Liszt's transcription of Schubert's Winterreise represents Liszt's adaptation of Schubert to Romantic performance by introducing some new elements of performance practice, in the process transferring attention from the music to the performer. Liszt's additions of ritardandos and pauses that highlight the emotional quality of the song cycle reflect his embodiment of the contemporary performance style that focused on emotionalism. For instance, Liszt enriches Gute Nacht with several emotional markings, including capricciosamente, delicato, molto appassionato, and un poco più animato. Having a similar function to his emotional markings, his virtuosic figurations were also used to increase excitement, as in the flourishes deployed in Muh.

Works: Liszt: Transcriptions of 12 Songs from Winterreise (522-25).

Sources: Schubert: Winterreise (523-25).

Index Classifications: 1800s

Contributed by: Hyun Joo Kim