PREFACE

This “Hungarian Rhapsody” by Franz (Ferenc) Liszt is only the second of fifteen such nationalistic pieces by the flamboyant composer, but it has emerged as the most popular and widely performed. This is due not only to its infectious tunes and enticing coloration, but in contemporary times through its frequent use as film score material, most notably in “Tom and Jerry” and “Bugs Bunny” cartoons. Written in 1847 as a solo piano piece for Count László Teleky, the piece has been rearranged for orchestra numerous times. These orchestrations have often changed the original key of the piano score (D-) and freely interpreted the capriccioso rhythms and cadenzas in the opening Lassan section. This arrangement presented here for guitar quartet was undertaken in the same spirit of extrapolation; the key was raised to a more guitar-friendly D natural, and the original piano score as well as the orchestration by Karl Muller-Berghaus were used as source material. This project was undertaken jointly with my (then) graduate student at USC, Jon Minei, member of the talented Solaris Guitar Quartet.

A few notes on realization and logistics of this arrangement: The fourth guitar part was designed to be played on an extended-range instrument, in John Dearman of LAGQ’s case, a seven-string guitar extending to low A (low G for the final note!) and up to high D on the first string (Jon Minei uses a Rubio-style 8-tring that exceeds this range). In any case, for matters of practicality, wherever the part exceeds the range of a standard 6-string guitar, these pitches have been indicated with an 8va of 8vb ossia. It would be preferable to play the piece with the full range, but it should be satisfactory on a standard guitar as well.

As mentioned previously, some rhythms, notably the opening theme in mm. 1-7 and 62-68, are not precisely indicated in the original piano score, whereas they are frequently notated with exact rhythms in orchestrations. It was decided to leave them unspecified, as in the piano version, to allow the player to discover his or her own feeling of “capriciousness”. Another point of some discretion is the realization of the four cadenzas, a brief one for each member of the quartet. The cadenzas presented here are only suggested options, and the players are encouraged to create their own, staying within the parameters of the harmony and style in question.

There are other points to consider in interpreting this piece according to accepted performance practice. The main melody of the Lassan section (m. 11), first in guitar 3 but passed eventually to every part, should be played rubato in keeping with the gypsy spirit. Specifically, the 16th notes in mm. 12 and 15 should not be metronomic, but stretched and compressed according to one’s taste. The arrival of the famous theme in the Friska section (m. 178) is traditionally performed with a sudden “molto marcato” which gradually speeds up to m. 184. Similarly, the theme at m. 234 also may begin quite slowly, gradually accelerating to m. 238, and this scheme is often repeated in mm. 242-246 (although not usually at mm. 250 and 258). For increased dramatic effect, the three upbeats in m. 273 and especially m. 360 can be played molto marcato as well. Finally, the section from mm 408-420 can be played quite slowly and with rubato, in a ruminative manner.

William Kanengiser, October 2004