Franz Liszt (1811–1886) – Années de pèlerinage, Book II: "Italia" (1837-1849, Revised 1858)
Franz Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) is one of the most significant works in the piano repertoire, representing the culmination of Liszt’s artistic, philosophical, and literary influences. The second book of the series, Italia, composed between 1837 and 1849, reflects Liszt’s profound inspiration drawn from Italian art, poetry, and history. This set of seven pieces delves deeply into the Renaissance and its ideals, with each composition acting as a tone poem that blends music with visual art, literature, and history. The pieces, both individually and collectively, offer an immersive journey into the cultural and emotional landscape of Italy.
Liszt dedicated Années de pèlerinage to his then-companion, the Countess Marie d'Agoult, with whom he traveled extensively throughout Europe. The first book, Suisse, is a reflection on the landscapes of Switzerland, while the second, Italia, is a rich homage to Italian culture. As a Romantic composer, Liszt imbued this work with his passions for art, poetry, and philosophy, making Italia a unique synthesis of music and the humanities.
1. Sposalizio
The first piece in Italia, Sposalizio, was inspired by Raphael’s painting The Marriage of the Virgin (1504). The painting depicts the serene moment of the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, and Liszt transforms this visual inspiration into a work of great depth and reverence.
The piece opens with soft, flowing melody, representing a musical reflection of the sacred, tranquil atmosphere of the painting. The serene, almost prayer-like melody gradually unfolds, with Liszt capturing the purity and spirituality of the scene. The use of arpeggios and intricate harmonic textures suggests the architectural grace of the Renaissance art that Liszt admired. As the piece progresses, the music swells to a climactic point, symbolizing the sanctity and emotional intensity of the marriage ceremony, before subsiding to a peaceful, glowing conclusion.
Sposalizio showcases Liszt’s ability to evoke visual and emotional imagery through music, illustrating his belief in the power of music to transcend traditional forms and serve as a direct conduit to the sublime.
2. Il penseroso
Il penseroso is the second piece in the set, inspired by Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture Il Pensieroso (The Thinker) from the Medici Chapel in Florence. This piece embodies a profound meditation on the nature of human existence, contemplating the eternal questions of life, death, and the divine.
In contrast to the more serene Sposalizio, Il penseroso is darker and more introspective. The music reflects the solemn and contemplative pose of Michelangelo’s sculpture, with its brooding character and wandering harmonies. The opening theme, marked by chromaticism and a deep, introspective mood, seems to search for answers, mirroring the statue’s expression of philosophical reflection.
The piece employs a variety of dynamic contrasts, dissonances, and silences, which add to its meditative nature. The repetitive motifs and wandering harmonic progressions suggest an unresolved tension, echoing the statue’s pensive demeanor. Through this piece, Liszt captures the grandeur and solemnity of the Renaissance spirit, filtered through the lens of his Romantic sensibility.
3. Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
This lively, more lighthearted piece contrasts with the deeper philosophical tone of the previous works. Inspired by a Neapolitan song attributed to the 17th-century painter, poet, and musician Salvator Rosa, this short but vibrant piece brings to life the exuberance and charm of Italian folk music.
The Canzonetta is playful and bright, capturing the essence of Italian street music with its dancing rhythms and light texture. It features a catchy, almost vocal-like melody, which is passed between the hands, reminiscent of the popular songs heard in Italy during Liszt’s travels. The use of staccato figures and lively rhythms gives the piece a spirited, joyful character, standing in contrast to the more serious mood of Sposalizio and Il penseroso.
Though seemingly lighter in nature, Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa still exhibits Liszt’s genius for variation and ornamentation. Beneath the surface simplicity lies a sophisticated pianistic challenge, requiring dexterity and control from the performer.
4. Three Petrarch Sonnets (Tre sonetti del Petrarca, Nos. 47, 104, 123)
The central masterpieces of Italia are the three Petrarch Sonnets, which are inspired by the sonnets of the Italian Renaissance poet Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch). These works exemplify Liszt’s fascination with the intersection of music and poetry, as he transforms the deep emotions of Petrarch’s love poems into rich musical landscapes.
Each of the sonnets explores different facets of love—longing, passion, and spiritual transcendence.
Sonetto 47 ("Benedetto sia 'l giorno"): This sonnet speaks of love and devotion, and Liszt reflects this with a flowing, lyrical melody, rich in ornamentation. The music moves through a series of increasingly intense climaxes, symbolizing the narrator’s escalating emotions.
5. Sonetto 104 ("Pace non trovo"): The second sonnet, marked doloroso, expresses internal conflict and turmoil. The music is more agitated and chromatic, mirroring the poet’s contradictory emotions as he struggles with the paradoxes of love. The melody alternates between tenderness and anguish, eventually building to a powerful, stormy conclusion.
6. Sonetto 123 ("I’ vidi in terra angelici costumi"): The final sonnet of the series conveys the heavenly beauty of the beloved, with music that is tender, ethereal, and rhapsodic. Liszt’s delicate use of arpeggios and lyrical melodies evokes the image of an angelic figure, as described in Petrarch’s poem.
These three pieces together form the emotional heart of Italia, offering a profound meditation on love and its complexities.
7. Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata
The final piece in the set, often referred to simply as the Dante Sonata, is one of Liszt’s most powerful and dramatic compositions. Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, specifically the Inferno and Purgatorio, this piece is a monumental work of programmatic piano music.
The Dante Sonata opens with a series of ominous, descending tritones—often referred to as “the devil’s interval”—which immediately establish the work’s dark and hellish atmosphere. Liszt uses these dissonant intervals to evoke the terror and chaos of Dante’s Inferno. The piece is full of violent outbursts, sweeping arpeggios, and intense contrasts, as it traces the journey from Hell to the purgatorial ascent.
At the heart of the piece, however, is a lyrical, almost sacred theme that represents redemption and divine love, a stark contrast to the surrounding turbulence. This theme gradually rises out of the darkness, symbolizing the ultimate triumph of light over despair.
The Dante Sonata exemplifies Liszt’s ability to blend virtuosity with deep emotional content. Its technical demands are extreme, requiring immense stamina and control, but its emotional scope is equally vast, making it one of Liszt’s most compelling works.
Conclusion
Années de pèlerinage, Book II: "Italia" is a profound reflection of Liszt’s artistic pilgrimage, a journey not only through Italy’s cultural and historical landmarks but also through the landscape of human emotion and experience. Each piece in the collection offers a unique perspective on the Renaissance ideals that fascinated Liszt, blending poetry, painting, and sculpture into music that is deeply philosophical, emotional, and virtuosic. Through Italia, Liszt invites the listener on an intellectual and spiritual journey, making it one of the most significant collections in the piano repertoire.
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) Preludes, Op. 28 (1839)
Frédéric Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28 represent one of the most significant works in the solo piano repertoire, transcending their seemingly modest designation as "preludes" to become complex, self-contained musical expressions. Completed in 1839, while Chopin was staying on the island of Majorca with the French novelist George Sand, the collection consists of 24 preludes, one in each major and minor key, following the circle of fifths.
While the concept of preludes as short, improvisatory pieces was not new—J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier also featured preludes and fugues in every key—Chopin’s approach to the prelude form was revolutionary. Rather than treating these works as mere introductions to more extended compositions, each of Chopin’s preludes is a fully realized piece, concise yet packed with depth of emotion and character.
The brevity of the preludes, some lasting only a minute, challenges the listener to grasp the intensity and range of emotions contained within such short forms. From stormy and tempestuous outbursts to serene and reflective moments, the preludes cover the full spectrum of human experience. They are highly individual in character and often radically different from one another, providing a kaleidoscopic journey through contrasting moods.
A Tour of Key Highlights
- Prelude No. 1 in C major: Marked Agitato, this prelude is bright and energetic, with rippling, flowing arpeggios that seem to rush forward, setting the stage for the emotional intensity that will follow.
- Prelude No. 4 in E minor: One of the most haunting and poignant of the set, this prelude is built on a repeated harmonic progression and creates a sense of melancholy resignation. Its simplicity only serves to heighten the emotional impact. This piece was performed at Chopin’s own funeral.
- Prelude No. 6 in B minor: With its sorrowful descending lines, this prelude evokes a sense of quiet despair. The pulsating left-hand chords provide a steady undercurrent to the expressive melodic line.
- Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major, "Raindrop": The longest and perhaps the most famous of the set, this prelude is known for its repeated note motif, which some listeners have interpreted as mimicking the sound of raindrops. However, Chopin himself disliked programmatic interpretations of his music. The piece transitions from a tranquil opening section to a stormy middle passage, then returns to a calm resolution.
- Prelude No. 20 in C minor: This prelude stands out for its powerful, almost funereal, chordal structure. With its slow, deliberate pace and dramatic harmonic progression, it creates a sense of inevitability and finality.
- Prelude No. 24 in D minor: The final prelude in the set, this piece is a whirlwind of stormy, virtuosic intensity. Marked Allegro appassionato, it brings the set to a tumultuous conclusion, with rapid scales and arpeggios that surge forward relentlessly.
Innovation and Influence
Chopin’s preludes are remarkable not only for their emotional variety but also for their innovative use of form and harmony. Many of the preludes have ambiguous harmonic structures and unconventional resolutions, leading some critics to describe them as visionary works that anticipate later developments in music, particularly in the realm of harmony. Their unpredictability, sudden changes in mood, and their departure from traditional compositional models foreshadow the later innovations of composers like Debussy and Scriabin.
The preludes were not without their critics. Robert Schumann, who admired Chopin, referred to the set as "sketches, beginnings of études, or, if you will, ruins, pieces of wild, motley kind," yet he recognized their brilliance and originality. The works may have puzzled some of Chopin's contemporaries because they did not fit into established categories, but over time they have come to be recognized as masterpieces of the piano repertoire.
Conclusion
The Preludes, Op. 28 embody Chopin's genius for distilling complex emotions into concise musical forms. Though short in length, they offer a profound exploration of the piano's expressive potential. These pieces defy easy categorization, balancing technical brilliance with deep emotional content. Through the Preludes, Chopin opens a window into his inner world, where beauty and sorrow, turbulence and peace coexist in a delicate, perfectly balanced form. Today, they remain central to the piano repertoire, inviting both pianist and listener alike to engage deeply with their rich and multi-faceted emotional landscape.