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I'm sure a lot of you have read about the famous "piano duel" of 1837 when Liszt and Thalberg both played at a charity event in Paris. The oft repeated verdict of the hostess went something like, "Thalberg is the first pianist in the world. Liszt is the only pianist in the world.".

I've always been curious about Thalberg's music, but could never find anything in print.

Just discovered a website where they offer PDF file format downloads of Thalberg's piano music for only one dollar per piece, plus a dollar service fee per order. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of his work, and much of it isn't as difficult as I had feared. He borrows heavily from opera of the period for his thematic material, but he has a flair for achieving nice effects that sound harder than they are to play.

www.polymnia.com is the site

Will I find happiness there?

Don't know about you, but I buy all my Happiness at the pharmacy. Strictly prescription. Over the counter Happiness doesn't cut it.

I have a collection of music sheets that were probably bound together about 1880. One of them is the Moses Fantasy, which is what Thalberg when he was up against Liszt. It was published by Southern in a collection of his pieces recently, but I don't know if it is still in print there.

I have a friend who was going to record the pieces from that event, but unfortunately, the recording deal fell through.

Does anyone know what Liszt played?

I seem to remember reading that Liszt played his Fantasy on the Opera "Niobe". Does that sound right?

I have to go back to the Liszt biography at home to doublecheck.

Liszt's rival, Thalberg this year celebrates the 200th Anniversary of his birth January 2012.
Read the Piano Sage blog - Thalberg, 3 hand piano playing - Fantasia on Rossini's Moses
http://pianosage.blogspot.com/2012/01/thalberg-3-hand-piano-playing-fantasia.html

The Thalberg music is available free at IMSLP and other sites.

Perhaps not when that comment was posted almost 8 years ago.

Thal

That is correct.


edit: I'll bet he feels reassured now..8 years later.

Yeah, I remember it being something like "Thalberg is the first pianist in Europe; Liszt is the only one".

Perhaps I'm just a dullard, but I really don't understand what she meant by that!

Edit: Wow, I just realized this thread is eight years old.

Was it 'first?' I thought it was greatest, or best, or finest, or something like that.

Regardless, I think the intended meaning was that Thalberg was the greatest pianist alive out of everyone except Liszt, who was just on an altogether, incomparable level.

From Wikipedia

“These two eminent pianists are different in style, and, if we may be excused a simile,
Liszt may be compared to a bottle of sparkling champagne, inimitable in brilliancy and Thalberg, to the good old port, full of body and fine flavour.
Were we now asked which we should prefer, we should scarcely know what to say;
but we think Thalberg the most lasting.
His firm, full tone and rich harmonies can never be forgotten.”

But then chaps ... I suffer from a shuddering aversion for Liszt ... but have a weakness for “good old port” ... who the heck then, is Thalberg?

Sorry about that.