Thank you for sharing the wonderful information of Liszt. I have always felt that Liszt was the greatest complete musician in history. The love and appreciation of Liszt has been with me all my life. My 96 year old mother as a child studied piano with one of Liszt last students.
Holy baby Jesus, thank you for researching this and making a video on this! I absolutely adore the attention to silence and open spaces that Liszt has in this work. It's far more contemplative than what I am used to hearing in Liszt.
I remember Mr Oldfield's Christmas single with In Dulce Jubilo on the B side but I had no idea that Liszt had used it or even that he'd done his own Christmas album 🙂 Thanks for another interesting video.
Liszt always fascinates me in all of his compositions and his virtuosity. One of my top favorite composers of all time and I wish I had a sliver of his talent on the piano.
Hans von Bulow, of course, had Tchaikowsky’s Piano Concerto dedicated to him after Anton Rubinstein had criticised it as being “unplayable.” Wonderful analysis and playing by the way 😊
I’m sorry he suffered in his older age. He is a wonderful composer Thank for the history and for the music. He was modern beyond his era. Shepherds of the Manager is different and interesting. It may grow on me. I’ll see if I can purchase a download. Thank you.
Absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing! I tend to shy away from Liszt's more virtuosic works, but this is quite a different side of him for me given my limited exposure to his repertoire. I'm now inspired to compose a somewhat jazzier reinterpretation of this, so thanks again!
While I greatly enjoyed the background and musical analysis, the performance itself touched my old heart and made me cry. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.
What might be of interest to you is that one relative of Hans von Bülow (nobility obviously) was a man called "Bernhard-Viktor von Bülow" with the artist name "Loriot" who became one of the greatest german comedy writers in mid 20th century, with very funny and sophisticated sketches. But you probably don't understand german sadly.
With Bernhard Heinrich Martin Karl von Bülow ( 1849 -1929 ) the Von Bülow family even provided a chancellor of Germany. He hold that office from 1900 until 1909.
This is superb! A gorgeous piece of music, with a fascinating explanation of its context as well as its content. And even links to related videos. Thank you!
This is great! Also, while not Christmas-y per se, the lack of non-diatonic notes combined with a deceptively simple (though obviously skillful) harmonization has an amazing effect; it reminds me of several Chopin pieces: the intro of the 2nd Ballade, the chorale sections from the op. 15, no. 3 and op. 37, no. 1 Nocturnes.
Beautiful. Thank you for explaining this to me. I don't have any education in music - I learned to play music on the clarinet by memorizing what my classmates did, and I still don't know notes, but I really appreciate learning so much about the music I love.
Thanks, I had no idea these pieces existed, how lovely! Is it just me or is there foreshadowing of Bartok's folk song arrangements in that final section? Perhaps it's a Hungarian harmonic taste?
Did Liszt move from D flat to E as a conscious technical manipulation of the relationship between relative majors and what have you ? or simply because it was the SOUND he wanted? I sometimes think the analysis misses the point. we can see what he did but does that get at what he INTENDED? don't get me wrong, i have a composition degree. I understand what you are saying, even though i have not composed in decades having lost al confidence in composing soon after graduating in 1980. so my question comes down to this: to what extent is composition the artisans craft if building a structure as opposed to an ecstatic prophetic utterance as when Maher said he was not composing he was "being composed"
I hope the discussion is reasonably clear about what Liszt intended. You raise an important question about the value of analytical observation: composers have a knack of doing something wonderful and some of that 'genius' is hard to pin down (that's why it's genius!) but sometimes its interesting to look at aspects of the craft to see why it words so well. My observations about the relative major probably seem overly dry, but it's really a question of, "why does this tertiary shift sound beautiful? Why does it feel as if a window has opened onto new vistas?" Some of the uplift we experience is connected to the way it subverts the traditional tonal relationship - that's all I'm trying to say here.
I always wonder how bad out of tune the pianos of great composers might have been. Bach could and did tune "claviers", - that was a request for a keyboard player at that time. But it is said that Liszt traveled through Spain and played on the worst uprights out of tune, therefore I always wonder - how much off before Liszt would say NO - this will not do. I guess you can say that if the octaves sound like octaves and the top is in sync with the lower middle then it works. And "works" here I take to mean that you can hear what the musician is trying to paint, - you can hear what it represents, "tonic-dominant" etc. I have read that Chopin brought a tuning tool ("hammer") with him in the winter when he and George Sand (or Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil) lived in a monastery apartment on Mallorca, and he had got a "cottage piano" with him, he wrote to the giver, piano maker Pleyel, that he tuned the piano into an acceptable "work-tuning", meaning it wasn't a concert tuning. I guess even talented piano technicians need 2 - 4 years of instruction in order to do a concert quality tuning. On Mallorca Chopin nevertheless composed - but we know that skilled composers can compose most of their music without actual instruments (based on Beethoven, Smetana, Tchaikovsky and more) since they at young age had got a vivid sound system in their mind/head/brain. (Spelling and typos corrected.)
