Franz Liszt

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5, S.244/5

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) wrote 19 HUNGARIAN RHAPSODIES for piano as a way to incorporate the music of his youth into his compositions, and HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY No. 5 in E minor, S.244/5 (also formerly listed as S.359/5) (1847) draws on a mournful Hungarian dance melody by József Kossovits entitled Hosi elégia ("Heroic Elegy"). Unlike many of the more flamboyant Hungarian Rhapsodies, this work is distinguished by its restrained, elegiac character and unfolds almost entirely as a solemn lament rather than following the customary lassan-friska pattern associated with the verbunkos tradition. This orchestration is by Franz Doppler (1821-1883), though there is some question about the extent of Doppler's and Liszt's contributions. It is believed that Doppler did the original orchestration for this edition, which was then reviewed and amended by Liszt. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: - 4.0.3.0: Timp: Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.