PlayPiano
The short answer
Mephisto Waltz No. 3 is a waltz by Franz Liszt from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 10, an estimate.
- waltz
- Romantic
- stormy
Also known as Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No. 3.
History
Liszt’s third Mephisto Waltz belongs to his late piano music. This edition bears a dedication to the pianist and composer Marie Jaëll. Its mischievous character is suggested in the printed playing directions, including passages marked staccato and scherzando.
Sources
What to listen for
Chordal calls include held punctuation
Chordal calls are separated by internal held interruptions. Hear these as part of the opening route rather than treating an early fermata as the work end.
A singing lower layer sits within chords
Marked chordal motion carries a singing lower layer. Listen below the fuller attacks for that continuing line.
Dense sequences change register
Layered sequences become dense and shift their register. Follow one strand through the movement without treating each staff as a separate physical hand.
Chordal drive broadens into the close
Gathering chordal motion leads into broader closing gestures. Hear its final expansion after the earlier thinning and internal hold.
How to practise it
Keep the actual active voices distinct in this multi-staff encoding.
- Practise the active three-note contour from its initial rest.
- Connect the examined gestures slowly while keeping the stated layers distinct.
How hard is it
Complex virtuoso textures and sharp character changes require advanced coordination and large-scale control.
About this piece
- Collection
- At the dance floor
- Licence
- CC0
- Source
- musescore.com
More by Franz Liszt
- Consolation No. 1, S. 172Level 4, estimatedWith Maestro
- Liebesträume No. 3, S. 541Level 9, estimatedWith Maestro
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro
