Transcendental Étude No. 1 (Liszt)

The opening bar of the Transcendental Étude No. 1

Transcendental Étude No. 1 in C "Preludio" is the first of twelve Transcendental Études by Franz Liszt. It is a short piece which can be played in less than a minute at concert speed.

Form

Octaved Cs begin the piece, immediately followed by a downward run made up of an arpeggiated C7 chord. A furious set of impetuous notes then climb slowly, and it returns to the octaved Cs and the downward run. The furious set of notes climbs even higher and a set of loud chords blare in fff. The left hand then plays some loud, low pitched trills in succession. After that, the right hand plays some intense arpeggiated figures, and then a final closing chord. This étude is one of the easiest to play along with Transcendental Étude No.3 (Paysage).

External links

• Transcendental Études: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project