Franz Liszt
Un Sospiro
in D-flat Major, S . 144 No. 3
from 3 Concert Etudes
Un sospiro (A Sigh) is a lovely poetic piece but also a study in hand crossings. An ethereal, pentatonic melody played by alternating hands and embedded in lush arpeggios, gives the piece a distinct impressionistic quality.
Year: 1848
Period: Early Romantic
Piano score: Scanned score 
Audiovisual Study Tool
A poetic hand crossing exercise
“Un Sospiro” is a complex exercise in hand crossing, and a lovely poetic piece with an ethereal, pentatonic melody that produces an impressionistic athmosphere. It requires more and more technique from the performer as it goes. Liszt uses three staves for almost the entire piece. The third staff sits there and innocently presents the main melody while the embroidery around it forces the remarkable hand crossing.Background
The Three Concert Etudes were also published under the name of "Trois Caprices poétiques". In a later French edition an Italian title for each piece appeared, which may well have nothing to do with Liszt himself, although they were in use during his lifetime and employed in editions prepared by Liszt’s students. Un Sospiro is the best known of the three, and was often used by Liszt as a teaching piece in his later years.Forum posts about this piece:
Un Sospiro by ravelfan07
How difficult is Un Sospiro by Franz Liszt? It’s very VERY arpeggio focused I know Une Barque Sur L’ocean sounds harder than it is, and it is also very arpeggio focused Is Un Sospiro the...
In desperate need of some piece recommendations by juncho
I just finished the last movement of my beethoven sonata for my LTCL piano and I still don't have a new piece to be working on. I've been scouring through the repertoire list but none of them...
Jazz pieces I could use for my diploma by juncho
I'm choosing some repertoire for my LTCL exam, my list so far is: Lizst - Un Sospiro Ravel - Ondine Beethoven - Op.31 No.3 I play in a big band so I've gotten to take quite a...
Repertoire help by png100
Hi everyone, I wanted some help/recommendations so that I can have a balanced repertoire for competitions. I am 17 and have 11 years of piano experience, and I most recently have been working on...
Un Sospiro, measure 51 by jim19130
A pretty specific question. I’m almost completely learned Liszt’s Un Sospiro, but measure 51-52 is bedeviling me. It’s the awkward hand position transition at the ppp. Maybe it’s just...
New Liszt Piece by thepianolad
Hi, I need to choose a third piece for my exam which will be Liszt. I'm considering whether I should do the following: - Liebestraume 3 - Widmung (Schumman transcription) -...
Un Sospiro fingering score by jim19130
I have an old G Schirmer score for this Liszt piece, with sparse fingerings. I never learned it, but want to tackle it now. Is there a best score for this piece? For example, in measure...
Pieces to improve technique by pianoman2
Hello, I am a 13-year-old student with ~3 years of experience playing piano. Of course, when I started I wanted to play all the ear-candy pieces like La Campanella and Fantaise-Impromptu. However, I now realize...
I want to play more Liszt!!! by ivorycherry
Moved this to the rep board because I think it fits here better than the Student’s corner. Hey guys, So I’ve been listening to a lot of Liszt lately and I love his music. I would like...
Am I ready for these pieces? by ivorycherry
Hey guys, So I’ve been listening to a lot of Liszt lately and I love his music. I would like to add some more Liszt into my repertoire and I have some pieces in mind. I usually play around 2-3 hours a...
Another repertoire suggestion request by judiciary
Hello, I'm a lapsed piano student -- I had lessons for many years as a child, burned out badly at some point and barely touched a piano for the next 3 years, and I'm now really wanting to come...
Liszt Sospiro, tips and advice please. by faa2010
Greetings, I am studying Liszt's Sospiro, but it is very difficult. I am studying it so I can upgrade my piano level, so in the future I can study a Chopin etude or another piece of...
I love Un Sospiro by lukepettyjohn
Liszt's Un Sospiro is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard. I greatly enjoying listening to this piece. I would love to be able to play it one day, but I know it is very...
Ideas for 3 to 5 min virtuoso repertoire by diomedes
Has to be "not depressing" :P, fairly virtuoso, but not breakneck. It has to be performed cold on stage etc... Something like Ravel Noctuelles, Debussy jardins sous la pluie or Liszt un...
Un Sospiro by pianist21
Hello! I am beginning to work on Un Sospiro by Liszt, and I noticed that on the Henle website the difficulty is rated 7/8 out of 9. I know that difficulty ratings are very subjective and vary from person to...
Un Sospiro as a left hand etude?!?! by boxjuice
I know with the arpeggios you're supposed to switch between hands and play the melodies in alternating hands, but is it possible, nay, practical to play the arpeggios with just the left hand while the...
Show off piece by hexanite
Hi, I'm looking for a showy piece that I can learn in my free time. I'm looking for something that is challenging, will be satisfying to learn, yet not too long so as to take forever to learn....
New Liszt Piece by chopinawesome
I am thinking about doing a big Liszt work. I just finished playing his technical exercises Op.1, 3rd Hungarian Rhapsody, and Consolations. Maybe an etude like Waldesrauschen or Un Sospiro? Any suggestions...
I am looking for a musical expert. by thejeev
If there are any among you here, or know of anyone, that considers themselves to be an expert of sorts with Romantic music "Beethoven, Rach, Liszt etc." and is willing to entertain and earnestly...
Members who like this piece have also downloaded:
Concert Etude - Un Sospiro in D-flat Major No. 3 by the composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886). This piano piece was composed in 1848 and is part of Liszt's Miscellaneous pieces.