Franz Liszt: Bagatelle sans tonalite (written 1885).
This work for solo piano by Franz Liszt, the virtuoso pianist of the late 19th Century, was titled “Fourth Mephisto Waltz” but subtitled “Bagatelle sans tonalite”. Although the work has a suggested tonality of D it is so highly chromatic that the definite tonality is obscured.
Here Liszt avoids triads, the three-note building blocks of chords, builds up augmented chords, and does not always resolve the voice-leading in traditional ways. Tritone ring out abundantly, likely taunting the 19th Century listener more than our “tonally damaged ears”.
As Alex Ross quotes in his book The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
, “Wagner muttered to Cosima that his old friend was showing signs of ‘budding insanity’.” (Ross, 43)
Before listening, download the score for free: Download Score for Liszt Bagatelle sans Tonalite
Liszt:Bagatelle sans tonalité (Alfred Brendel)
