Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LISZT!

Original:
Années de pèlerinage. Première année: Suisse, S. 160
VI. Vallée d'Obermann (Obermann's Valley)
by Liszt Ferencz.

Video background picture:
Lauterbrunnen Valley taken by Bob Tan
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DJI_0267-Lauterbrunnen_Valley_110622.jpg

Thumbnail background picture:
from IMSLP
imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/13835/gjajg

Analysis

INTRODUCTION
0:00 The master omitted the original introduction in the final version.

EXPOSITION
0:02 The main theme, composing of 4 portion. The first phrase goes from Em to Gm, and modulates up a minor third again to B♭m (M8), starting with "the descending motif (G-♯F-E)" and "the questioning motif (A-C-B)."
0:32 After that, the second phrase expands the questioning motif to a bridge,
0:47 connecting to the third phrase where the descending motif goes deeper and darker, representing the valley, the wail the depression.
1:27 Repeating questioning with descending baseline in the forth phrase ends with no answer.
1:59 The four-phrase main theme comes back again with some variation, with lighter third phrase and extended forth phrase.
3:59 The three descending motives go lower each time, representing the darkest valley. Liszt, in his old time, told his student to end this piece in this section (stop at M74), trapping listeners in the most depressed abyss.
4:30 The main theme is transformed and is now delicate, light, in C major, to even brighter A major (M92).
5:56 The bright theme ends, gradually turning darker when the diminished chords hit.
6:09 The arpeggio diminished seven chord creates the quasi cadenza which ends the section.

DEVELOPMENT (Recitativo)

6:19 Non-stopped tremolos of diminished chords makes the physical and psychological tension.
6:50 It goes even more intense, both the brighter and the darker version of main theme communicates to each other and builds up more tension.
7:16 The diminished chord bursts out and
7:29 screams to release all the emotions till everything comes down at Fm (M160).
7:53 After venting the emotions, one is exhausted but still questioning. The section is ended in the similar manner.

RECAPITULATION

8:40 The brighter main theme, now in E major, comes back.
9:34 Now the theme is inverted and ascending.
10:12 The theme comes back again, with repeating chords and in a more energetic form.
10:43 As expected, the energetic version of the inverted theme follows up.
11:09 The rhapsodic octave line followed by a string of martellato chords that bridge to the coda.

CODA

11:23 The brighter main theme alters chromatically, in a scale that cannot be classified, but with some diminished color.
11:33 The repeated descending motives in the bass followed by ascending E major arpeggio (M214) might be a epic ending; however,
11:45 The dark, truncated descending-questioning motif in E double harmonic scale return, with the unanswered question (Eaug-E) as the fine.