Essential Repertoire,
Piano Sheet Music Essentials: Ferencz Liszt
In our Piano Sheet Music Essentials series, we aim to offer recommendations for some of the most popular piano pieces by a selection of celebrated composers, broken up into general difficulty level, so pianists of all ages and abilities can begin to explore the works of great classical composers. This article focuses on the work of Hungarian composer Ferencz Liszt.
Ferencz Liszt
Born in Raiding in Eastern Austria in 1811, Liszt showed talent as a pianist from a young age. He gained prominence in Europe during the early nineteenth century for his impressive virtuosic skill as a pianist. A prolific composer, musician, conductor, teacher, and arranger, Liszt was one of the most eminent representatives of the New German School, composing principle works of the Romantic Era. In 1886 Liszt died of pneumonia in Bayreuth Germany.
Easy - Intermediate Pieces
The pieces listed below are suitable for beginner to early intermediate pianists. As with all sheet music, some basic music theory, and an understanding of how to read and interpret sheet music is required. Including arrangements of more difficult pieces, this collection provides accessible choices for beginners and offers an introduction into the world of Ferencz Liszt.
A simplified, very easy version of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in E Minor, edited by Gérard Nauwelaers.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Contains fourteen titles including the adagio theme from Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major, slections from Consolations, En Rêve, Nocturne, themes from Hungarian Fantasy, Liebestraum No. 3, and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, an excerpt from La Campanella (6 Grand Etudes of Paganini, No. 3), and La Romanesca.
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This collection proves that not all of Liszt's piano music is fiendishly difficult. Ranging from easy to intermediate, these pieces span the composer's entire career and stylistic development: they are a perfect introduction to his music.
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A simplified arrangement of Liszt's Liebestraume No.3 In G Major for piano arranged by Juan Jaume.
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Intermediate – Early Advanced Pieces
The following pieces are suitable for intermediate to early advanced pianists. Some publications will include pieces that are easier to master, and some that are much more advanced. Our selections below include popular works such as Liebestraum, Consolations, Années de Pèlerinage, and more.
Franz Liszt is still regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time: a superb virtuoso whose own piano works also bristle with extreme technical difficulties. But no one needs to be afraid of big names. This carefully chosen selection from Liszt’s immense oeuvre ranges from easy to moderately difficult. And for those who reach the end of the volume, there’s a worthwhile reward: perhaps Liszt’s best-known piano piece, the third Liebestraum.
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Besides the popular Consolations, this book also includes Liszt’s delightful piano arrangements of Hungarian folk music and simplified versions he made of various pieces. Some miniatures from Liszt’s vast oeuvre that were previously available only in obscure sources appear here in a collection for the first time.
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As is well known, Liszt's works are for the most part extremely virtuosic and therefore seldom playable for the amateur pianist. In this volume, Peter Roggenkamp has put together easier pieces that are nevertheless very typical of the composer.
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A wonderful collection of eighteen original piano pieces by the towering Romantic virtuoso. Includes Années de Pèlerinage, Consolations, Un Sospiro, and more.
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The author of the successful Romantic Piano Anthology and Classical Piano Anthology series’ presents a fascinating selection of fragments and miniatures from Franz Liszt’s catalogue of compositions. Although well known for his virtuosic piano works, this new collection reflects Liszt’s ability to write simply, yet effectively for the instrument. Eighteen varied pieces written throughout the composer’s lifetime are accompanied by a detailed introduction, and teaching notes for each piece.
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Liszt's Twenty-one Short Piano Pieces have been published as part of ABRSM's Signature' Series - a series of authoritative performing editions of standard keyboard works, prepared from original sources by leading scholars. Includes informative introductions and performance notes.
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Liszt was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the 19th century and a very influential teacher who played an enormous part in the development of modern piano technique. For this reason the majority of his works make the highest technical demands of the performer - this selection, however, contains only pieces at an intermediate difficulty level.
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Liszt made significant contributions to piano literature. Consolations and Liebesträume were first published in 1850 and have become Liszt's most approachable and recognizable pieces. With historical and performance notes.
Available Format: Sheet Music/CD
Advanced – Professional Level Pieces
Lastly, these selections are most suited for advanced to professional level musicians and contain some of the most challenging Liszt compositions. The publications below include complete works, transcriptions, and popular individual pieces.
Franz Liszt's transcriptions of other composers' music are as highly regarded as his original piano works. First acquainted with Bach through his piano studies, Liszt further explored the earlier composer's works in his career as a virtuoso performer. His piano interpretations of Bach's Organ Music are executed in a simple and straightforward manner, and they rapidly became the classic models for all future works in this genre. This compilation features Six Organ Preludes and Fugues (BWV 543-548) and the Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor (BWV 542).
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Includes Ave Maria, Erlkonig, Gretchen Am Spinnrade and Die Junge Nonne*.
Volumes two and three are available here.
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One of the great strengths of the Peters Edition of Liszt's piano music is that it was edited by Emil von Sauer - perhaps Liszt's most famous pupil. Dr Leslie Howard, one of the greatest modern-day exponents of Liszt's piano music, embarked upon a project to update their editions of these great works, utilising this valuable link to Liszt's musical and pianistic intentions via his pupil.
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Franz Liszt was not only a brilliant and innovative composer and the greatest piano virtuoso of the 19th century; he was also a generous populariser of other composers’ music. One of his primary methods was through his superb piano transcriptions of great orchestral, operatic and other pieces. These transcriptions made it possible for people to enjoy music to which they otherwise had no access to. This collection offers a memorable feast of pianistic virtuosity sure to delight pianists, and admirers of Liszt.
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The pianistically demanding studies Waldesrauschen and Gnomenreigen were written during the composer’s mature late phase, in which one does not necessarily expect such virtuosic pieces. The two studies, published in 1863 and independent of the Klavierschule, were dedicated to his extremely gifted pupil Dionys Pruckner.
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Liszt would not have become the artist we know, had it not been for Paganini. It is safe to say that the 1832 concert where Liszt first heard the ''Devil s Violinist'' play was of historic importance. Following this experience, Liszt emerged renewed from his career crisis of several years and soon found his own voice as a composer. At the same time, he progressed to become the most influential piano virtuoso of all time.
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Rhapsodie Espagnole arranged by Emil von Sauer - perhaps Liszt's most famous pupil.
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The third piece from Liszt's Grandes Études de Paganini presents an especially formidable technical challenge to performers. Based on the final movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto in B minor, La campanella was dedicated to Clara Schumann.
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Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, Volume I (Nos. 1-9).
Volume II (Nos. 10-19) is also available here.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Liszt's Mephisto Waltz - Episode from Lenau's Faust: Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Gift Ideas for Liszt Aficionados
A collection of Liszt transcriptions including Deux Transcriptions d'apres Rossini, Ouvertüre zu R Wagners Tannhäuser , Ouverture Aus Der Oper Der Freischutz and more.
Browse more hardback volumes in the New Liszt Edition.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
