Theatrical drama and Franciscan simplicity in oratorios by Ferenc Liszt
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Date
2013
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Katedra Muzykologii, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PTPN, Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM
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Abstract
The works of Ferenc Liszt are both infl uenced by the romantic mood and various opposing
trends of the church music of his era. In his oratorios Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth and
Christus, as well as in the unfi nished St Stanislaus, one may discern such features as drama, mysticism,
universalism, and national elements. In these vocal-instrumental works the composer makes use
of two languages, German and Latin, as well as of various types of the archaisms such as quotations
from Gregorian melodies. In Liszt’s compositions, choral monodies become ‘motifs’ – the recurring
themes which appear frequently and in a variety of versions. Dramatic expression and lyricism are
particularly dominant in St Elisabeth. The Christus oratorio, which resembles a misterium, because of
the absence of a libretto and the use of liturgical texts, is characterised by the abundance of harmonic
solutions. The oratorios reveal both the composer’s uncommon piety and his striving to reform the
church music of his times.
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Ferenc Liszt, oratorio, Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth, Christus, St Stanislaus
Citation
Interdisciplinary Studies in Musicology 13, Poznań 2013, pp. 67-77
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1734-2406