Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Part of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 by Franz Liszt was borrowed by Belgian singer and songwriter Jacques Brel in his 1959 song "Ne me quitte pas". The lyrics "Moi, je t'offrirai des perles de pluie venues de pays où il ne pleut pas" ("I'll offer you rain pearls from lands where it does not rain") are sung to a theme borrowed from the second part, Lassan (Andante), of this piece." --Sholem Stein |
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Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat major is the sixth work of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies composed by Franz Liszt. This work was dedicated to Count Antoine of Appony and uses the form of Lassan and Friska like many other rhapsodies. The piece was later arranged for orchestra.
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Form
The piece is divided into three main sections:
The first part of the rhapsody is an introduction (Tempo Giusto), where the left hand of the player plays a steady bassline made up of the chords in the D-flat major scale. Due to the overlapping of the melody over the bars, the piece does not sound as though if it is in a 2/4 rhythm. This is because Liszt did not start the first chord of the piece as an upbeat, which is what many composers would have done to relate to the time signature of the piece. The melody of the first part is quite repetitive, ending with a long cadenza, using mostly the black keys. The second part (presto) is in C-sharp major (which is simply an enharmonic version of the previous D-flat, not a modulation) and has a lively rhythm, leading to the Lassan, in B-flat minor. The Lassan is played slowly like an improvised rhythm, again finishing with a large cadenza at the end, leading sequentially to Friska (Allegro) in B-flat major. The melody is played in semiquavers and is considered to be quite difficult, since it demands the player to move fast in octaves. The bass line stays the same, strong quaver rhythms, also quite difficult to hit with precision at high speed. The final part of the piece ends with chromatic scales in octaves moving in contrary motion, and ends with majestic B-flat major chords. The piece in whole is quite a lively piece, with the use of the gypsy scale.
Orchestral arrangement
Franz Liszt together with Franz Doppler orchestrated this piece, bearing "S. 359/6" as the work number. It is transposed to D major but the "Friska" remains in B-flat major in which the piece ends.
In popular culture
This piece was featured in the Swiss film Vitus.
Part of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 was borrowed by Belgian singer and songwriter Jacques Brel in his 1959 song "Ne me quitte pas" (English version "If You Go Away"). The lyrics "Moi, je t'offrirai des perles de pluie venues de pays où il ne pleut pas" ("I'll offer you rain pearls from lands where it does not rain") are sung to a theme borrowed from the second part, Lassan (Andante), of this piece.
See also
