Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian-American composer and pianist, performed the Sonata
often during his later concert tours but his offer to record it on disc was not taken up.
Reproducing piano roll recordings were made of the Sonata by Liszt pupils Eugen
d’Albert, Arthur Friedheim and Josef Weiss. They were also made by Paul Gayraud,
Friedrich Keitel, Ernest Schelling and Germaine Schnitzer. The writer has, through the
kindness of Denis Condon, transferred to CD the d’Albert and Schelling rolls but has not
yet located any of the other rolls. In particular, the writer has not yet been able to locate
the Friedheim Triphonola roll which would be of the greatest historical and musical
significance. Denis Condon has a Rönisch reproducing piano capable of playing
Triphonola rolls.
Subsequently many other pianists made recordings which were issued on 78 rpm and 33
rpm discs and there are currently a large number available on CD, some being reissues.
No Liszt pupil ever recorded the Sonata on disc.
Here we must leave the performance history of the Sonata, while noting that it is
nowadays a part of the repertoire of every leading pianist and may even be the most
frequently performed piano piece in the concert hall.
Liszt Sonata prototypes
Hummel’s Sonata in F sharp minor opus 81 composed 1814
The opening octaves of bars 1-4 may have inspired the octaves of motif B of Liszt’s
Sonata. Hummel, in addition, used a highly chromatic transition hinting at various
distant keys, before a long period on the dominant of the relative major established it as
the true second key. By this means any memory of the tonic key was effaced and the
relative major appeared satisfyingly exotic. Liszt, who admired and performed
Hummel’s Sonata, used a similar procedure in his own Sonata.
Beethoven’s Sonata in B flat major ‘Hammerklavier’ opus 106 composed and
published 1819
The integration of fugue into the sonata form was achieved by Beethoven successfully in
his late piano sonatas. Liszt had studied with Beethoven’s pupil Carl Czerny and knew
all the Beethoven sonatas. In particular, Liszt often played Beethoven’s
‘Hammerklavier’ sonata, the final movement of which is a massive fugue, and he used to
ask potential pupils to play the fugue. Liszt successfully integrated a fugue in his own
sonata.
Schubert’s Fantasy in C major ‘Wanderer’ opus 15 D760 composed 1822
Nearly all the themes are transformations of the opening rhythmic motif. The last
movement commences with a fugal exposition of a theme based on the opening motif.
Liszt performed the ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy often. He arranged it for two pianos and for