The Transcendental Etudes , S.139, are a series of twelve compositions for solo piano 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...

. 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:

Name	Key	Name	Key
Etude No. 1 (Preludio) Transcendental Etude No. 1 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 1 in C "Preludio" is the first of twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It is a short piece which can be played in less than a minute at concert speed.-Form:...	C major C major C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....	Etude No. 7 (Eroica) Transcendental Etude No. 7 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 7 in E-flat, "Eroica" is the seventh of the twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It is a study of rapid downward runs, bravura and octaves ....	E-flat major
Etude No. 2 (untitled - Molto vivace) Transcendental Etude No. 2 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 2 in A minor, "Molto Vivace", or Fusées is the 2nd piece of the Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. The title Fusées is not Liszt's own, but was added by Feruccio Busoni in his edition of the Etudes, referring to the right hand figures that leap off the keyboard, giving...	A minor A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...	Etude No. 8 (Wilde Jagd) Transcendental Etude No. 8 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 8 in C minor "Wilde Jagd" is the eighth etude in the twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt.The 1837 version of this piece is in sonata form, with a first subject in C minor, second subject in E-flat major, and a recapitulation of the first subject...	C minor C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
Etude No. 3 (Paysage) Transcendental Etude No. 3 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 3 in F, "Paysage" , is the third of twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It is generally considered to be one of the easier studies....	F major F major F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...	Etude No. 9 (Ricordanza) Transcendental Etude No. 9 (Liszt) Etude No. 9 in A-flat, "Ricordanza" is the ninth of the twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It has wild but gentle cadenzas and demands delicate finger work. There are some areas with syncopation similar to Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3...	A-flat major
Etude No. 4 (Mazeppa)	D minor D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....	Etude No. 10 (untitled - Allegro agitato molto) Transcendental Etude No. 10 (Liszt) 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....	F minor F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
Etude No. 5 (Feux Follets) Transcendental Etude No. 5 (Liszt) Transcendental Étude No. 5 in B-flat "Feux follets" is the fifth etude of the set of twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt.- Difficulties :...	B-flat major	Etude No. 11 (Harmonies du Soir) Transcendental Etude No. 11 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 11 in D-flat, "Harmonies du Soir" is the eleventh etude of the set of twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. This etude is a study in harmonies, broken chords played in quick succession, full octave jumps, chromatic harmonies, chord variations, especially proper...	D-flat major
Etude No. 6 (Vision) Transcendental Etude No. 6 (Liszt) Franz Liszt's Transcendental Etude No. 6 in G minor "Vision" is the sixth of his twelve Transcendental Etudes. It is a study of the extensions of the hand, hands moving in opposite directions, arpeggiated double notes, and tremolos....	G minor G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....	Etude No. 12 (Chasse-Neige) Transcendental Etude No. 12 (Liszt) Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B flat minor is an étude for piano written by composer Franz Liszt. It has the programmatic title "Chasse-Neige", and is the 12th and last of the Transcendental Etudes...	B-flat minor

History

The Transcendental Etudes S. 139 began in 1826, as a set of youthful and far less technically demanding exercises called the Étude en douze exercices (Study in twelve exercises) S. 136. Liszt then elaborated on these pieces considerably, and the far more technically difficult exercises called the Douze Grandes Études (Twelve Great Studies) S. 137 were then published in 1837.

The Transcendental Etudes S. 139 are revisions of his Douze Grandes Etudes. As the third and final version, this set was published in 1852 and dedicated to Carl Czerny

Carl Czerny

Carl Czerny was an Austrian pianist, composer and teacher. He is best remembered today for his books of études for the piano. Czerny's music was profoundly influenced by his teachers, Muzio Clementi, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri and Ludwig van Beethoven.-Early life:Carl Czerny was born...

, Liszt’s piano teacher, and himself a prolific composer of etudes. The set included simplifications, for the most part; in addition to many other reductions, Liszt removed all stretches of greater than a tenth, making the piece more suitable for pianists with smaller hands and less technical skill. However, the fourth etude of the final set, Mazeppa, is actually more demanding than its 1837 version, since it very frequently alters and crosses the hand to create a “galloping” effect
.

When revising the 1837 set of etudes, Liszt added programmatic titles to all but the Etudes Nos. 2 and 10. These titles are in French and German. Later, one of Liszt’s editors Ferruccio Busoni

Ferruccio Busoni

Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...

 gave the name Fusées (“Rockets”) to the Etude No. 2, and the name Appassionata to the Etude No. 10; however, Busoni’s titles are not commonly used or well known.

Other works with a similar title

• Sergei Lyapunov
  Sergei Lyapunov
  Sergei Mikhailovich Lyapunov was a Russian composer and pianist.-Life:Lyapunov was born in Yaroslavl in 1859. After the death of his father, Mikhail Lyapunov, when he was about eight, Sergei, his mother, and his two brothers went to live in the larger town of Nizhny Novgorod...
  
  , Études d’exécution transcendante, op. 11 (1897–1905)
• Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
  Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
  Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji was an English composer, music critic, pianist, and writer.-Biography:...
  
  , Études transcendantes (100) (1940–44)