Harmonies poetiques et religieuses

Urtext Edition of Liszt's Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. Edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann with fingerings by Klaus Schilde. The substantialcycle, published in 1853, unites splendid concert pieces (Bénédiction a nd Funérailles) and simple, short compositions, which partly make use ofGregorian modes. The volume was composed over a long period of time. As early as 1835 No. 4 was published in a compositionally revolutionary fi rst version entitled Harmonies poétiques et religieuses after the volumeof poetry with the same title by Lamartine. In 1853 Liszt distanced him self from the important early piece, presenting it in a slightly smoother form as Pensées des morts, although it still had considerable impact.