本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛It is not surprising that very few individuals would associate the name Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886), with heavy metal music. Born in Hungary during the Early Romantic period, Liszt’s musical talent was evident even at the tender age of six - when he performed a Ferdinant Rie concerto from memory after hearing his father play it only once (DiSilvio). There was no doubt Liszt in anyone's mind that Liszt would grow up to become one the country’s foremost pianists. Indeed, Liszt’s unsurpassed technical competence on the instrument earned him the title “King of Piano” early on in his career (Walker). Liszt's unmatched understanding of the piano enabled him to manipulate the device into making sounds that were previously unheard. However, in contrast to those successful composers (such as Mozart and Bach) who followed the classical trend and wrote music to impress, Liszt’s music was meant to express. Often times, in order to truly convey the message in his music, Liszt would veer from the original score and improvise upon impulse, adding personal touches to his performances. In fact, with his shoulder length hair, formidable fan base and troubling social life, Liszt is the rock star of his generation. Defiant, bright and brutally honest; Liszt and his music embodied the true meaning of the Romantic Era.
Much like legendary figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Liszt loved to experiment with his art, formulating his ideas and visions and tempering with his pieces until he deemed them satisfactory. This method of making music was strayed from the way music was written in the classical era. His music challenged the themes for which music was written about. Liszt, unlike his predecessors, made music breathe passion and bring unparalleled psychological and emotional influences. Liszt detested violence and war. To demonstrate his anger towards those who were indifferent, he invented menacing harmonies and haunting melodies (such as Mephisto Waltz). With music, Liszt revealed the many facets of the human experience by illuminating our failures and triumphs. The old masters of the time preferred music that stayed loyal to notation and strongly disagreed with Liszt and his music, regularly cited the his work as “utter chaos” and “an incomprehensible mess” (Walker). But Liszt was misunderstood. His works were put through undeserved slaughter because no one understood his intentions or appreciated his honesty. This in turn, is the same for many emo-rock/ heavy metal musicians, whose music are often under-rated because no one has the ability to fully realize the depth in their lyrics and songs.
Since the very beginning of his virtuoso career, Liszt always requested to have two grand pianos on stage. Contrary to common piano arrangement, this is to prepare for the event that the first instrument break down due to the amount of tension he put on those strings. This is akin to how guitar players often have a back up instrument as well, lest the first guitar would not make it to the end of the show due to a broken string. Unlike his peers, Liszt also never performed with sheet music and constantly veered from the original score, tempering with the notes as he saw fit (Hamilton). Liszt was one of the first modern concert soloists and he frequently toyed with conventional boundaries. For example, on a stormy day, Liszt would, perhaps, throw in a few more accidentals (notes that would take on either a higher or lower tone, an example of this would be Mezappa) to create a gloomier mood. This is a trait that previous performers did not possess and earlier composers did not allow, deeming such an act would “betray” their score. Prior to Liszt, music was to be performed exactly the way it was written. But Liszt went against the current of the preceding era and crafted a whole new meaning to live performance, in the true sense of a rebellious rock star.
Liszt was always a very active performer, watching him is sometimes like watching someone go through a strenuous workout. When playing a particularly fast-paced, intense piece, Liszt’s shoulder-length hair would swish around his head madly, obscuring his vision. On stage, his slender fingers could be seen punching frantically at the piano keys and dancing like a pair of twigs on fire across the expanse of the scales. After all, it is the sight of Liszt's fervent playing that drew mobs of women to the handsome star. Liszt, although the term did not exist in his time, was already a rock legend – forever enchanting the crowd with his presence, charisma and seductive manner in his luring of beautiful sounds from a piano forte.
The nineteenth century music scene changed dramatically with the birth of Liszt and his passion for honest, confessional music. Though at the time, no one would have suspected that the world’s leading pianist would become one of the founding fathers of modern rock music. But with his unwavering desire to express the human mind’s deepest and darkest secrets, the dashing virtuoso had managed to not only to secure himself a position as the Led Zeppelin of his time, but also the musical leader of the Romantic era. Liszt, by merely sitting at the piano, traveled ahead of time and still undoubtedly influence musicians of all genres with his style and works.
