Abstract:
The purpose of this paper was to identify and analyze technical and musical challenges I
encountered while preparing to perform Franz Liszt Sposalizio for my Master’s Recital. The
paper presents biographical information on the composer’s life that is directly connected to the
interpretation of Sposalizio, as well as challenges that pertain to how musical character is related
to organic musical flow. Furthermore, an assessment of technical difficulties encountered in the
piece is presented in addition to a proposition on practice methods aimed to overcome them.
The technical challenges identified in this piece pertain to difficulties with octave
technique, large extensions of the hand, pedaling, voicing and arpeggiation. After each challenge
was identified a practice method was suggested, followed by a discussion on what was achieved
through each exercise. The paper concludes with an assessment on the evolution of my technical
and musical skills and a reflexion of how knowledge gained from this piece can be further
applied.
