Virtuoso pianism from the QWERTY keyboard: The electronic realization of Liszt's scores

For a decade or so, Liszt thrilled and astounded audiences at a time when virtuosity (often as an end in itself) was the norm and the piano had rapidly evolved into a form recognisable as a close relative of the instrument we know today. During this period Liszt frequently performed hisGrandes Etudes (1838), which he had developed from his boyhoodEtude en 12 exercices (1826) and which he later revised and technically simplified asEtudes d'Exécution transcendante (1851). Although Liszt's own performances cannot be recreated, procedures for generating electronic realizations, which contain nuances of balance and tempo, are described. All three versions of the eighth of Liszt's set of 12 studies are used for illustration. Contrary to received opinion, it is argued that the 1838 version is more satisfying than the 1851 revision and that this is due to its formal structure.Wilfrid Smith is a Reader in Computing and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Having investigated the authorship and chronology of early English plays and poetry for more than a decade by means of statistical methods and computers, he has recently become interested in the use of computers as an aid to establish tempo in music and for the creation of artificial performances.