# Differences Between "Lisztian" and "Chopinian" pianism?



## Roger Knox

Are there differences between "Lisztian" and "Chopinian" pianism? First of all how might we tackle such a gnarly question? Or should we?


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## progmatist

Liszt was inspired by Paganini. He wanted to capture the same kind of fire on the piano. Paganini of course was the "shredder" of his day.


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## Kreisler jr

So was Schumann, and probably Chopin as well, maybe in a more subtle way. Almost everyone was stunned by Paganini at the time and the way he put violin virtuosity on a different level was apparently a big inspiration for that generation of piano players and composers.


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## Highwayman

Generally, I think Chopin was a parlour pianist whereas Liszt was a concert hall pianist. I think their stylistic differences mostly relate to their different artistic habitats. Otherwise I`m pretty sure both of them were in it for the gasps of the women.


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## elgar's ghost

^
^

That was pretty much what I was thinking. Chopin was primarily a miniaturist whose compositions were more suited to intimate _Schubertiad_-like gatherings of admirers. Liszt could write miniatures too of course but his lengthier diz-busters were more conducive to a formal concert environment.


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## Kreisler jr

It was probably true that Chopin was more reclusive whereas Liszt was a star who at least for some time thrived on the public stages.

But this is not so clearly mirrored in their works, I think; Liszt didn't overall compose more large scale piano works than Chopin, at least not more that remained in the repertoire.

- Chopin has two piano sonatas (the first early one is hardly ever played), Liszt has the b minor + the Dante sonata
- Both have two piano concertos (Chopin's are longer) and a few smaller works for piano and orchestra
- Both have two handfuls or so of "middle sized" ca. 8-12 minutes pieces (such as Funerailles, Mephisto waltz, the longer of the hungarian rhapsodies etc. for Liszt, the Ballades, Scherzi, Fantaise, Polonaise-fantaisie for Chopin
- both have many dozens of "short", typically 1-5 min pieces, often in collections or cycles: waltzes, etudes, nocturnes etc.

Liszt has of course far more pieces overall and some are "long" but hardly seriously large scale, like opera fantasies and paraphrases.


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## 59540

I think Liszt was more "orchestral" while Chopin was "pianistic".


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