TheHungarian Rhapsodies,S.244, R.106 (French:Rhapsodies hongroises,German:Ungarische Rhapsodien,Hungarian:Magyar rapszódiák), are a set of 19piano pieces based onHungarianfolk themes, composed byFranz Liszt during 1846–1853, and later in 1882 and 1885. Liszt also arranged versions fororchestra, piano duet andpiano trio.
Some are better known than others, withHungarian Rhapsody No. 2 being particularly famous andNo. 6,No. 10,No. 12,No. 14 (especially as arranged for piano and orchestra as theHungarian Fantasy), andNo.15 also being well known.
In their original piano form, theHungarian Rhapsodies are noted for their difficulty (Liszt was avirtuoso pianist as well as a composer).
Liszt incorporated many themes he had heard in his native westernHungary and which he believed to be folk music, though many were in fact tunes written by members of the Hungarian upper middle class, or by composers such asJózsef Kossovits,[1] often played byRoma (Gypsy) bands. The large scale structure of each was influenced by theverbunkos, a Hungarian dance in several parts, each with a differenttempo. Within this structure, Liszt preserved the two main structural elements of typical Gypsy improvisation—thelassan ("slow") and thefriska ("fast"). At the same time, Liszt incorporated a number of effects unique to the sound of Gypsy bands, especially the pianistic equivalent of thecimbalom. He also makes much use of theHungarian gypsy scale.[2]
Nos. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 14 were arranged fororchestra byFranz Doppler, with revisions by Liszt himself. These orchestrations appear as S.359 in theSearle catalogue; however, the numbers given to these versions were different from their original numbers. The orchestral rhapsodies numbered 1–6 correspond to the piano solo versions numbered 14, 2, 6, 12, 5 and 9 respectively.
In 1874, Liszt also arranged the same six rhapsodies for piano duet (S.621). In 1882 he made a piano duet arrangement of No. 16 (S.622), and in 1885 a piano duet version of No. 18 (S.623) and No. 19 (S.623a). Liszt also arranged No. 12 (S.379a) and No. 9 (S.379) for piano, violin and cello.
No. 14 was also the basis of Liszt'sHungarian Fantasia for piano and orchestra, S.123.
The set is as follows:
| Number | Piano solo | Orchestra | Piano Duet | Piano Trio | Key | Dedication | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | S.244/1 | C♯ minor | Ede Szerdahelyi | Liszt made an earlier version entitled "Rêves et fantaisies" | |||
| No. 2 | S.244/2 | S.359/2 | S.621/2 | C♯ minor | ComteLászló Teleki | ||
| No. 3 | S.244/3 | B♭ major | ComteLeó Festetics | ||||
| No. 4 | S.244/4 | E♭ major | Comte Casimir Esterházy | ||||
| No. 5 | S.244/5 | S.359/5 | S.621/5 | E minor | Comtesse Sidonie Reviczky | SubtitledHéroïde-élégiaque | |
| No. 6 | S.244/6 | S.359/3 | S.621/3 | D♭ major | Comte Antoine d'Appony | ||
| No. 7 | S.244/7 | D minor | Baron Fery Orczy | ||||
| No. 8 | S.244/8 | F♯ minor | Anton Augusz | ||||
| No. 9 | S.244/9 | S.359/6 | S.621/6 | S.379 | E♭ major | Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst | SubtitledPesther Carneval |
| No. 10 | S.244/10 | E major | Béni Egressy | Subtitled "Preludio" | |||
| No. 11 | S.244/11 | A minor | Baron Fery Orczy | ||||
| No. 12 | S.244/12 | S.359/4 | S.621/4 | S.379a | C♯ minor | Joseph Joachim | |
| No. 13 | S.244/13 | A minor | ComteLeó Festetics | ||||
| No. 14 | S.244/14 | S.359/1 | S.621/1 | F minor | Hans von Bülow | arranged for piano and orchestra asHungarian Fantasia, S.123 | |
| No. 15 | S.244/15 | A minor | SubtitledRákóczi-Marsch | ||||
| No. 16 | S.244/16 | S.622 | A minor | Mihály Munkácsy | SubtitledBudapest Munkácsy-Festlichkeiten | ||
| No. 17 | S.244/17 | D minor | |||||
| No. 18 | S.244/18 | S.623 | F♯ minor | SubtitledUngarische Ausstellung in Budapest | |||
| No. 19 | S.244/19 | S.623a | D minor | d'après les 'Csárdás nobles' deK. Ábrányi (sr) |
The first two were published in the year 1851, nos. 3–15 in 1853, and the last four were published in 1882 and 1886.
