Bertrand Ott, The piano’s art by Liszt. Instrumental exigences for musical liberty

The author describes how Liszt conceived the relation between the pianist and the pedagogical books by Marie Jaël (one of Liszt’s pupils) and some iconographic sources. The main idea is that Liszt used his hand as it were pliers being the thumb placed in opposite place to the others fingers: Liszt’s fingers did not beat the keys, but they took or caught or caressed them. Finger’s action, hand’s retropulsion, arm’s suspensive lightening are discussed in detail. Some preliminary exercices by Liszt and a particular fingering for scales and arpeggios are proposed at the end of the article.

Share