The ''Grandes études de Paganini'', S. 141, are a series of six

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidl ...

s for the piano by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, revised in 1851 from an earlier version (published as ', S. 140, in 1838). It is almost exclusively in the final version that these pieces are played today. The pieces are all based on the compositions of

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices f ...

for violin, and are among the most technically demanding pieces in the piano literature (especially the original versions, before Liszt revised them, thinning the textures and removing some of the more outrageous technical difficulties). The pieces run the gamut of technical hurdles, and frequently require very large stretches by the performer of an eleventh (although all stretches greater than a tenth were removed from the revised versions).

Études

Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini

*Original version (1838), S. 140 – Dedicated to Madame

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

**Étude No. 1 in G minor (Preludio: Andante; Non troppo lento, cantabile) ("Tremolo") – after Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin No. 6 (with the introduction and coda of No. 5). Begins with a prelude of rapid

arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

s and scales and then enters the main étude section; as the name suggests, the piece is meant to employ

tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...

s. Voicing and dynamics are important in "Tremolo", and adding to its difficulty is the fact that many tremolos are marked to be played by the left hand only. **Étude No. 2 in E major (Andantino capricciosamente) – after Caprice No. 17. Contains many rapid scales and octaves and requires elegance and quality of tone. **Étude No. 3 in A minor (Allegro moderato) – after the final movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, and containing the first theme of the final movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in E major. **Étude No. 4 in E major (Andante quasi allegretto) – after Caprice No. 1. **Étude No. 5 in E major (Allegretto, dolcissimo) ("La Chasse") – after Caprice No. 9. **Étude No. 6 in A minor (Quasi presto, a capriccio) – after Caprice No. 24, with a slightly altered theme and 11

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individuals ...

. The technically demanding work abounds with rapid octaves, scales, and arpeggios.

Grandes études de Paganini

*Revised version (1851), S. 141 – dedicated to Madame Clara Schumann **Étude No. 1 in G minor (Preludio, Andante; Etude – Non troppo lento) ("Tremolo") – after Caprice No. 6 (with the introduction and coda No. 5). **Étude No. 2 in E major (Andante capriccioso) – after Caprice No. 17. **Étude No. 3 in G minor (Allegretto) ("

La campanella "La campanella" (Italian for "The little bell") is the nickname given to the third of Franz Liszt's six ''Grandes études de Paganini'', S. 141 (1851). It is in the key of G-sharp minor. This piece is a revision of an earlier version from 1838, ...

") – after the final movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor. This étude is likely the most famous of the set, and has a popular reputation for being one of the most difficult pieces written for the piano. **Étude No. 4 in E major (Vivo) ("Arpeggio") – after Caprice No. 1. Written on one line only, omitting the usual separate line for the left hand. Furthermore, its lowest tone is the G₃, the score thus mimicking a score for violin. **Étude No. 5 in E major (''La Chasse'') (Allegretto) – after Caprice No. 9. **Étude No. 6 in A minor (Quasi presto, a capriccio) – after Caprice No. 24.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grandes etudes de Paganini Paganini 1851 compositions 1838 compositions Compositions for solo piano Music dedicated to family or friends

Études

Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini

Grandes études de Paganini

See also

References

External links