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Transcendental Étude No. 12 (Liszt)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 81.41.175.246 (talk) at 10:10, 4 September 2022 (top: chasse neige is mistranslated with modern definition of snowplow which is incorrect in this context. referring to the 1903 Paolo Gallico English edition of the Etudes, where it is translated as 'Snow-whirls'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The first bar of the Transcendental Étude No. 12

Transcendental Étude No. 12 in B minor is an étude for piano written by composer Franz Liszt. It has the programmatic title "Chasse-neige" ("snow-whirls"), and is the 12th and last of the Transcendental Études. The étude is a study in tremolos but contains many other difficulties like wide jumps and fast chromatic scales, and it requires a very gentle and soft touch in the beginning. The piece gradually builds up to a powerful climax. It is one of the most difficult Transcendental Études, being ranked 9 out of 9 by publisher G. Henle Verlag—one of the six in the series to receive the highest possible difficulty ranking.[1]

Ferruccio Busoni stated the étude was the "noblest example, perhaps, amongst all music of a poetising nature." He described the work as "a sublime and steady fall of snow which gradually buries landscape and people".[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Liszt: Transcendental Studies, Urtext Edition
  2. ^ Ferruccio Busoni, ed. (January 1988). Franz Liszt: Complete etudes for solo piano. Courier Corporation. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-486-25815-7.
  3. ^ Jim Samson (2007). Virtuosity and the Musical Work: The Transcendental Studies of Liszt. Cambridge University Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-139-43621-2.