Very interesting questions. Speaking as a composer, I would say that Chopin's description "work-tuning" is about right. As long as it functions OK, and 8ves and general harmony don't sound horrible, then maybe it's acceptable. Often older pianos have an individuality about the sound that can have a certain charm. You're right that pianos are very difficult to tune well and even professional musicians should be very cautious about attempting it!
@@themusicprofessor :: If you read Hummel's advice to piano learners you will see that he insist that the amateur can be much better off even if he is not an expert tuner. He *must* learn to tune the instrument Hummel advices. He states that you can obtain better results learning to tune, instead of just letting the instrument be without a tuner. Sometimes people had the piano standing there for years because it was impossible to get a qualified tuner. Hummel describes two or three ways to lay a temperature, meaning the first 12 notes, an octave with all 12 tones. It is "sine qua non" that the piano is in some degree of tuning. In a booklet I got the author describes the situation in the Midwest of USA as an example of where you would be better off with an amateur tuning! ☻
Thank you for sharing the wonderful information of Liszt. I have always felt that Liszt was the greatest complete musician in history. The love and appreciation of Liszt has been with me all my life. My 96 year old mother as a child studied piano with one of Liszt last students.
Thank you for sharing this! Liszt was a very modernist composer who pushed harmony in all kinds of ways.
Holy baby Jesus, thank you for researching this and making a video on this! I absolutely adore the attention to silence and open spaces that Liszt has in this work. It's far more contemplative than what I am used to hearing in Liszt.
I remember Mr Oldfield's Christmas single with In Dulce Jubilo on the B side but I had no idea that Liszt had used it or even that he'd done his own Christmas album 🙂 Thanks for another interesting video.
Liszt always fascinates me in all of his compositions and his virtuosity. One of my top favorite composers of all time and I wish I had a sliver of his talent on the piano.
Hans von Bulow, of course, had Tchaikowsky’s Piano Concerto dedicated to him after Anton Rubinstein had criticised it as being “unplayable.”
Wonderful analysis and playing by the way 😊
I’m sorry he suffered in his older age. He is a wonderful composer Thank for the history and for the music. He was modern beyond his era. Shepherds of the Manager is different and interesting. It may grow on me. I’ll see if I can purchase a download. Thank you.
I played the Adeste Fideles arrangement from Weihnachtsbaum for Christmas, the suite is hugely underrated, always good to see more about it!
Beautifully described
I love Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to loki!
A very Merry Christmas to you. Really enjoyed this presentation. Thank you.
Thank you!
Merry Christmas Professor. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.
Absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing!
I tend to shy away from Liszt's more virtuosic works, but this is quite a different side of him for me given my limited exposure to his repertoire.
I'm now inspired to compose a somewhat jazzier reinterpretation of this, so thanks again!
While I greatly enjoyed the background and musical analysis, the performance itself touched my old heart and made me cry. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.
What a lovely comment. Thank you and merry Christmas to you too
Thank You
What might be of interest to you is that one relative of Hans von Bülow (nobility obviously) was a man called "Bernhard-Viktor von Bülow" with the artist name "Loriot" who became one of the greatest german comedy writers in mid 20th century, with very funny and sophisticated sketches. But you probably don't understand german sadly.
Interesting. They're an influential family
With Bernhard Heinrich Martin Karl von Bülow ( 1849 -1929 ) the Von Bülow family even provided a chancellor of Germany. He hold that office from 1900 until 1909.
Wow! What a wonderful festive gift: words and music creating perfect harmony. Thank you - Merry Christmas! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks!
Thank you!!
Great contribution! Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us in such a pleasant and entertaining manner.
Excellent video.
This is superb! A gorgeous piece of music, with a fascinating explanation of its context as well as its content. And even links to related videos. Thank you!
This is great! Also, while not Christmas-y per se, the lack of non-diatonic notes combined with a deceptively simple (though obviously skillful) harmonization has an amazing effect; it reminds me of several Chopin pieces: the intro of the 2nd Ballade, the chorale sections from the op. 15, no. 3 and op. 37, no. 1 Nocturnes.
Really gorgeous piece, and loved the background intro!
Thank you. Lovely playing and interesting commentary
Thank you!
Fantastic! Thank you for the lesson and the beautiful Christmas music!
Thank you for such a timely video.
