La Campanella
Encyclopedia
La campanella is the nickname given to the third of six Grandes études de Paganini
("Grand Paganini Études"), S. 141
(1851), composed by Franz Liszt
. This piece is a revision of an earlier version from 1838, the Études d'exécution transcendente d'après Paganini, S. 140. Its melody comes from the final movement of Niccolò Paganini
's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor
, where the tune was reinforced by a little handbell.
The étude is played at a brisk pace and studies right hand jumping between interval
s larger than one octave
, sometimes even stretching for two whole octaves within the time of a sixteenth note, at allegretto tempo. As a whole, the étude can be practised to increase dexterity and accuracy at large jumps on the piano, along with agility of the weaker fingers of the hand. The largest intervals reached by the right hand are fifteenths (two octaves) and sixteenths (two octaves and a second). Sixteenth notes are played between the two notes, and the same note is played two octaves or two octaves and a second higher with no rest. No time is provided for the pianist to move the hand, thus forcing the pianist to avoid tension within the muscles. Fifteenth intervals are quite common in the beginning of the étude, while the sixteenth intervals appear twice, at the thirtieth and thirty-second measures.
However, the left hand studies about four extremely large intervals, larger than those in the right hand. For example, after the Più mosso, at the seventh measure, the left hand makes a sixteenth-note jump of just a half-step below three octaves. The étude also involves other technical difficulties, e.g. trill
s with the fourth and fifth fingers. The pianist will normally try to limit trills with the fourth and fifth, for easier endurance.
The work has been arranged by other composers and pianists, most notably Ferruccio Busoni
and Marc-André Hamelin
.
Grandes Etudes de Paganini
The Grandes études de Paganini are a series of six études for the piano by Franz Liszt, revised in 1851 from an earlier version...
("Grand Paganini Études"), S. 141
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
(1851), composed by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. This piece is a revision of an earlier version from 1838, the Études d'exécution transcendente d'après Paganini, S. 140. Its melody comes from the final movement of Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor
Violin Concerto No. 2 (Paganini)
The Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7, was composed by Niccolò Paganini in Italy in 1826. In his Second Concerto, Paganini holds back on the demonstration of virtuosity in favour of greater individuality in the melodic style...
, where the tune was reinforced by a little handbell.
The étude is played at a brisk pace and studies right hand jumping between interval
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
s larger than one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
, sometimes even stretching for two whole octaves within the time of a sixteenth note, at allegretto tempo. As a whole, the étude can be practised to increase dexterity and accuracy at large jumps on the piano, along with agility of the weaker fingers of the hand. The largest intervals reached by the right hand are fifteenths (two octaves) and sixteenths (two octaves and a second). Sixteenth notes are played between the two notes, and the same note is played two octaves or two octaves and a second higher with no rest. No time is provided for the pianist to move the hand, thus forcing the pianist to avoid tension within the muscles. Fifteenth intervals are quite common in the beginning of the étude, while the sixteenth intervals appear twice, at the thirtieth and thirty-second measures.
Trill (music)
The trill is a musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart, which can be identified with the context of the trill....
s with the fourth and fifth fingers. The pianist will normally try to limit trills with the fourth and fifth, for easier endurance.
The work has been arranged by other composers and pianists, most notably Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
and Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...
.