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Total duration: 41'
Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses exist in various versions and stages. For a more detailed discussion, see the relevant volume of the New Liszt Edition (Suppl. 6; Z. A/B 14504).
In 1834, Liszt wrote a single piece called Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (S. 154; LW A18; R. 13), which was published soon after.
In the years following, Liszt explored extending this work to a cycle. He left many related drafts, including Prière d’un enfant à son réveil (S. 171c), Litanies de Marie (S. 171e), and, as a sequence of eight pieces in the so-called Tasso sketchbook, Préludes et Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (S. 171d).
In 1847 and 1848, Liszt re-visited the concept and prepared a draft called Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (S. 172a; LW A61); eleven movements are still extant. He further revised this to create a final version (S. 173; LW A158; R. 14) that was published in 1853.
The below table gives a summary of the relationships between the works.
| S. 173/ | S. 172a/ | S. 171d/ | S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 11 | 1 | – |
| – | – | 2–3 | – |
| – | – | 4 | 170, 189a |
| – | – | 5–6 | – |
| – | – | 7 | 192/1, 540a, 541/2 |
| – | – | 8 | – |
| 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 4 | 8 | – | 154 |
| 5 | 6 | – | – |
| 6 | 7 | – | 171c |
| 7 | – | – | – |
| 8 | 5 | – | – |
| 9 | 9 | – | – |
| 10 | – | – | – |
| – | 2–3 | – | – |
| – | 4 | – | 171e |
| – | 10 | – | – |
Duration: 4' 30"
Difficulty: 3.5
Duration: 7' 30"
Difficulty: 3.5
Duration: 5'
Difficulty: 3.5
This piece is incomplete. Liszt later re-worked it as the Ballade no. 1 in D-flat major (S. 170; LW A 117; R. 15). He also wrote multiple album leaves on the main theme: at least four in A-flat major (S. 189a/1; LW A116) and one in D-flat major (S. 189a/2).
Duration: 11'
Difficulty: 4.5
Duration: 6' 30"
Difficulty: 4
This piece is incomplete.
Duration: 4'
Difficulty: 3.5
Liszt’s song for voice and piano Gestorben war ich (S. 308; LW N18/2; R. 588) exists in many versions for solo piano. It is most familiar as the second piece, Seliger Tod, of the Liebesträume (S. 541; LW A103; R. 211), which has a related, simpler version (S. 540a; R. 211). Liszt also prepared an incomplete version as Alternative (no. 7) from the Préludes et Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (S. 171d). Many years later, he prepared a further version as the first of the Fünf Klavierstücke (S. 192; LW A233; R. 60).
Duration: 1' 30"
Difficulty: 2
This piece is incomplete.
Duration: 1'
Difficulty: 2
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