"After all, he was a rather good pianist." I'm glad we're approaching this opera with ... reserve.
"... spelled as F-flat major ...": comic genius.
Awesome video❤ i heard the collection and I am happy to know more about, given its quite unusual nature ❤
Thank you
Beautiful. Thank you for explaining this to me. I don't have any education in music - I learned to play music on the clarinet by memorizing what my classmates did, and I still don't know notes, but I really appreciate learning so much about the music I love.
So interesting! What a carry on!
I absolutely love Ehemals from this suite.
Franz Liszt made very good use of an old melody.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks, I had no idea these pieces existed, how lovely! Is it just me or is there foreshadowing of Bartok's folk song arrangements in that final section? Perhaps it's a Hungarian harmonic taste?
I guess he's on Santa's nice *Liszt.*
🙏
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
I was not familiar with this piece at all. I've added a few of the movements to one of my instrumental Xmas playlists. Thanks!
Did Liszt move from D flat to E as a conscious technical manipulation of the relationship between relative majors and what have you ? or simply because it was the SOUND he wanted?
I sometimes think the analysis misses the point.
we can see what he did but does that get at what he INTENDED?
don't get me wrong, i have a composition degree. I understand what you are saying, even though i have not composed in decades having lost al confidence in composing soon after graduating in 1980.
so my question comes down to this: to what extent is composition the artisans craft if building a structure as opposed to an ecstatic prophetic utterance as when Maher said he was not composing he was "being composed"
I hope the discussion is reasonably clear about what Liszt intended. You raise an important question about the value of analytical observation: composers have a knack of doing something wonderful and some of that 'genius' is hard to pin down (that's why it's genius!) but sometimes its interesting to look at aspects of the craft to see why it words so well. My observations about the relative major probably seem overly dry, but it's really a question of, "why does this tertiary shift sound beautiful? Why does it feel as if a window has opened onto new vistas?" Some of the uplift we experience is connected to the way it subverts the traditional tonal relationship - that's all I'm trying to say here.
9:09 haha, no. Ive heard similar rythm and harmonies in chopins music. And that was way before this piece.
It is a similar diatonic style by Liszt does it differently. It's not a competition, you know!
@@themusicprofessor i know. But saying he invented it is silly
@@themusicprofessor listz is till a great composer
@@themusicprofessor not to attack you, just saying. You good.
I always wonder how bad out of tune the pianos of great composers might have been. Bach could and did tune "claviers", - that was a request for a keyboard player at that time. But it is said that Liszt traveled through Spain and played on the worst uprights out of tune, therefore I always wonder - how much off before Liszt would say NO - this will not do. I guess you can say that if the octaves sound like octaves and the top is in sync with the lower middle then it works. And "works" here I take to mean that you can hear what the musician is trying to paint, - you can hear what it represents, "tonic-dominant" etc.
I have read that Chopin brought a tuning tool ("hammer") with him in the winter when he and George Sand (or Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil) lived in a monastery apartment on Mallorca, and he had got a "cottage piano" with him, he wrote to the giver, piano maker Pleyel, that he tuned the piano into an acceptable "work-tuning", meaning it wasn't a concert tuning. I guess even talented piano technicians need 2 - 4 years of instruction in order to do a concert quality tuning. On Mallorca Chopin nevertheless composed - but we know that skilled composers can compose most of their music without actual instruments (based on Beethoven, Smetana, Tchaikovsky and more) since they at young age had got a vivid sound system in their mind/head/brain. (Spelling and typos corrected.)
Very interesting questions. Speaking as a composer, I would say that Chopin's description "work-tuning" is about right. As long as it functions OK, and 8ves and general harmony don't sound horrible, then maybe it's acceptable. Often older pianos have an individuality about the sound that can have a certain charm. You're right that pianos are very difficult to tune well and even professional musicians should be very cautious about attempting it!
@@themusicprofessor :: If you read Hummel's advice to piano learners you will see that he insist that the amateur can be much better off even if he is not an expert tuner. He *must* learn to tune the instrument Hummel advices. He states that you can obtain better results learning to tune, instead of just letting the instrument be without a tuner. Sometimes people had the piano standing there for years because it was impossible to get a qualified tuner. Hummel describes two or three ways to lay a temperature, meaning the first 12 notes, an octave with all 12 tones.
It is "sine qua non" that the piano is in some degree of tuning. In a booklet I got the author describes the situation in the Midwest of USA as an example of where you would be better off with an amateur tuning! ☻
Interesting presentation but (10:24) there is nothing remotely Gregorian-chant-like about this music! Yikes!!
I disagree - the undulating line of the LH melody variant is I think influenced (and not unusually in Liszt) by Gregorian chant.