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Music Appreciation
 Niccolò

1782-1840
 Franz

Paganini
Liszt
1811-1886
 Virtuoso

first
Composer second
 Musical
Quality vs. Public Purpose?
 Right-hand

Intonation, phrasing
 Left-hand

technique
technique
Flexibility, speed
 Unequaled
 Long

today?
fingers
Three octaves over four strings
 Double
harmonics
 Legato
and pizzicato
 Where?

Why not published
 Sergei
Rachmaninoff “Variations on a Theme
by Paganini”
 Reaction



Diabolical!
Fear and fascinated
Critics

Demonized yet awed
 Concerts



as “events”
Overexposure
Marketing
Broken strings
 Debuted
at 10
 Toured until 18
 Mistress (“Kept Man”)

Elisa Baciocchi

Sister of Neapolean
 Perfected

violin technique for over 10 years
Reappeared
 Celebrity

Following/fans/groupies
Elisa Baciocchi
 1901-1987
 Virtuoso

Flamboyant
 Israel

technique
tour, 1953
Richard Strauss: “Violin Sonata”

Attack
 Defected
to US in 1970
 Shoulder damage
Paganini Caprice No. 24
Franz Liszt 1811-1886
 Student

of Salieri
Debuted at 9
 Beethoven’s
 Prince
“kiss”
Esterházy
 Disenchanted

philosophy, religion, literature

Victor Hugo, Heinrich Heine
 Inspired

“Kept Man”

Countess Marie d'Agoult
 Children, including Cosmia
 Virtuoso

by Paganini
pianist
Similar fame
 Profound

musician
New language, like Chopin
 Concerts

First solo “recital” format
 Society



Musical
Intellectual
Religious
 Lisztomania!
 Charity

Churches, hospitals, schools
 Young

musicians
“Who’s Who” list of students
 Hungarian
roots
 Priesthood

Abee
 Sacred
 Tone

Music
Poem
Faust Symphony, Liebestraum
Very strange!
 Huge
ego vs. musical humility
 virtuoso
personality vs. kind, generous friend
 Great
“lover” and “womanizer” vs. spiritual,
humanitarian ideals



“Dies Irae”
“Mephisto Waltz”
“Todentanz”
 Relationship


Schooling
Musical education
 Hans


von Bülow
Favored conductor


with Liszt
Liszt and Wager
Married Cosima (two children)
Richard Wagner


Affair and three illegitimate children
Marriage and four children
 Disowned
by Liszt
 Denounced

by von Bülow
“Frau Wagner”

Age difference: 24 years

Three children

Bayreuth Festival

Director and producer: 31 years
 Anti-Semite
Romantic Ideals
 Why?
 Celebration
of the inexplicable, the super-
human

physical accomplishments of vocal and dance
technique
 Story

told through non traditional methods
dance and song
 Only
profitable ‘classical’ music today. Why?
 Russia

Paris

USA
 Italy



Bel Canto
Nationalism
Verismo
 France

Opera Comique
 Germany

Music Drama
 “Beautiful
 Virtuoso

technique requirements
Women


Singing” or “Beautiful Song”
Coloratura
Men

High tessitura
 Joan
Sutherland
 Maria
Callas
 Luciano
Pavarotti
 “Il


Re d’Italia”
Nationalism
“Va, Pensiero”

Shakespeare influence
 Rigoletto

(1851)
Quartet
 Aida

(1900)
Leontyne Price
 Inspired
 “Real
life” situations
 Exotic


by Aida performance
locations
US West
Asia
 Shorten,
 Melody
tighter drama
 1896



Young characters
Artists
Paris




romantic
Baz Lehrman production
German TV
Act II (Musetta’s “waltz”)
(Very strange!)
Political
 Controversial

Torture
 Murder
 Attempted rape

End of Act II

Maria Callas
End of Act III

Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna
 Ballet
 French
Opera (Carmen)
 German

Opera (Die Walküre and Salome)
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