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Karl Tausig (sometimes "Carl"; born Karol Tausig; 4 November 1841 – 17 July 1871) was a Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer. He is generally regarded as Franz Liszt's most esteemed pupil, and one of the greatest pianists of all time.

Karl Tausig
Born(1841-11-04)4 November 1841
Warsaw, Congress Poland
Died17 July 1871(1871-07-17) (aged 29)
Leipzig, German Empire
Occupation
  • Pianist
  • Composer

Life


Tausig was born in Warsaw to Jewish parents and received his first piano lessons from his father, pianist and composer Aloys Tausig, a student of Sigismond Thalberg. His father introduced him to Franz Liszt in Weimar at the age of 14. He quickly became a favorite pupil of Liszt's, travelling with him on concert tours and studying counterpoint, composition and orchestration in addition to his piano lessons,[1] and even taking on one of Liszt's pupils, Regina Watson, as his own. At the age of 16 he met Richard Wagner, of whom he became a devoted follower and friend. He also became a great admirer and friend of Johannes Brahms. Tausig made piano arrangements of many of Wagner's operas. He also introduced to Wagner his friend Peter Cornelius, another Wagner devotee.

In 1858 Tausig made his debut in Berlin at a concert conducted by Hans von Bülow. While some critics admired his technical feats at the keyboard, others found his playing noisy and overbearing. Even some who were more accommodating of Tausig's "Lisztian eccentricities" felt he would play better as he matured.[2] Tausig toured through various German towns in 1859–60, making Dresden his base. He moved to Vienna in 1862; there he gave concerts of modern orchestral music, including some of his own symphonic poems. These concerts were only partially successful artistically and a failure financially. After staying out of public view for a few years, during which time he married pianist Seraphine von Vrabely (1841–1931), he began touring once again and was now considered a pianist of breadth and dignity of style.[2]

Tausig's grave in Berlin
Tausig's grave in Berlin

Tausig settled in Germany and opened a piano school in Berlin in 1865 which, however, closed soon afterwards. He toured throughout Europe, but the strain of travelling weakened his health. He died in Leipzig from typhoid at the age of 29.[2] His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof III der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. III of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church and New Church) in Berlin-Kreuzberg, south of Hallesches Tor.


Pianism


Tausig was considered by some critics to be the greatest of Liszt's pupils, pianistically speaking, and to carry pure virtuosity to heights only suggested by Liszt. Anton Rubinstein called him "the infallible."[3] Where Tausig differed from his teacher was in his lack of flamboyant gestures while playing. Tausig sat motionless at the piano and abhorred what he called Spektakel. While his fingers were working miracles at the keyboard without any digital errors, the only sign of tension from Tausig would be a slight tightening of one corner of his mouth.[4]

Until his untimely death, some critics surmise that Tausig may not have had a pianistic equal, combining Liszt's force and range of tone color with the intellectuality of his fellow pupil Hans von Bülow. Another Liszt pupil, Eugen d'Albert, compared Tausig very favorably with their teacher. He said that while Liszt's musical conceptions were grander, Tausig possessed a better and more accurate technique coupled with a good deal of poetry.[5]


Repertory


Tausig's repertory was extensive; he could play from memory works ranging from Scarlatti to Liszt. He was especially noted for his interpretations of Chopin, Weber and Beethoven, both for pianistic finish and intensity of emotion.[2]


Works


Karl Tausig's output as composer is quite small. As well as entirely original works, he arranged for piano the music of a number of composers, as well as a pedagogic work for teaching and practice.

In the following list, lost works are included, mostly original compositions, but a few transcriptions as well. Many of these, including several orchestral works, were given their first public performances by Tausig at the piano or conducting. With the exception of Das Geisterschiff, the orchestral scores have not been located since. All of these are unpublished, except for a couple compositions where no printed copies can be found and the original engravings were destroyed.

Some compositions are unfinished in existing manuscripts, left incomplete by Tausig for reasons unknown, most particularly a number of the transcriptions of Liszt's symphonic poems.[6] Where possible, details of the state of the manuscript are given.

All works listed are for piano solo unless indicated otherwise.


Original compositions



Early works


Mature works

Vol. 1:
Exercises with motionless hands. (#1–26)
Exercises with the hands in progressive motion. Turning the fingers over and under. (#27–51)
Vol. 2:
Studies in Chords. (#52–68)
Stretching exercises. (#69–76)
Wide Jumps. (#77–84)
Double-Notes. (#85–100)
Scales in thirds in all major and minor keys. Chromatic scales with double-notes. (#101–102)
Six Exercise Pieces. [called Préludes in the American revised edition (with 4 additional Préludes by "H. Ehrlich")]:
No. 103: Moderato in E-flat minor
No. 104: Allegro in E-flat major
No. 105: Allegro moderato in C minor
No. 106: Allegro in A major
No. 107: Andante in F-sharp major
No. 108: Moderato in D-flat major
Octave-exercise. (#109)

Late works

No. 1: Presto appassionato in F-sharp major
No. 2: Moderato in A-flat major

Paraphrases, fantasies, elaborations


No. 1: Nachtfalter (Moth Waltzes, Op. 157)
No. 2: Man lebt nur einmal (You Live Only Once!, Waltzes, Op. 167)
No. 3: Wahlstimmen (Election Waltzes, Op. 250)
No. 4: Immer heiterer (Always Cheerful Waltzes, Op. 235)
No. 5: Wiener Chronik, in A major (Vienna Chronicle Waltzes, Op. 268)
Siegmunds Liebesgesang (Siegmund's Love Song)
Der Ritt der Walküren (The Ride of the Valkyries)
No. 1: Liebesscene - Verklärung (Love Scene & Transfiguration)
No. 2: Brangänens Gesang - Matrosenlied (Brangäne's Song & Sailors Shanty)
No. 3: Melodie des Hirten (The Sheep Herders Melody)

Transcriptions, adaptations, piano scores, editions


No. 1: Wir glauben all' an einen Gott, Schöpfer (BWV 680)
No. 2: Das alte Jahr vergangen ist (BWV 614)
No. 3: O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross (BWV 622)
No. 4: O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig (BWV 656)
No. 5: Vater unser im Himmelreich (BWV 737)
No. 6: Meine Seele erhebt den Herren (BWV 648)
No. 1: Adagio (Op. 59 No. 1, 3rd mvt)
No. 2: Scherzo (Op. 59 No. 2, 3rd mvt)
No. 3: Andante (Op. 59 No. 3, 2nd mvt)
No. 4: Kavatine (Cavatina) (Op. 130, 5th mvt)
No. 5: Presto (Op. 131, 5th mvt)
No. 6: Scherzo (Op. 135, 2nd mvt)
No. 1: Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne [unpublished]
No. 2: Tasso [essentially complete, only last 4 bars not finished, ms in Library of Congress; ending reconstructed]
No. 3: Les préludes [published by Editio Musica Budapest]
No. 4: Orpheus [no phrasing, dynamics or tempo markings; unpublished]
No. 5: Prometheus [reconstructed]
No. 6: Mazeppa [lost, possibly never written]
No. 7: Festklänge [unfinished; 3/4 reconstructed]
No. 8: Heroïde funèbre [no phrasing, dynamics or tempo markings; unpublished]
No. 9: Hungaria [last 13 bars incomplete; unpublished]
No. 10: Hamlet [unpublished]
No. 11: Hunnenschlacht [reconstructed]
No. 12: Die Ideale [last 25 bars incomplete; unpublished]
No. 1: Pastorale (in E minor K. 9), transposed to D minor
No. 2: Capriccio (in E major K. 20)
No. 3: (in G minor K. 12)
No. 4: (in G minor K. 426)
No. 5: (in F minor K. 519)

Wrongly attributed works



Recordings


Concert Études for Piano, Op. 1 – moderato
Performed by Setrak Setrakian. Courtesy of Musopen
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Michael Ponti was the first to record an all-Tausig album, in the 1970s on the Candide LP label. Beginning in 1989, Dennis Hennig released three all-Tausig albums for the Etcetera label: all five of the Valse-Caprices and the three Schubert transcriptions, an album of Tausig's Wagner transcriptions including the four-hand version of Ride of the Valkyres, and four of Tausig's transcriptions of Liszt symphonic poems. Orazio Sciortino made an album of the Wagner transcriptions as well in 2013. Artur Cimirro recorded Tausig's complete original piano works for the Acte Préalable CD label in 2016.[7]

Many other modern-day pianists have recorded Tausig compositions, such as Rian de Waal, Giulio Draghi, Stephen Hough, and Menachem Har-Zahav. There are several recordings of Tausig's piano music on YouTube. Setrak Setrakian has recorded the rare Chopin E minor concerto transcription.

Historically, Tausig's arrangement of Strauss's waltz You Only Live Once! was recorded by Sergei Rachmaninov and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Rachmaninov also made recordings of Tausig's transcription of Schumann's Der Kontrabandiste (also recorded by Josef Lhévinne, Josef Hofmann, and Emil Gilels) and Tausig's Pastorale in E minor, adaptated from Scarlatti's harpsichord Sonata, L. 413, the latter also being popular with several other pianists of that era, including Vladimir Horowitz. The Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor adaptation and the Schubert/Tausig Marche Militaire were also quite popular in recordings, the latter being recorded by Eugen d'Albert, Leopold Godowsky, Mischa Levitzki, Lhévinne, Ignaz Friedman, Egon Petri, Wilhelm Backhaus, Alexander Brailowsky, Horowitz, and György Cziffra. Most of those pianists recorded other Tausig works as well, such as Lhévinne's rare recording of the Hungarian Gypsy Dances. Benno Moiseiwitsch recorded Tausig's piano arrangement of Weber's orchestral Invitation to the Dance. Winifred Christie even recorded the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor adaptation on her husband's invention, the Moór-Duplex piano.


Notes


  1. Dannreuther, New Grove (2001), 25:125–126.
  2. Dannreuther, New Grove (2001), 25:126.
  3. Quoted in Schonberg, 256.
  4. Schonberg, pp. 256–59.
  5. Schonberg, p. 261.
  6. Dennis Hennig: article in the Liszt Society (UK) Journal volume 17 (1992), p.65
  7. Karol Tausig - Complete Original Piano Works; Artur Cimirro, piano; Acte Préalable AP0359; 2016.

References





На других языках

[de] Carl Tausig

Carl Tausig (eigentlich Karol Tausig; * 4. November 1841 in Warschau; † 17. Juli 1871 in Leipzig) war ein polnischer Pianist, Komponist und Musikpädagoge.
- [en] Karl Tausig

[es] Carl Tausig

Carl Tausig o Karl Tausig (Varsovia, 4 de noviembre de 1841 — Leipzig, 17 de julio de 1871) fue un pianista y compositor polaco.

[ru] Таузиг, Карл

Карл (Кароль) Таузиг (польск. Karol Tausig; 4 ноября 1841, Варшава, Царство Польское — 17 июля 1871, Лейпциг) — польский пианист-виртуоз, композитор и музыкальный педагог.


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