Hungarian Rhapsodies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hungarian Rhapsodies, (S/G244, R106) Rapsodies hongroises or Ungarische Rhapsodien) are a set of pieces of music by Franz Liszt, originally for solo piano.

[edit] Form

Liszt incorporated many themes which he had heard in his native Hungary and which he believed to be folk music, but which were in fact tunes written by contemporary composers, often played by Roma bands. The large scale structure of each was influenced by the verbunkos, a Hungarian dance in several parts, each with a different tempo. The set is as follows:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in E major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in B-flat major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E-flat major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor, Héroïde-élégiaque
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7 in D minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 8 in F-sharp minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 in E-flat major, Le carnaval de Pest
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14 in F minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor, Rákóczi-Marsch
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 16 in A minor, Magyar rhapsodia
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 17 in D minor, tirée de l'album de Figaro
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 18 in F-sharp minor, Magyar rhapsodia
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 in D minor, d'après les 'Csárdás nobles' de K. Ábrányi (sr) (1885)

The first fifteen were published in the year 1853, with the last four being added in 1882 and 1885. Numbers 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 14 were arranged by Liszt for orchestra, and number 14 was also the basis of Liszt's Hungarian Fantasia for piano and orchestra. Some are better known than others, with number 2 being particularly famous.

In their original piano form, the Hungarian Rhapsodies are noted for their difficulty (Liszt was a virtuoso pianist as well as a composer).