Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139

Historical context

Franz Liszt’s Études d’exécution transcendante began their life as the ‘Etudes en Douze Exercises pour le Piano’ (Opus 1), composed when Liszt was fourteen years old and first published in 1826. Liszt wrote these early ‘Etudes en douze Exercises’ during his prolonged residence in Marseilles, where, as the book notes, his triumph was almost unprecedented. This collection was dedicated to Mademoiselle Lydia Garella, a young lady with whom Liszt frequently played a quatre mains and who had won his affection. The book also observes that the only youthful work of Beethoven that can bear comparison with Liszt’s ‘Etudes’ is two ‘Preludes in all the Twelve Keys’, composed when Beethoven was nineteen, whereas Liszt was four or five years younger when he wrote his. Later, Alfred Dorffel noted in 1855 that Liszt disowned earlier editions, including Hofmeister’s, which he considered a “piracy” of a book of studies from when he was thirteen.

Liszt continued to refine these works over many years. Robert Schumann noted in 1838 that Liszt intended to send his twelve Studies to him in six weeks to two months from May of that year. Carl Czerny recalled in 1852 that Liszt undertook a severe revision of his old works, including the Studies dedicated to Czerny. Liszt produced a third, “entirely revised” edition of his twelve Studies, published by Hartel with the note ‘seule edition authentique, revue par l’auteur, etc.’. As Liszt wrote on August 28th, 1863, he requested a copy of his ‘Etudes d’execution transcendante’ to give to Mr. Sgambati, an excellent Roman pianist capable of playing them well in public. Liszt also suggested on November 24th, 1874, that his ‘Etudes transcendantes’ could be part of a convenient and neat small octavo edition of his works, similar to the last edition of Chopin. By May 25th, 1879, Liszt noted that Billow’s favorite pupil, Schwarz, produced several ‘Etudes transcendantes’ at a concert in Wiesbaden.

Drawn from Ledos de Beaufort, Raphaël; Helbig, Nadine, Franz Liszt, the story of his life (1910); Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886; La Mara, 1837-1927; Bache, Constance, 1846-1903, Letters of Franz Liszt (1894); Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886; La Mara, 1837-1927, Letters of Franz Liszt (1894) — public domain, archive.org.