Transcendental Etudes - Definition and Overview

The Transcendental Etudes (sometimes Études d'exécution transcendante or Transcendental Studies) is a series of twelve compositions written for solo piano by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, begun in 1826 and finalized in 1851.

The first version of the etudes was published in 1826 under the title Étude en douze exercices, when Liszt was 15 years old. In 1837, a second version was published simultaneously in Paris, Milan and Vienna. The third and final version (the most often recorded version) was published in 1852 and dedicated to Carl Czerny, a composer and one of Liszt’s piano teachers.

The etudes, particularly in their second-version form, are among the most difficult pieces for piano ever written in the nineteenth century. Robert Schumann declared that they were playable by "at the most, ten or twelve players in the world". Liszt realized that his virtuoso piano technique, which influenced the composition of the etudes, was virtually unsurpassable; consequently the etudes in their final form are less difficult, but still pose incredible physical and technical demands for the performer.

The twelve Transcendental Etudes are arranged as follows:

• No. 1 in C, "Preludio" - A fast piece to be played like an improvisation
• No. 2 in A minor, "Molto Vivace" aka. "Fusées"
• No. 3 in F, "Paysage"
• No. 4 in D minor, "Mazeppa"
• No. 5 in B-flat, "Faux follets"
• No. 6 in G minor, "Vision"
• No. 7 in E-flat, "Eroica"
• No. 8 in C minor, "Wilde Jagd"
• No. 9 in A-flat, "Ricordanza"
• No. 10 in F minor, "Appasionata"
• No. 11 in D-flat, "Harmonies du soir"
• No. 12 in B-flat, "Chasse-neige"