Transcendental Études

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The genesis of the Transcendental Études goes back to 1825, when 14-year-old Liszt wrote a set of youthful exercises called the Étude en douze exercices (Study in twelve exercises), S.136.[https://p.dw.com/p/49LMQ "李斯特：超技练习曲S.139"] [Liszt: Transcendental Étude S.139], Deutsche Welle, 1 April 2022 (in Chinese){{Cite book |last=Searle |first=Humphrey |author-link=Humphrey Searle |title=The New Grove Early Romantic Masters 1: Chopin, Schumann, Liszt |date=1985 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-393-30095-6 |edition=1 |series=The Composer Biography Series |location=New York |pages=266-67}} These pieces were not particularly technically demanding. Liszt then returned to these pieces for thematic ideas, elaborating on them considerably, in the composition of the Douze Grandes Études (Twelve Grand Studies), S.137, which were published in 1837.

The Transcendental Études, S.139, are revisions of the Douze Grandes Études. The fourth was altered and published alone as Mazeppa in late 1846,{{cite book |last1=Ubber |first1=Christian |editor1-last=Ubber |editor2-last=Klaus |title=Etudes d'exécution transcendante mit Grandes Etudes 2 & 7 |date=2005 |publisher=Wiener |location=Vienna, Austria |isbn=3-85055-640-9 |page=X |edition=1}} and the collection as a whole was published in 1852 and dedicated to Carl Czerny,[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Transcendental-Etudes "Transcendental Études"] by Betsy Schwarm, Encyclopædia Britannica Liszt's piano teacher, and himself a prolific composer of études. Liszt made numerous textual changes in the final revision of the set, adapting the technical demands to facilitate execution on pianos with heavier keyboard action.

When revising the 1837 set of études into their final "Transcendental" versions, Liszt added programmatic titles in French and German to all but two of the pieces, Études Nos. 2 and 10. In his edition of the work, Ferruccio Busoni respectively called them Fusées (Rockets) and Appassionata, and these titles are occasionally used in modern performance. However, these alternate titles were never approved by Liszt himself, and, generally, in scholarly reference, in performance, and in authoritative urtext editions like those published by G. Henle Verlag, these two études are referred to only by their performance indications: Molto vivace and Allegro agitato molto, respectively.[http://www.henle.de/en/detail/index.html?Title=Transcendental+Studies_717 Liszt: Transcendental Studies, Urtext Edition]{{Cite web |title=Public domain list of historic public scores works of the Transcendental Études by Franz Liszt - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Études_d%27exécution_transcendante,_S.139_(Liszt,_Franz) |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=imslp.org}}

Liszt's original idea was to write 24 études, one in each of the 24 major and minor keys. He completed only half of this project, using the neutral and flat key signatures. In 1897–1905 the Russian composer Sergei Lyapunov wrote his own set of Douze études d'exécution transcendante, Op. 11, continuing Liszt's cycle through the keys that Liszt had not used, namely the sharp keys, to "complete" the set of 24.[http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA66357 Liszt: The Complete Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 4 – Transcendental Studies (1989)], Hyperion Records, Leslie Howard Lyapunov's set of études was dedicated to the memory of Liszt, and bore titles as Liszt's set had done, with the final étude being entitled Élégie en mémoire de Franz Liszt.

Very few pianists have recorded the 1837 set, and even fewer have recorded the 1826 set (which really are works of Liszt's juvenilia). Leslie Howard is the only pianist to have recorded all three sets on a major label for international release, as part of his series of recordings for Hyperion of the complete solo piano music of Liszt.

• Sergei Lyapunov, 12 Études d'exécution transcendante, Op. 11 (1897–1905)
• Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Études transcendantes (100) (1940–44), commonly known as 100 Transcendental Studies
• Brian Ferneyhough, Études transcendantales for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1982–85)

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• {{IMSLP|work=Étude en douze exercices, S.136 (Liszt, Franz)|cname=Étude en 12 exercices, S.136|work2=Grandes études, S.137 (Liszt, Franz)|cname2=Grandes études, S.137|work3=Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139 (Liszt, Franz)|cname3=Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139|}}
• [http://www.cnk.dk/Liszt%20etudes%20dexecution%20transcendante%20discography.htm Discography of Liszt's Transcendental Studies]

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Category:Études by Franz Liszt

Category:1852 compositions

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