Franz Liszt's transcriptions of other composers' music are as highly regarded as his original piano works. Some listeners Schumann among them consider Liszt's painstaking transcriptions to be completely new works. Using his gifts for fathoming the deepest meanings of a given piece, Liszt also created a uniquely revealing work. In addition to drawing attention to composers and works that would otherwise have remained unknown to a wider public, Liszt's piano transcriptions introduced the instrument to uncharted territory: for the first time, a keyboard could be used to reproduce the sound of any instrument. The composer brought numerous innovations to the practice of piano playing to achieve the richness and color of the original works, from the technique of hand crossing to revolutionary changes in the use of the pedals. First acquainted with the works of Bach through his piano studies, Liszt further explored the earlier composer's works in his career as a virtuoso performer. His piano interpretations of Bach's organ music are executed in a simple and straightforward manner, and they rapidly became the classic models for all future works in this genre. This compilation, featuring such famous and well-loved works as Six Organ Preludes and Fugues (BWV 543 548) and the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor (BWV 542), attests to their enduring power and beauty. "

Classic 1919 arrangements of four keyboard masterpieces — Goldberg Variations, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, The Art of the Fugue, and Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra in D Minor. Breitkopf & Härtel edition.

All 14 songs in the series, including such masterpieces as "Das Fischermädchen," "Am Meer," "Abschied," "Ständchen," "Frühlings-Sehnsucht," "Der Doppelgänger," and other famed lieder. All meticulously reproduced from rare early editions overseen by Liszt himself.

Liszt's reputation as the supreme pianist of the 19th century often overshadowed his other achievements, including transcribing the works of such composers as Richard Wagner for the piano. This collection features all 15 of Liszt's brilliant compositions of Wagnerian themes from Rienzi, Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, Parsifal, and others from 1848 to 1882.

Early in his career, Bach began to transcribe for the keyboard a number of concertos for violin, oboe, and other instruments by such baroque masters as Vivaldi and Telemann. His purpose: to study and explore the works of other composers as well as to supply good clavier music for his own performances. This collection of sixteen of these celebrated transcriptions is reprinted from the definitive Bach-Gesellschaft edition prepared by Ernst Naumann and presented in a study format designed to give amateur and professional pianists and harpsichordists a lifetime of pleasurable study and use. Six of these glorious keyboard works are known to be transcriptions of Vivaldi violin concertos. Three are based on concertos written by Duke Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, the son of Bach's employer at Weimar. One is based on a violin concerto by Telemann, another on an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello, and another on a concerto by Benedetto Marcello. The sources of the remaining works are unknown. Vivaldi, whose music Bach probably first heard in 1712, was to provide a strong influence on the young composer. Bach would eventually assimilate the Italian's style and use it with his own contrapuntal heritage and the Northern idiom in creating what we recognize today as the typical Bach style. These transcriptions, which represent his introduction to the new idiom, richly display a dynamic virtuosity that makes their performance an exhilarating experience.

Original collection features Liszt's interpretations of his own "Totentanz" plus Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre, " Berlioz's "Dance of the Sylphes" from" The Damnation of Faust, "Weber's "Overtures to Die ""Freischutz" and "Oberon, "and several other pieces.

Franz Schubert's piano pieces for four hands are among the most varied and significant works in the entire repertoire. Schubert wrote more of these works than any other major composer, and generations of teachers, students, and concert musicians have enjoyed their enduring beauty and vitality. Included in this volume are 15 of Schubert's best and most popular titles, taken from the definitive Breitkopf and Hartel "Schubert-Gesammtausgabe." Composed between 1818 and 1828, they include the tremendously popular Military Marches, Op. 51 (of which the D Major is a striking and familiar melody); the famed "Grand Duo" Sonata in C Major, Op. 140; the Fantasia in F Minor, Op. 103 (written only a few months before Schubert's death, it is one of the most famous and elegantly expressive works in the genre); Variations in A-flat Major on an Original Theme, Op. 35; Andantino Varie in B Minor on French Motifs, Op. 84, No. 1; Fugue in E Minor, Op. 152; and a delightful array of landler, polonaises, and variations. The 23 separate pieces have been selected so that pianists of virtually any level can find works to match their needs. They range in difficulty from beautifully sculpted marches that beginners can play, to works requiring maturity and great technical skill. This volume has been specially designed as a playing edition. The noteheads are large and easily readable at the piano, and wide margins allow plenty of room for written notes, fingerings, analysis, etc. Of special importance is the addition of measure numbers, placed on alternate staves, which allow the pianists to find their place quickly while rehearsing. For playing, study, or simply listening along with records, this volume will be an admirable addition to your music library."

This rare collection features violin parts with separate piano reductions of works by Dvorak's Humoresque, Schubert's Serenade, Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms, plus pieces by Elgar, Handel, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Mendelssohn, others.

Dover Publications continues its series of playing editions of musical masterpieces with this selection of Robert Schumann's later compositions for solo piano, edited by Clara Schumann. This second volume contains the major compositions from the period 1838 53: "Humoreske," "Novelletten," "Sonate No. 2," Nachtstucke," "Faschingsschwank aus Wien," "42 Clavierstucke fur die Jugend," "4 Fugen," "Waldscenen," "Bunte Blatter," and "3 Clavier-Sonaten fur die Jugend." This book has been especially designed as a playing edition the noteheads are large and easily readable at the piano, and the margins and spaces between staves are adequate for written notes, fingerings, and turnovers. It is also most useful for analysis or as accompaniment to recordings. "

Engaging survey covers Brahms' major orchestral, choral, and piano music, culminating in a discussion of the German Requiem. Commentary places the composer's compelling music within the context of his era and environment.