How does a Romantic composer approach the poetry he sets: as raw material to be remade, a pretext for self-expression, a sanctified artefact, or a message to be illustrated with music? In my book, I examine Franz Liszt’s songs for voice and piano, which remain little known to scholars, artists, and music lovers alike. The objective is to present Liszt’s songs in all their complexity and diversity as well as identifying the key elements of the composer’s broadly understood song-writing technique – both those that make him unique and those that relate him to the European tradition. This approach also makes it possible to shed light on a major though previously neglected aspect of the composer’s workshop, namely, his work with the poetic text, which to Liszt was just as important as the musical setting.

A unique study of Liszt's approach to literary art; an exploration and reconstruction of his method of work with poetry and music in his songs for voice and piano.

All 14 songs in the series, including such masterpieces as "Das Fischermädchen," "Am Meer," "Abschied," "Ständchen," "Frühlings-Sehnsucht," "Der Doppelgänger," and other famed lieder. All meticulously reproduced from rare early editions overseen by Liszt himself.

Letters of Franz Liszt. Collected And Edited by La Mara. Translated by Constance Bache. With a Portrait. From Paris to Rome. Years of Travel As Virtuoso.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Beginning several generations before Schubert, the Lied first appears as domestic entertainment. In the century that follows it becomes one of the primary modes of music-making. By the time German song comes to its presumed conclusion with Richard Strauss's 1948 Vier letzte Lieder, this rich repertoire has moved beyond the home and keyboard accompaniment to the symphony hall. This is a 2004 introductory chronicle of this fascinating genre. In essays by eminent scholars, this Companion places the Lied in its full context - at once musical, literary, and cultural - with chapters devoted to focal composers as well as important issues, such as the way in which the Lied influenced other musical genres, its use as a musical commodity, and issues of performance. The volume is framed by a detailed chronology of German music and poetry from the late 1730s to the present and also contains a comprehensive bibliography.

Franz Liszt was one of the most awe-inspiring figures in all of music history. As a composer, he was experimental and inventive, pushing the boundaries of form and harmony. As a pianist, he possessed breathtaking virtuosity: his masterful technique was almost acrobatic. Liszt left behind an enormous body of piano music - by turns poetic, glittering, prophetic, profound, and haunting - that failed to command the acclaim it deserved in his lifetime. Today, however, Franz Liszt is widely known as both a brilliant composer and one of the greatest pianists ever.