Hungarian rhapsody was one of the great pieces composed by
Franz Liszt. The piece is widely popular even today. It is characterized by two phases, the first one being a slow issue transforming rather smoothly and unnoticably into a very fast second phase. Throughout the piece, the underlying rhythm keeps varying in beat frequency, unlike most other musical compositions in which the base rhythm is supposed to maintain a constant pace, in order to aid in setting the mood of the composition, and moreover, if the beat frequency is changed quite arbitrarily, the piece almost always becomes unpleasant. In this piece, Liszt has managed with such great elegance, to vary this base beat frequency and make it an amazingly pleasing one, as well. As in most other western classical compositions, even here, various string instruments emulate the percussion, but still there is some distinct essence to them in this piece, characterized by very fast and smooth movements. In short, it is one of many marvellous pieces composed during the era of
western music.