An Analytical Study into Weitzmann Regions in the late Piano Works of Franz Liszt

This article offers a detailed harmonic analysis of three of Franz Liszt’s late piano works, and applies to them a concept developed through neo-Riemannian theory known as “Weitzmann regions”. The relationship between Liszt and his friend Carl Friedrich Weitzmann is investigated in some detail, relating to Liszt’s life-long fascination with the augmented triad, and it also discusses the reasons behind his conviction to making this sonority central to the harmony of some of his late pieces. Viewed through neo-Riemannian analysis, the augmented triads are revealed to have a structural function in La lugubre gondola I (1882) and R. W. – Venezia (1883), whereas Nuages gris (1881) exhibits a more complex and uncertain relationship between augmented and consonant triads.

Keywords: Franz Liszt, Neo-Riemannian Analysis, Weitzmann Regions, Augmented Triad, Piano Miniatures