Exposition

Man's struggle for salvation: A programmatic interpretation of Franz Liszt's B minor Sonata (2023)

Leone Monaco
open exposition

About this exposition

Research question: “What can be learned about the programmatic relationship between Franz Liszt’s B Minor Piano Sonata and its programs?” My research started as an investigation of the traditional programmatic relationship between Franz Liszt B minor Piano Sonata and Goethe’s Faust, but it had an unexpected outcome: Liszt B minor Sonata can be programmatically connected to multiple programs at the same time. Through the study of symbols behind themes and harmonies used by the composer, connections with other compositions, and the composer’s notes and letters, my research explains why and how the Sonata is programmatically inspired by Goethe’s Faust, Milton’s Paradise Lost and the Bible not only in its structure, but also from a philosophical and spiritual point of view. I propose to look at the Sonata in a different way, considering a more general and Christian “leading thought” which connects all its possible programs and permeates the whole work: Liszt’s Sonata tells the story of every man and his lifetime struggle against temptations and damnation to reach salvation. At the end, I give practical suggestions on the interpretation of specific passages of the Sonata based on the considered symbolic connections with its programs and composer’s notes. The chosen format of presentation is the exposition, because it gives me the possibility not only to include explanatory pictures and score excerpts, but also to use my own recordings to explain better the symbolism of themes or harmonies in certain passages and to show the practical and interpretive outcomes of my research.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsclassical music, Art of Interpretation, leading thought, piano, program music, romanticism, Religion, symbolism, Franz Liszt, John Milton, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, poetry, 19th century
date16/11/2022
published16/05/2023
last modified16/05/2023
statuspublished
share statusprivate
copyrightLeone Monaco
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1816062/1816063
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue1. Master Research Projects


Simple Media

id name copyright license
1953823 Joseph Fay, Faust und Mephisto im Kerker, 1848 Joseph Fay Public domain
1953994 Portrait of Ferenc Liszt Wilhelm von Kaulbach Public domain
1954169 Portrait de Félicité Robert de Lamennais (1782-1854) L. D. Lancome Public domain
1954238 Die Hunnenschlacht Wilhelm von Kaulbach Public domain
1954279 Faust and Mephistopheles Eugène Delacroix Public domain
1954305 Faust and Marguerite in the garden Eugene Von Blaas Public domain
1954324 Marguerite at the Church Eugène Delacroix Public domain
1954332 Gretchen is saved Wilhelm Hensel Public domain
1954347 Witches Sabbath Francisco de Goya Public domain
1956314 Inizio Sonata Leone Monaco Public domain
1956323 Inizio Sonata Erard Leone Monaco Public domain
1956340 Grandioso Leone Monaco Public domain
1956367 Crocifissione Leone Monaco Public domain
1956428 Finale Sonata 3 Leone Monaco Public domain
1956432 Fine Sonata Erard Leone Monaco Public domain
1956511 Fine Sonata Erard Leone Monaco Public domain
1956523 Fine Sonata Erard 2 buona Leone Monaco Public domain
1956698 Liszt Sonata Manoscritto Intro Henle Verlag Public domain
1956707 Liszt Sonata Manoscritto Intro, good one Henle Verlag Public domain
1956717 William Blake - The Temptation and Fall of Eve William Blake Public domain
1956878 Gustave Dore The fall of Lucifer Gustave Doré Public domain
1956880 Gustave Dore Satan descends upon Earth Gustave Doré Public domain
1956900 William Blake Christ and God William Blake Public domain
1956908 Gustave Dore God with His Son Gustave Doré Public domain
1956917 Giotto Crucifixion Giotto Public domain
1957046 Michelangelo Giudizio Universale Michelangelo Buonarroti Public domain
1957057 De_Lamennais_-_Paroles_d'un_croyant,_1838.djvu Félicité de Lamennais Public domain
1957074 Bachmann Chorus Mysticus Otto Bachmann Public domain
1957948 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB bars 1-6 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1957967 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB bars 1-7 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958129 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB bars 1-7 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958160 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB bars 8-17 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958537 Crux fidelis notazione quadrata Schola Gregoriana Mediolanensis Public domain
1958555 Crux fidelis notazione quadrata_page-0001 Schola Gregoriana Mediolanensis Public domain
1958605 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB Grandioso bars 105-109 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958629 Liszt Sonata in B minor Faith theme Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958668 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB Recitativo bars 301-306 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958681 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB Presto bars 700-703 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1958721 Liszt Consolation 4 theme Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1964824 Liszt Faust Symphony-7 - Esempio tema Faust_page-0001 Breitkopf und Haertel Public domain
1964952 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB prima pagina_page-0001 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain
1965006 Liszt Faust Symphony-7 - Esempio tema Faust_page-0001 Breitkopf und Haertel Public domain
1965327 Liszt Faust Symphony Inizio Mephisto_page-0001 Breitkopf und Haertel Public domain
1965369 Liszt B minor Sonata EMB bars 13-17 Editio Musica Budapest Public domain

comments: 1 (last entry by Bart van Oort - 20/02/2023 at 21:22)