair to assume beneath the level of Lake Geneva, and whose that, by making the most fascinating arrange-
that the extraordinary enthusiasm aroused by story has been so well told by Lord Byron. ments of excerpts from Wagner's music-dramas,
Liszt's playing of the piano did more than any- Even more lovely are the Poetic and Religious he did a splendid and much-needed pioneer work
thing else to obscure his genius as a composer. Harmonies which Liszt composed during his in bringing the world to understand a great
The man who could write the Dante Symphony, religious retirement and before he took minor genius. In nothing more was Liszt greater than
the Tasso, the Mazeppa, who could compose orders in the Roman Church. These have not in his wonderful modesty and his unselfish rec-
the "Poetic and Religious Harmonies" and the often been heard of in connection with the ognition of other men's work and worth. But
Sonata in B minor, was not to be measured by player-piano, but one of them, "The Benediction for him Wagner would have had to wait much
his feats at the keyboard or by his nineteen of God in the Solitude," has been published by longer for recognition. But for him, music
the Q R S Co. It is a wonderful piece of would have been far behind its present posi-
done-to-death Hungarian Rhapsodies.
work. Those who have known Liszt only through tion. Aye, but for him, piano making would never
Liszt Rolls
In the catalog of the Universal Music Co., not the Hungarian Rhapsodies will scarcely recog- have become what it now is; for it was he and
counting hand-played records, there are thirty- nize the master of fireworks here. The piece his disciples who first showed what the piano
seven classifications under the name Liszt, many justifies its name. It breathes a spirit of deepest might be made to be and sound. The possibil-
of them containing several items.
In the religious sincerity. It is the communion of the ities they thus showed have been realized by
straight-cut Q R S lists there is also a large soul with its God. The central section rises to piano makers in ever greater technical and mu-
showing. The Aeolian Thcmodist-Metfostyle an intensity of subdued feeling which is at once sical perfection. Liszt was the king of the
and the Angelus Melodant-Artistyle catalogs are musically superb and emotionally thrilling, piano; verily a king of kings.
also strong on Liszt. In none of these have the while yet the whole tone of the work is re-
growing collections of Liszt records made by strained to the utmost and what one experiences
WEYDIG - HENKELMAN
various p'anists and published by the above and in listening to it is profound, rather than excit-
ing.
To
all
who
would
like
to
gain
a
better
idea
other companies been mentioned at all. The
WHITMAN
of what the real Liszt is we recommend the care-
above information is therefore only partial.
ful study of this lovely piece.
The Greatest Value at Moderate Cost
It is not therefore through lack of available
WEYDIG . HENKELMAN PIANO MFG. CO., INC.
The tours which Liszt made during his earlier
material that the knowledge of Liszt's composi-
402-410 West 14th Street
NEW YORK
tions is, among player-pianists, so generally manhood, in the company of the beautiful
131A N O S
A LAYERS