WORKS CITED
Hamilton, Kenneth (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Liszt, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Walker, Alan: Franz Liszt, The Virtuoso Years (1811-1847), revised edition, Cornell University Press 1987.
Rich, DiSilvio. “The Franz Liszt Site: Liszt and Modern Music” 2009. Jan 14
< http://www.d-vista.com/OTHER/hamlet.htm>.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Much like legendary figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Liszt loved to experiment with his art, formulating his ideas and visions and tempering with his pieces until he deemed them satisfactory. This method of making music was strayed from the way music was written in the classical era. His music challenged the themes for which music was written about. Liszt, unlike his predecessors, made music breathe passion and bring unparalleled psychological and emotional influences. Liszt detested violence and war. To demonstrate his anger towards those who were indifferent, he invented menacing harmonies and haunting melodies (such as Mephisto Waltz). With music, Liszt revealed the many facets of the human experience by illuminating our failures and triumphs. The old masters of the time preferred music that stayed loyal to notation and strongly disagreed with Liszt and his music, regularly cited the his work as “utter chaos” and “an incomprehensible mess” (Walker). But Liszt was misunderstood. His works were put through undeserved slaughter because no one understood his intentions or appreciated his honesty. This in turn, is the same for many emo-rock/ heavy metal musicians, whose music are often under-rated because no one has the ability to fully realize the depth in their lyrics and songs.
Since the very beginning of his virtuoso career, Liszt always requested to have two grand pianos on stage. Contrary to common piano arrangement, this is to prepare for the event that the first instrument break down due to the amount of tension he put on those strings. This is akin to how guitar players often have a back up instrument as well, lest the first guitar would not make it to the end of the show due to a broken string. Unlike his peers, Liszt also never performed with sheet music and constantly veered from the original score, tempering with the notes as he saw fit (Hamilton). Liszt was one of the first modern concert soloists and he frequently toyed with conventional boundaries. For example, on a stormy day, Liszt would, perhaps, throw in a few more accidentals (notes that would take on either a higher or lower tone, an example of this would be Mezappa) to create a gloomier mood. This is a trait that previous performers did not possess and earlier composers did not allow, deeming such an act would “betray” their score. Prior to Liszt, music was to be performed exactly the way it was written. But Liszt went against the current of the preceding era and crafted a whole new meaning to live performance, in the true sense of a rebellious rock star.
Liszt was always a very active performer, watching him is sometimes like watching someone go through a strenuous workout. When playing a particularly fast-paced, intense piece, Liszt’s shoulder-length hair would swish around his head madly, obscuring his vision. On stage, his slender fingers could be seen punching frantically at the piano keys and dancing like a pair of twigs on fire across the expanse of the scales. After all, it is the sight of Liszt's fervent playing that drew mobs of women to the handsome star. Liszt, although the term did not exist in his time, was already a rock legend – forever enchanting the crowd with his presence, charisma and seductive manner in his luring of beautiful sounds from a piano forte.
The nineteenth century music scene changed dramatically with the birth of Liszt and his passion for honest, confessional music. Though at the time, no one would have suspected that the world’s leading pianist would become one of the founding fathers of modern rock music. But with his unwavering desire to express the human mind’s deepest and darkest secrets, the dashing virtuoso had managed to not only to secure himself a position as the Led Zeppelin of his time, but also the musical leader of the Romantic era. Liszt, by merely sitting at the piano, traveled ahead of time and still undoubtedly influence musicians of all genres with his style and works.
WORKS CITED
Hamilton, Kenneth (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Liszt, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Walker, Alan: Franz Liszt, The Virtuoso Years (1811-1847), revised edition, Cornell University Press 1987.
Rich, DiSilvio. “The Franz Liszt Site: Liszt and Modern Music” 2009. Jan 14
< http://www.d-vista.com/OTHER/hamlet.htm>.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net