Carl Tausig

Carl Tausig

Carl Tausig or Karl Tausig (November 4, 1841 - July 17, 1871) was a Polish pianist and composer.

Life

He was born in Warsaw to Jewish parents and received his first piano lessons from his father, pianist Aloys Tausig. He was introduced to Franz Liszt in Weimar at the age of 14, and studied and travelled with him. At the age of 16 he met Richard Wagner, of whom he became a devoted follower. Wagner enjoyed patronising him (as is evident from Wagner's autobiography, 'My Life') despite his Jewish background. Tausig made piano arrangements of many of Wagner's operas. He also introduced to Wagner his friend Peter Cornelius, another Wagner adept.

Tausig's grave in Berlin

Tausig settled in Germany and opened a piano school in Berlin in 1865 which, however, closed soon afterwards. He toured throughout Europe, becoming known for his exemplary technique. He died in Leipzig from typhoid at the age of 29.

Works

Tausig's surviving output is for piano solo only. Not included are works unpublished or lost; which include a transcription in double notes of Chopin's Etude Op25 No2, transcriptions of several of Liszt's symphonic poems and orchestral compositions (including a piano concerto and an orchestral version of Das Geisterschiff).

Original compositions

• Impromptu, Opus 1a
• Two Concert-Etudes, Opus 1b
• Das Geistershiff (Ballade), Opus 1c
• Introduction and Tarantella, Opus 2a
• L'Espérance (nocturne varié), Opus 3
• Rêverie, Opus 5
• Le Ruisseau, Opus 6a
• Ten Préludes
• Ungarische Zigeunerweisen

Transcriptions

• Bach: (6) Chorale Preludes (BWV 1098, 614, 622, 656, ???, 648)
• Bach: Praeludium, Fuge und Allegro, BWV 998
• Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
• Beethoven: Sechs Sätze aus Streichquartetten
• Berlioz: Gnomenchor und Sylphentanz
• Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor
• Liszt: Les Préludes
• Liszt: Tasso
• Moniuszko: Reminiscences de Halka
• Scarlatti: Five Sonatas
• Schubert: Andantino und Variationen, Opus 84 No.1
• Schubert: Marche Militaire, Opus 51 No.1
• Schubert: Polonaise, Opus 75 No.3
• Schubert: Rondo, Opus 84 No.2
• Schumann: Contrabandista
• J. Strauss II: Nouvelles soirees de Vienne (Valses-caprices)
• Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (solo piano and four hand arrangement)
• Wagner: Kaiser-Marsch
• Wagner: Meditation from "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"
• Wagner: Three paraphrases on "Tristan und Isolde"
• Wagner: Two transcriptions from "Die Walküre"
• Weber: Aufforderung zum Tanz

External links

• Carl Tausig was listed in the International Music Score Library Project

[[Category:Jewish classical musicians]