Franz Liszt: Envisioning the Post-Romantic Era in the Années de pèlerinage, Première Année: Suisse Pubblico

Abstract

Franz Liszt (1811-86) is widely considered the greatest pianist of all time. While this almost mythical reputation is certainly warranted, it can mask his equally prolific abilities as a composer. Publishing around 1,000 works (mostly for piano), his output spanned around 70 years during the 19th century. Although he is considered one of the quintessential Romantic era composers, his music transcends the period and sets the foundation for musical genres and compositional styles we witness well into the 20th century. One of the earlier examples of Liszt’s transformative compositions is the Années de Pèlerinage, Première Année: Suisse, a collection of 9 pieces published in 1855; scholars agree that Liszt had been working on the set for almost 20 years and many individual pieces were published much earlier. My hybrid (performance and research) honors thesis explores the visionary nature of the music with three main questions in mind: (1) how did Liszt explore different harmonies, textures, and imagery emblematic of music from later periods, (2) did he further explore any of these ideas in future works, and (3) how were future composers specifically influenced by these ideas? The methodology of this project is multifaceted, involving analyzing the music structurally and harmonically, carefully considering Liszt’s indications, closely reading the literature associated with the cycle, and identifying later works/composers that were inspired by the set. Indeed, many pieces by the likes of Ravel, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky, and styles like impressionism and minimalism, can trace some origin in the Suisse Année. The cycle has even influenced some writers, like Murakami. Radical harmonies like diminished major seventh chords, striking cluster chords, lucidly proto-impressionist textures depicting water, and early uses of thematic transformation are just some of the innovative ideas Liszt presents. These findings definitively affirm Liszt’s legacy as a revolutionary in music history.

Table of Contents

Honors Thesis

Honors Recital Program Notes (separate PDF produced by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts)

Honors Recital Performance Recording (separate video file produced by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts)

Literary Notes (provided by Liszt himself with each piece, separate PDF)

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

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School	Emory College
Department	Music
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Musical Performances Music
Parola chiave	Piano Lord Byron 20th Century Music Friedrich Schiller Franz Liszt Romanticism Impressionism 19th Century Music
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Elena Cholakova, Emory University
Committee Members	Laura Emmery, Emory University Roger Deal, Emory University

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Primary PDF

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	Franz Liszt: Envisioning the Post-Romantic Era in the Années de pèlerinage, Première Année: Suisse ()	2025-04-08 10:15:15 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

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	Honors Recital Program Notes (Program notes on each piece (notes by Sanjay Aiyar))	2025-04-08 10:15:23 -0400	Press to Select an action Download
	Literary Notes (Literary notes associated with each piece, as provided by Franz Liszt himself)	2025-04-08 10:15:35 -0400	Press to Select an action Download
	2025-02-23_Sanjay_Aiyar.m4v ()	2025-05-15 14:52:19 -0400	Press to Select an action Download