Beethoven wrote his earliest piano concerto, the Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major WoO 4, in 1784-85. The surviving manuscript copy contains the solo part complete and a piano reduction of all orchestral passages (Tutti) whenever the soloist is not playing. That manuscript also includes Beethoven's cues for an instrumentation consisting of strings, horns and flutes. Eminent Beethoven scholar Willy Hess completed his own reconstruction of the concerto in 1943. His version has been recorded three times, but only one is currently available on the Philips label (442580-2). The newest reconstruction of the concerto, created by Professor Jon Ceander Mitchell in 2003, is presented in this study in the form of a piano reduction (as a two-piano critical edition). This present edition, edited by Dr. Mitchell and the author of this essay, retains Beethoven's instrumentation and restores the endings of the second and third movements (which were changed by Willy Hess). This study also includes a piano cadenza for the first movement, which is a free composition by the author. It also discusses both available restorations of this work and some of the concerto's interpretative issues.

Wilhelm Kempff was one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, and his interpretation of Germanic piano literature has been honored in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America by many distinguished musicians and music-lovers. But perhaps because he was already sixty-nine years old at the time of his American debut in New York in 1964, his reputation as a pianist tends to be disregarded in English speaking nations. Even Alfred Brendel acknowledges in his book Me of All People: "I return again and again to Kempff, because he is a pianist who seems frequently underestimated today." Furthermore, Kempff's activities as a transcriber, organist, and composer are even less well known. Thus this paper will introduce Wilhelm Kempff's life and music, and present a study of his solo piano transcriptions of J. S. Bach's chorale preludes for organ. In Kempff's autobiographical novel, Unter Dem Zimbelstern: Das Werden eines Musikers ("Under the Cymbal Star: The Development of a Musician"), a Bildungsroman ("education novel") published in 1951 when he was fifty-six years old, he describes the environment in which he grew up: an environment steeped in music and Protestantism. Within a strong family tradition of church music organists, he heard Bach's organ repertoire, as well as conversations about Lutheran faith. His father and paternal grandfather were both Lutheran church organists, and Kempff too was an excellent organist. J. S. Bach's organ repertoire, especially his chorale for organ, were deeply ingrained in Kempff's childhood. It is generally very difficult to find sacred music repertoire for the piano; however, Kempff's transcriptions of the chorale preludes represent a small--though important--contribution of sacred literature to the piano repertoire. In The Pianist's Guide to Transcriptions, Arrangements, and Paraphrases, Maurice Hinson characterizes Kempff's transcriptions as follows: "Kempff makes clear distinctions between the various parts and uses ingenious fingering to create beautiful legato (without relying totally on the pedal). He also seems to enjoy the interplay of tone colors, finding the right register, and establishing the particular timbre of each part in polyphonic writing." This paper will examine: 1) basic transcription techniques; 2) coloration/timbre; 3) fingering to create beautiful legato; 4) pedaling; and 5) pedagogical suggestions. Kempff transcribed eight of Bach Chorales for solo piano, two of which will be discussed in this paper: 1) Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ ("I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ" BWV639,); 2) Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland ("The Saviour of the Heathen now comes," BWV659a). This paper also will present a brief history of piano transcriptions, followed by a detailed analysis of the two chorales, examining Kempff's methods through comparison with the original works for organ, and demonstrating how Kempff's musicianship as a pianist and organist is reflected in his Bach transcriptions.

This investigation sought to compare the transcription techniques of two pianist-composers, Godowsky and Liszt, using three Schubert lieder as examples. The lieder were "Das Wandern" from Die Schöne Müllerin, "Gute Nacht" from Winterreise, and "Liebesbotschaft" from Schwanengesang. They were compared using four criteria: tonality, counterpoint, timbral effects, and harmony. Liszt, following a practice common in the nineteenth century, was primarily concerned with bringing new music into the home of the domestic pianist. The piano transcription was the most widely used and successful medium for accomplishing this. Liszt also frequently transcribed pieces of a particular composer in order to promulgate them by featuring them in his recitals. The Schubert lieder fall into this category. Liszt did not drastically alter the original in these compositions. Indeed, in the cases of "Liebesbotschaft" and "Das Wandern," very little alteration beyond the incorporation of the melody into the piano accompaniment, occurs.Godowsky, in contrast, viewed the transcription as a vehicle for composing a new piece. He intended to improve upon the original by adding his own inspiration to it. Godowsky was particularly ingenious in adding counterpoint, often chromatic, to the original. Examples of Godowsky's use of counterpoint can be found in "Das Wandern" and "Gute Nacht." While Liszt strove to remain faithful to Schubert's intentions, Godowsky exercised his ingenuity at will, being only loosely concerned with the texture and atmosphere of the lieder. "Gute Nacht" and "Liebesbotschaft" are two examples that show how far afield Godowsky could stray from the original by the addition of chromatic voicing and counterpoint. Godowsky*s compositions can be viewed as perhaps the final statement on the possibilities of piano writing in the traditional sense. As such these works deserve to be investigated and performed.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) made fifty-six transcriptions of Schubert's songs over a period of eight years (1838-46) to introduce the name of the composer, who was little known both in and outside Vienna during his lifetime. Because Liszt intentionally preserved all the details of the original songs, these transcriptions present challenges for a pianist, such as how to produce a vocal line on the piano, as well as interpretive issues such as ornamentation, style, and conveying the meaning of the lyrics on the piano. The purpose of this study is to introduce pianists to study practices employed by singers, with the goal of interpreting the vocal aspects of Liszt's Schubert song transcriptions. The composer Robert Schumann once remarked that Liszt's transcriptions were perhaps the most difficult pieces written for the piano up to that time, and only an intelligent artist could satisfy Liszt's high level of virtuosity without destroying the identity of the original work. This could be considered a warning to pianists not to focus on the technical aspects only. The pedagogical guide presented in the study, based on singers' approaches to the actual songs, should help pianists to "see beyond the notes" and achieve a performance closer to the heart of the songs.

No description available.

The transcriptions of Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on Beethoven's "Marcia alla turca" serve as unique examples within the area of transcription since each of these important virtuosos transcribed the movement with drastically different results. Liszt's Capriccio alla turca (1846) is built on Beethoven's thematic materials although it is presented with a greatly embellished accompaniment providing countermelodies, expanded passages, and vigorous rhythmic features. In contrast, Rubinstein's Turkish March (1848) attempts to capture Beethoven's original (1811) as closely as possible adhering to the form and harmonies. Each composer's approach served to showcase new pianistic innovations capturing orchestral sonorities at the piano previously unimagined. This dissertation offers musical insight for two less well-known works from significant pianist-composers which should receive further attention. Additionally, this research provides greater documentation for the compositions of Rubinstein, supplementing the historical accounts of his abilities as a performer. Examination and comparative analysis of each transcription not only illuminates the creative approaches each composer employed in creating his transcription, but also serves pianists wishing to perform these neglected works.