| Abstract | As a pianist and singer, I chose to explore a topic for my Honors project that encompassed these two music mediums. I was therefore intrigued to study and compare the works of two giants of the nineteenth century, Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt, the former known for composing hundreds of memorable lieder (plural for "art songs" in German), and the latter acclaimed for transcribing many of Schubert's lieder for solo piano. These lieder continue to captivate listeners with their unforgettable melodies, harmonic ingenuity, and texts written by some of the most lauded German poets of the time, and Liszt's works serve as exemplary transcriptions that retain the essence of the lieder despite the piano's limitations in reflecting the words of the song.
This project included a recital where I sang and played the three following pieces: "Ständchen" from Schwanengesang, "Gretchen am Spinnrade", and "Du bist die Ruh." Each of the three pieces was first sung and then played on the piano for the audience to hear the similarities and differences between the two versions of the same song. The research portion of my Honors project provides an overview of Schubert's lieder, the historical context and motivations behind Liszt's choice of transcribing many of Schubert's lieder, the impact of Liszt's transcriptions and performances, and a comparison of the three featured lieder with musical analysis. |
