A Performance Guide to Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Etudes, S. 139

Abstract

Abstract Many of Franz Liszt’s piano works are popular and played frequently in concerts and competitions. Liszt’s 12 transcendental Etudes are among his most famous and representative piano creations, which greatly challenge pianists’ skills, physical strength and comprehensive understanding of the music. This document consists of three chapters: the first chapter describes the background of this cycle together with the background of Liszt and relevant composers, such as his teacher Carl Czerny and his admirer Sergei Lyapunov. The second chapter is the core of this document, in which each of the twelve etudes has been analyzed regarding compositionally and pedagogically, indicating what techniques Liszt used and how to solve technical difficulties. The third chapter contains two parts: a comparison of a couple of different recordings, so that readers will know the characteristics of each pianist I mentioned in the research and what they need to learn from their recordings, and at last, a brief summary at the end of this chapter is made, which restates the technical difficulties of the cycle and suggests a reasonable arrangement on practicing. Hopefully, my research can help people learn useful methods to practice such a demanding work and suggest pianists think more about the poetry and artistry beyond the work itself, as well as create a more thoughtful performance.