Hungarian Rhapsodies virtuoso pianist as well as a composer). Liszt incorporated many themes he had heard in his native western Hungary and which he believed to be folk music, though many were in fact tunes written by members of the Hungarian upper middle class, or by composers such as József Kossovits, often played by Roma (Gypsy) bands. The large scale structure of each was influenced by the verbunkos, a Hungarian dance in several parts, each with a different tempo. Within this structure, Liszt preserved the two main structural elements of typical Gypsy improvisation—the "lassan" ("slow") and the "friska" ("fast"). At the same
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel) his arrangement, and even recorded it with Charles Munch leading the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. American composer Stephen Sondheim wrote a senior paper in college on the piece. The piece is featured prominently in "Morale Victory," an episode from the 8th season of the long-running American television series "M*A*S*H". Major Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) uses it and Wittgenstein's story to convince a drafted concert pianist (James Stephens), whose right hand has been permanently injured in combat, not to give up his musical gift despite his wounds. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel) The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand