Liszt invented the technique of the modern piano

            How much time did we hear that?
        Even if that is true, it should not be believed that this evolution occurred in a few days even in a few months. What is true, it is that Liszt upset the technique of the piano without however revolutionizing it. It was not a deliberate choice.

        The passage to modern technology was not done thanks to the contribution of only one pianist, only one composer or only one piano maker, because it would not have to be forgotten that the evolution of the piano itself, played a considerable part in the developments in the pianistic technology.

        The modernization of the instrument piano contributed to the modernization of the pianistic technique. Whereas Beethoven still exploited a Streicher piano of six octaves and half, Liszt has as of 1842 of piano of eight octaves. 

        The length of the cords also changes and increases thanks to the provision in oblique. The leather hammers, too heavy are replaced by felts, thus allowing nuances active of “PPP fff”. The double exhaust set up by Erard in 1822, allows a more nervous touch and authorizes the fast repetition of double notes.

With the appearance of the large Steinway piano in concert in 1859, the modern piano was born.

        Czerny, last pianist resulting from the tradition mozartienne still is very attached to a technique resulting from the technique harpsichordist, with a certain equality of the two hands which remain close to the keyboard, the quite right bust.

        Beethoven chahute all that in its last works, which it is almost impossible to play without making use of all the arms. 

        Chopin hustles the tradition, while making use of all the arm and the shoulders, as it shows the composition of its most succeeded works, studies and ballades at the head.

        Liszt will add the weight of the body while making use of the bust and will multiply the effects pianistic, as well on the noise level as on the level of the rhythm and dynamics.

        It is a playwright of the keyboard. The piano of Liszt is a dramatic piano and to be raised on this expressive level, to communicate all its emotions with the listener, it will have to invent a completely personal and original technique, inspired however last lucky finds of Beethoven.

        This technique is not less entirely new, with these topics in agreements, these features of double notes, these effects of octaves, this quasi orchestral “size”.

        It also introduces like anybody before, of the jumps with great intervals, of many pizicatti, glissandi, tremors, makes sing a median voice by means of the two inches, etc…

        All this, will transform the technique of the piano but also the pianistic literature and will announce the modern composers like Albéniz or Debussy.

        It is in the name of the music that Liszt innovated so much. It created a new technique for the music and not a technique for the technique. It literally made burst the traditional forms, always in the supreme goal to serve its musical thought and not the opposite.

        It is because it felt with narrow in the traditional form, in particular the sonata, that it invented the symphonic poem. Its sonata in so minor is anything else only one formidable and sublime symphonic poem for piano alone.
        At the end of its life, it will devote most of its time to teaching in improvement. Its pupils all are of the virtuosos, and he will not teach them the technique, but the reading of the partition. Music above all. 

The research of best possible interpretation.

        He reads and reads again the partitions with his pupils and just imagines the interpretation of work, nearest to the thought of the composer.

Technique with the service of the musical thought!
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