Composer

:

Franz Liszt

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Etude

Compose Date

:

1837 - 1838

Publication Date

:

1839

Average_duration

:

74:08

Movement_count

:

12

Movement ....

Franz Liszt's "Grandes Études (12), S. 137" is a set of twelve virtuosic piano pieces composed between 1837 and 1852. The set was first published in 1852, and the premiere was given by Liszt himself in Weimar, Germany, in the same year. The twelve études are divided into two books, with six études in each book. Each étude is a technical tour de force, designed to challenge even the most skilled pianists. The first book focuses on technical exercises, while the second book explores more musical and expressive ideas. The first étude, "Preludio," is a fast and furious exercise in arpeggios and octaves. The second, "Fusées," is a study in rapid scale passages. The third, "La Campanella," is perhaps the most famous of the set, featuring a bell-like melody that is played with lightning-fast fingerwork. The fourth, "Étude en forme de valse," is a waltz that requires the pianist to play with great delicacy and precision. The fifth, "La Chasse," is a study in staccato playing, with the pianist required to play rapid-fire notes with great clarity. The sixth, "Toccata," is a virtuosic tour de force that requires the pianist to play with great speed and power. The second book begins with "Étude en douze exercices," a set of twelve technical exercises that explore a variety of pianistic techniques. The second étude, "Arpeggio," is a study in arpeggios and broken chords. The third, "La Leggierezza," is a delicate and lyrical piece that requires the pianist to play with great sensitivity. The fourth, "Étude en forme de canon," is a canon that requires the pianist to play two different melodies simultaneously. The fifth, "Feux follets," is a study in rapid fingerwork, with the pianist required to play a series of fast and intricate passages. The final étude, "Allegro agitato molto," is a fast and furious piece that requires the pianist to play with great speed and power. Overall, the "Grandes Études (12), S. 137" are a testament to Liszt's virtuosic piano writing and his ability to push the limits of what is possible on the instrument. They remain a staple of the piano repertoire and a favorite of pianists and audiences alike.

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