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The short answer
Apparitions, S. 155 No. 1 is a character piece by Franz Liszt from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 8, an estimate.
- character piece
- Romantic
- dreamy
Also known as Liszt Apparitions - No. 1.
History
Liszt wrote the three solo-piano pieces called Apparitions in 1834, before many of the larger concert works for which he became famous. The first, marked Senza lentezza quasi Allegretto, was dedicated to Countess Clara de Rauzan. Its title invites the player to hear a fleeting musical image rather than a named scene.
Sources
What to listen for
Separated upper entries emerge over a roll
Separated upper entries sound over rolling lower eighths. Hear the gaps in the upper line while the foundation continues.
Chordal responses gather into expansion
Expressive chordal replies lead into growing movement. Listen for their broader direction through the denser response.
A slower recall includes an internal hold
The quasi-Andante recall reaches held punctuation. Hear this as part of the continuing piece, not its final ending.
How to practise it
Keep the recurring lower pattern quiet as the melody enters.
- Practise one three-note shape, then connect it across the label boundary.
- Practise the upper phrase alone, then bring it out above a quieter lower cycle.
- Connect the examined phrase at a comfortable tempo while keeping its stated layers and releases distinct.
How hard is it
Changing lyrical and active textures need coordinated passagework, tonal control and sustained phrase direction.
About this piece
- Collection
- Small scenes, big imagination
- 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
