An Outline of The History of Western Music Grout ... - The Reel Score

ii- John Field (1782-1837)
a- drew inspiration from the vocal nocturne - vocal music related to the
romance but written for two or more voices with piano or harp
accompaniment - popular in the first decade of the 19th century
b- both looked to the ornamentation and cadenzas practiced by opera
singers and taken over by pianists in their improvised sets of variations
3: Music
i- wrote preludes at a time when he was deeply immersed in the music of
Bach
ii- was the first composer known to have used the name "ballade" for an
instrumental piece
iii- his etudes are important landmarks in defining the piano idiom - he
successfully combined the practical goal of developing advanced piano
technique with significant artistic content
g) Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
1: Career
i- born in Hungary, son of an official in the service of Prince Nicholas
Esterházy
ii- studied piano with Carl Czerny (1791-1857) a pupil of Beethoven
iii- at age 11 started a career as a concert virtuoso that lasted till 1848
iv- 1848-1861 he was court music director at Weimar
v- from 1861 to about 1870 he resided chiefly in Rome, took minor orders in
the Catholic Church - with the rest of his life divided among Rome, Weimer,
and Budapest
2: Music
i- an eclectic style
a- Hungarian roots show in compositions based on national melodies
b- early Viennese training
c- strong strain of French literary Romanticism - with its ideal of program
music
d- his piano style was built on that of Viennese and Parisian virtuosos -
Kalkbrenner, Henselt, and Thalberg - adding his own stunning effects
e- adopted the lyricism of Chopin's melodic line, rubato rhythmic sense,
harmonic innovations - amplifying and enhancing them
f- stimulated by Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840) technical virtuosity he
resolved to accomplish similar feats with the piano
ii- compositions
a- much of his piano music consists of arrangements - Schubert songs,
Berlioz & Beethoven symphonies, Bach organ fugues, fantasies on
operatic airs, and excerpts from Wagner's dramas
b- by transferring orchestral idioms to the piano Liszt demonstrated new
possibilities for the instrument
c- used national tunes in his compostions - Hungarian Rhapsodies
3: Liszt experimented with harmonies that surprisingly anticipate late 19th & 20th
century developments