Liszt Consolation No. 3 - Easy Arrangement

Franz Liszt: Consolation No. 3

PDF Sheet music, piano solo
Simple Solutions arrangement by Henrik Kilhamn

Approximate Grade: 5
Scale 1 - 8: Beginner - Advanced

Key: Easy key C major + Original key D-flat major included

This all-time favourite piece was a founding brick for Volume 3 of Simple Solutions, and it fits perfectly in the series to present a version without the two virtuosic cadenzas (although with traces of them!) or the thick textures of the middle section. The first section is not that much different from the original except for a more compressed register for LH. After the first cadenza tremolo there is an option to skip the middle section altogether and go straight to the Coda where the main melody returns. This works musically if you want a shorter version of the piece. Otherwise all parts of the stormy middle section are included with accompanying key changes. The texture here requires some octaves on the highest point of the melody, but not the substantial octave work that permeates the original. The second cadenza presents an opportunity to play some really fast notes in a way that sounds virtuosic but is deceptively easy since it’s only the same four note repeated up the piano between the hands! – a rewrite that aims to capture the idea of the original music without its technical challenges.

This arrangement is included in Simple Solutions VOLUME 3 - Nights & Dreams (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

Also, check out:
Simple Solutions VOLUME 1 (Elementary ~ Grade 3)
Simple Solutions VOLUME 2 (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

ABOUT SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

This is for everyone who loves the great piano repertoire but haven’t (yet) developed the skill required to master it. After all, the big composers wrote music for professional musicians, and it takes many years of studies to achieve a level sufficient to play their pieces as written. However, the musical material can be separated into melody, harmony, rhythms, and textures, and in some cases simplified while preserving the core ideas. This is what I have done in these arrangements of some of the most beloved piano melodies by the great composers. In this easier setting, you will instead have enough time on your hands (literally!) to bring the music to life and care about those aspects that often otherwise come second: phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and balance. This will help you develop your over-all musicality, which will be of great value in all other pieces as well.

I believe you have the right to enjoy playing this great music with your own hands, even when the original writing is beyond your present level or would require too much time and effort. In the end, if you feel ready for a challenge and want to go forward with proper piano studies that requires years of practice—the originals are always there. In the meantime, these arrangements will bring you close to the same enjoyment, because all musical ideas are carefully conserved.

They are just a little bit easier.

The arrangement comes in two versions: both transposed to an easier key signature as well as kept in the original key.

The "Easy key" transposed version is recommended for the most comfortable Simple Solutions experience. It's much easier to read notes without many sharps or flats, which frees up a lot of attention for all other musical aspects solely at a cost if you have perfect pitch. The version in original key serves the purpose of constituting a proper stepping stone if you wish to continue with the full original later on, whithout having to unlearn all harmony because it was in the wrong key.