Liszt's Etudes d'execution transcendante d'apres Paganini, S. 140 (1838), No. 4a & 4b VERSUS Grand Etudes of Paganini, S. 141 (1851), No. 4

Liszt’s Etudes d'execution transcendante d'apres Paganini, S. 140 (1838)
4a. E Major and 4b. E Major
Grand Etudes of Paganini, S. 141 (1851)
No. 4 in E major

Liszt’s Etudes d’execution trascendante d’apres Paganini of 1838, S. 140 is an early version of the better-known Grand Etudes of Paganini, S. 141 of 1851. This is a series of six etudes based on the compositions of six of Nicolo Paganini’s Caprices for Solo Violin. Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840) was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi in the early nineteenth century and brought violin technique to a whole new level. His Caprices, No. 24 in A minor, Op. is considered one of the most difficult pieces ever written for solo violin because of its extremely advanced techniques. This work has also inspired many prominent composers to transcribe it, and Liszt was one of them. Seemingly inspired by Paganini’s performance in Paris in 1831, Liszt wanted to reproduce the effect of violin on piano. As a result, he not only made his etudes among the most technically challenging pieces in piano literature but also developed new, innovative technical skills for the piano that were unachievable prior to this time. In fact, similar to Paganini, Liszt had also raised piano virtuosity to a new level.

It is said that the earlier version (1838) of these etudes is almost unplayable since the final version (1851) is played almost exclusively today and is technically easier. Both etudes are dedicated to Clara Schumann. Liszt had befriended both Robert and Clara Schumann—in fact, both Liszt and Schumann began to write pieces based on Paganini’s themes between 1831 and 1832 and often discussed compositional works in each other’s company. The earlier version is a composition that established his fame as one of the top piano virtuosi of his time and changed the history of piano-playing.

By comparing the musical scores of the two versions in the 1838 edition, one can see that both are studies for arpeggios. The first version plays the single-note arpeggios in each hand while the second plays with double-note arpeggios. The 1851 edition, however, noticeably reworked the melodic lines in counterpoint to these two versions, as the music thins out the texture. Similar to the musical score for the violin, it is written on only one stave, with passages alternating between the two hands throughout.

What caused Liszt to remove all the outrageous technical difficulties from the Etudes d'execution transcendante d'apres Paganini, S. 140? What makes it so difficult? Below are a few technical difficulties that one might encounter:

• Double-third accompaniment passages
• Wide leaps and stretches (greater than a tenth)
• Fast tempo
• Alternating chords
• Difficult trills and runs that seem impossible to execute perfectly