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Romantic · etude

La Campanella, Grandes études de Paganini, No. 3

Franz Liszt · Level 10, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A violin concerto finale became the piano’s little bell. La Campanella, Grandes études de Paganini, No. 3 is an etude by Franz Liszt from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 10, an estimate.

On this page
  • etude
  • Romantic
  • grand
  • playful
  • octaves

Also known as Franz Liszt, after Niccolò Paganini; Franz Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini No. 3 in G-sharp minor La Campanella; La Campanella: Grandes études de Paganini, No. 3; La campanella, Grandes etudes de Paganini, S. 141 No. 3.

History

La Campanella draws on the third-movement rondo of Paganini's Second Violin Concerto in B minor. Liszt's earlier Paganini étude collection appeared in 1838; the revised collection was introduced in 1851. Both were dedicated to Clara Schumann. The earlier La Campanella was notated in A-flat minor and the revised version in G-sharp minor, showing that the work's familiar name spans a revision history.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. Calls across registers

    Repeated D-sharp octaves sound in a lower register before the high register joins late in the bar. Listen to the separation between the calls and the rests.

  2. The calls repeat

    The high octave and lower octave gestures return with different spaces between them. Follow the timing of the rests rather than making a continuous stream of repeated notes.

  3. A more active exchange

    High and lower D-sharp octave attacks alternate more frequently. Hear the rhythmic exchange while keeping each octave simultaneous.

  4. Shorter notes enter

    After another high octave call, shorter notes move between D-sharp registers and introduce C-sharp. Listen to the change from separated calls to quicker motion.

How to practise it

Place repeated octave entries cleanly around the written rests.

  1. Coordinate octave notes at each entry.
  2. Keep each layer's rests intact.
  3. Hear the exchange between lower and upper registers.

How hard is it

Level 10, estimated

The concert-level target concerns dependable coordination, clarity and sustained performance direction through the complete acquired study, not an isolated recognizable gesture.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Franz Liszt, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
The study studio
Licence
CC0
Source
musescore.com

More by Franz Liszt

  1. Consolation No. 1, S. 172Level 4, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Liebesträume No. 3, S. 541Level 9, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Place repeated octave entries cleanly around the written rests.

Practise it in PlayPiano