Transcendental Etude No. 10 (Liszt)
Encyclopedia
Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F minor, "Allegro agitato molto" is the tenth Transcendental Etude
of a set of twelve by Franz Liszt
. It is possibly the most played of the etudes and has a prominent melody.
Passage work for the left hand is rather difficult, while the right hand plays the melody mostly in octave
s. There are several portions where the left and right hands alternate to play descending chords reminiscent of a sigh. Other difficulties include cramped spacing (the hands are often close together), left-hand arpeggiated passage work, and the right hand ascending the keyboard in swiftness using only the thumb, the third, and fourth finger.
Musically, it is a study in pushing melodic lines to the razor's edge with passion and dramaticism while maintaining the melody
. The climax occurs right after the softest part of the piece and is an octave D-flat played 23 times in a row with rhythmic changes and rapid left-hand arpeggios that constantly change theme.
This is one of the more popular etudes of the set, and, while difficult, it is not considered to be one of the hardest.
It is in sonata form, with a second group in E-flat Minor, and an explosive coda. The 1838 version bears a coda which is modelled after the coda in the finale of Beethoven's Opus 57 Appassionata.
Transcendental Etudes
The Transcendental Etudes , S.139, are a series of twelve compositions for solo piano by Franz Liszt. They were published in 1852 as a revision of a more technically difficult 1837 series, which in turn were the elaboration of a set of studies written in 1826:...
of a set of twelve by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. It is possibly the most played of the etudes and has a prominent melody.
Passage work for the left hand is rather difficult, while the right hand plays the melody mostly in octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s. There are several portions where the left and right hands alternate to play descending chords reminiscent of a sigh. Other difficulties include cramped spacing (the hands are often close together), left-hand arpeggiated passage work, and the right hand ascending the keyboard in swiftness using only the thumb, the third, and fourth finger.
Musically, it is a study in pushing melodic lines to the razor's edge with passion and dramaticism while maintaining the melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. The climax occurs right after the softest part of the piece and is an octave D-flat played 23 times in a row with rhythmic changes and rapid left-hand arpeggios that constantly change theme.
This is one of the more popular etudes of the set, and, while difficult, it is not considered to be one of the hardest.
It is in sonata form, with a second group in E-flat Minor, and an explosive coda. The 1838 version bears a coda which is modelled after the coda in the finale of Beethoven's Opus 57 Appassionata.