Talk:Totentanz (Liszt)

I did some cleanup (5 August 2006) removing weasel words, and adding a source (Alan Walker). If more cleanup needs to be done, please let me know. Rolf-Peter Wille 05:35, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know anything about editing Wikipedia pages or anything, but I believe that Triumph of Death came earlier than 1355 and actually predated the outbreak of the Black Death. -- Sam

Since neutrality and objectivity seem to be entirely important here, I'd like to suggest a revision of this article's treatment of the source material in respect to morality. The writer seems to be looking down on Liszt's "Obsession with Death" while continually, and unnecessarily, emphasizing the moral importance and correctness of the religious lessons being taught by the paintings. Once the article is done detailing the importance of not seeking the "vain...glories of earthly life" there isn't much room at all that is used to speak of the actual work in question. AceRoccola 03:06, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

Reference to the ballet Dracula
This work was used in Dracula, the 1997 ballet, Choreography by Ben Stevenson Music by Franz Liszt, in an arrangement by John Lanchberry

What about the work itself?
I see no references about the music. Most of the information is about the theme of death. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Deafussy (talk • contribs) 16:38, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

Extant versions link to De Profundis
This contained a link to De Profundis, which in turn redirected to Psalm 130.

In disambiguating De Profundis in order to accomodate Oscar Wilde's work of the same name, I discovered this link. I have therefore changed the link to De Profundis in order to retain the existing link chain. But I have to say I don't really understand the sense of the link, and I'm concerned this may actually have been a mislink to start with. Perhaps somebody who knows more about classical music than I could take a look. -- Starbois (talk) 13:13, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Dies Irae = Day of anger
I think that Dies Irae means day of anger rather than judgement day... This is nonetheless to double-check before modifying as I am not a latin-speaker.

Re: Dies Irae = Day of anger
Yes, Dies Irae means, literally, "Day of Wrath" (as it is commonly translated); but it refers to Judgment Day. The wrath in question in divine wrath. The Day of Judgment is what the poem (and the Gregorian chant) is about. The words "Dies irae" are simply the opening words of the poem: an incipit. — NicholasNotabene (talk) 11:33, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

re "Sources of Inspiration"
Here is the lead sentence of this section:

"In the Romantic age, due to a fascination with everything Medieval, the aspect of fantastic or grotesquely macabre irony often replaced the original moral intent."

May I suggest that, imho, this sentence is gibberish, falling apart when one parses it? What irony? "The original moral intent" of what? And exactly how, in any case, is "irony" replacing "moral intent" something that is "due to a fascination with everything Medieval"? — NicholasNotabene (talk) 11:43, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Re "Stylistic innovations"
Quote: "The opening [of the Totentanz] comes surprisingly close to the introduction in Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, a work composed almost a hundred years later. This may be no coincidence since Bartók frequently performed Liszt’s Totentanz."

This statement places the proverbial cart before the horse. No, Liszt's music does not come "surprisingly close" to Bartok; it is rather the Hungarian composer-pianist Bartok who may echo, or use, the Hungarian composer-pianist Liszt. This may tell us something about Bartok, but it says nothing about Liszt and his Totentanz.

—NicholasNotabene (talk) 12:02, 30 October 2015 (UTC)