Sigismund Thalberg: The three -hand method and piano techniques of his operatic paraphrases.

摘要

Sigismund Thalberg (1812--1871), one of the foremost concert pianists of the nineteenth century, was largely responsible for the popularity of the piano paraphrase based on operatic themes. Though his compositions have disappeared from the modern concert repertoire, his operatic paraphrases are discussed in this dissertation in order to renew interest in these works as performance selections. From approximately 1832 until 1862, Thalberg performed these paraphrases on concert stages throughout Europe, South America and the United States. With the unique assimilation of opera and piano augmented by Thalberg's use of the three-hand technique, these pieces are remarkably effective in a recital program.;This dissertation is divided into six chapters that include a brief discussion of Thalberg's life and career followed by the examination of five significant paraphrases. In order, the chapters discuss the paraphrases on Rossini's Moise en Egypte, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots , and Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. While this research concentrates on the revolutionary three-hand technique, other Thalberg techniques are closely examined, including motivic anticipation, fugal writing and theme diminution and augmentation. In addition, his virtuostic treatments of themes are scrutinized from a purely pianistic standpoint. Thalberg's operatic paraphrases are some of the finest of this genre and deserve a renewed consideration as recital pieces for the concert pianists of this era.