Yes, the processional theme is the beginning of the wedding ceremony and the beginning of he eight-note flourishes marks the presence of God (the falling fifth iterated by the priest earlier in the piece). The key of C#sharp major is the relevation of God, which vanishes gradually.
I was interested to learn that when "Sposalizio" was first published in 1858, Liszt instructed that a copy of Raphael’s painting be printed as an internal title page, thus establishing how important Liszt believed was the relationship between image and music. The Romantic view was that music could be expressive of extramusical meaning, and just as you can sense the intimate way in which Raphael depicts the betrothal scene with its suggestion of tenderness and ardour, so Liszt sets out to convey similar ideas in his music. In a letter to Hector Berlioz, Liszt noted how “art showed itself to me in all its splendour; it revealed itself to me in its universality and in its unity”. In Raphael’s artwork, Liszt could see the dual expression of formal integrity and symbolic representation. And so we have Liszt’s musical conception of these ideals inspired by Raphael's extraordinary painting. Your introductory commentary and notes on the score, Cole, add immeasurably to the enjoyment of your performance because you give a context for, and detailed interpretation of, the music. Your playing is just exquisite, and I don’t think I have ever heard fortissimo achieved in quite as powerful a way as you manage in this fabulous recording. (However, I was concerned to see your thumb bandaged in plasters: I hope it was not an injury sustained because of the force with which you were striking the keys! And I also hope that you were not in any significant pain when you were playing the piece. A blood-splattered keyboard would have been appropriate more for “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” by Caravaggio than for the gentle betrothal scene painted by Raphael - despite the stick-breaking by a rejected suitor! I have to thank you for introducing me to this ‘program’ music by Liszt. I really love the sound pictures he paints and I have an even greater admiration now for the genius of the man - all thanks to you!
I just discovered your channel and binge watched all of your Liszt stuff. My favorite works of his are too hard for me to play as of now. Just got a teacher so I'm getting there. I am living vicariously through these videos. Any chance you will do Liszt's Petrarch Sonnets? They are among his greatest in my opinion.
Glad you're enjoying my content! The great thing about Liszt's output is that he has great pieces at pretty much every difficulty level. So once you get to an intermediate level there is stuff you can play that is easier (but still amazing) than the Etudes or the Fantasies. Best of luck to you on your piano journey! I'm sure you will get your favorites in time. And yes, I am definitely going to do the Petrarch Sonnets. Actually I'm planning to do the complete Années de pèlerinage in time, although that will be a long term project of course. I'll try to get to those sonnets soon though!
Thanks for sharing. Good analysis and historical background. Beautiful piece, well-played. Thanks for displaying the notation. So this is in 6/8 time, yes? Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Yes, the processional theme is the beginning of the wedding ceremony and the beginning of he eight-note flourishes marks the presence of God (the falling fifth iterated by the priest earlier in the piece). The key of C#sharp major is the relevation of God, which vanishes gradually.
I was interested to learn that when "Sposalizio" was first published in 1858, Liszt instructed that a copy of Raphael’s painting be printed as an internal title page, thus establishing how important Liszt believed was the relationship between image and music. The Romantic view was that music could be expressive of extramusical meaning, and just as you can sense the intimate way in which Raphael depicts the betrothal scene with its suggestion of tenderness and ardour, so Liszt sets out to convey similar ideas in his music. In a letter to Hector Berlioz, Liszt noted how “art showed itself to me in all its splendour; it revealed itself to me in its universality and in its unity”. In Raphael’s artwork, Liszt could see the dual expression of formal integrity and symbolic representation. And so we have Liszt’s musical conception of these ideals inspired by Raphael's extraordinary painting.
Your introductory commentary and notes on the score, Cole, add immeasurably to the enjoyment of your performance because you give a context for, and detailed interpretation of, the music. Your playing is just exquisite, and I don’t think I have ever heard fortissimo achieved in quite as powerful a way as you manage in this fabulous recording. (However, I was concerned to see your thumb bandaged in plasters: I hope it was not an injury sustained because of the force with which you were striking the keys! And I also hope that you were not in any significant pain when you were playing the piece. A blood-splattered keyboard would have been appropriate more for “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” by Caravaggio than for the gentle betrothal scene painted by Raphael - despite the stick-breaking by a rejected suitor!
I have to thank you for introducing me to this ‘program’ music by Liszt. I really love the sound pictures he paints and I have an even greater admiration now for the genius of the man - all thanks to you!
Thank you Graham! No fear, it was only a minor injury taken while cutting some vegetables. ;-)
This video was very interesting! You are a great pianist! I learned many things in this video! Thanks! Have a wonderful day, I subscribed! 😊
It’s a very simple piece really - two motifs and a mass of genius! How do you play with a Band-Aid on your thumb ?! Is this a digital piano ?
I just discovered your channel and binge watched all of your Liszt stuff. My favorite works of his are too hard for me to play as of now. Just got a teacher so I'm getting there. I am living vicariously through these videos.
Any chance you will do Liszt's Petrarch Sonnets? They are among his greatest in my opinion.
Glad you're enjoying my content! The great thing about Liszt's output is that he has great pieces at pretty much every difficulty level. So once you get to an intermediate level there is stuff you can play that is easier (but still amazing) than the Etudes or the Fantasies. Best of luck to you on your piano journey! I'm sure you will get your favorites in time.
And yes, I am definitely going to do the Petrarch Sonnets. Actually I'm planning to do the complete Années de pèlerinage in time, although that will be a long term project of course. I'll try to get to those sonnets soon though!
Thanks for sharing. Good analysis and historical background. Beautiful piece, well-played. Thanks for displaying the notation. So this is in 6/8 time, yes? Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Thank you! Actually it is in 6/4. It suggests a slightly broader tempo than if it was written in 6/8.