Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Poetic and Religious Harmonies), S.173, is a cycle of piano pieces written by Franz Liszt at Woronińce (Voronivtsi, the Polish-Ukrainian country estate of Liszt's mistress Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein) in 1847, and published in 1853. The pieces are inspired by the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine, as was Liszt's symphonic poem Les Préludes.

Structure

The ten compositions which make up this cycle are:

1. Invocation (completed at Woronińce);

2. Ave Maria (transcription of choral piece written in 1846);

3. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude ('The Blessing of God in Solitude', completed at Woronińce);

4. Pensée des morts ('In Memory of the Dead', reworked version of earlier individual composition, Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (1834));

5. Pater Noster (transcription of choral piece written in 1846);

6. Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil ('The Awaking Child’s Hymn', transcription of choral piece written in 1846);

7. Funérailles (October 1849) ('Funeral');

8. Miserere, d'après Palestrina (after Palestrina);

9. La lampe du temple (Andante lagrimoso);

10. Cantique d'amour ('Hymn of Love', completed at Woronińce).

Background

Growing up in Paris, Liszt was highly influenced by French poets, especially Victor Hugo, Félicité Robert de Lamennais, and Alphonse de Lamartine. Influenced by the latter’s poem Apariciones (Apparitions), he wrote, for example, his first cycle of three piano pieces of the same name (S.155, 1834), and later, his symphonic poem Les Préludes (S.97). He was also inspired to write a musical piece based on Lamartine's odes published under the title Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. As early as 1834, he wrote a piano piece with the same title and planned to dedicate the work—which would later be expanded into a cycle—to Lamartine. It is interesting that he called this piece joint harmonies with Marie d'Agoult ("notre harmonie"), but by the time the cycle was completed and published, he had already dedicated it to his new companion, Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (named Jeanne Élisabeth Carolyne on the score).

Musical Analysis

Harmonies poétiques et religieuses is a series of piano pieces published under a common title. However, these pieces do not form a "cycle" in the strict sense. A cycle presupposes some kind of common thread or idea among the individual parts, but this is not found in this series of works. Although Liszt intended to connect his work to Lamartine's title, he only attached quotations from Lamartine to the first, third, and ninth pieces. The series is not united by its harmonic structure either; only the first and last keys are the same (E major), and there is no other kinship between them. There are pieces that were not originally written for piano but for choir—for example, the piano transcriptions of the second, fifth, and eighth Latin church choral works, which have no relation to Lamartine. The seventh work, Funérailles, was also born for completely different reasons, specifically the grief following the failure of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Furthermore, the individual pieces were created at different times; the series reached its final form after multiple changes, does not represent a consistent quality, and Liszt removed some pieces from the series that could have been related to Lamartine. However, Béla Bartók, who as a renowned pianist already had many of Liszt's works in his repertoire since 1904, wrote in his autobiography: "I studied Liszt again, mainly in his less popular works, such as the Années de Pèlerinage, the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, the Faust Symphony, Danse Macabre, etc. I got to the bottom of things after penetrating some exteriors that were alien to me. I discovered the true importance of Liszt and, in terms of the later development of music, I recognized in him a passion much greater than that of Wagner or Strauss."

1. Invocation
   This is a relatively frequently played piece from the series. Its first version was written by Liszt in 1847, inspired by Lamartine's poem of the same name. In the final version, he more than tripled the length of the piece, and it became a composition in free sonata form in E major, with a 3/4 time signature. It features a hymn-like, ascending main theme; the development contains seventh chords and tritone leaps; and the coda is woven from the main theme and a pentatonic detail.

2. Ave Maria
   The first version of Ave Maria was a work for mixed choir written in 1846, and the piano piece was born as a revision of it. It is characterized by a delicate and tender melody, but also has an operatic element—the influence of the choral base—though the piano's presence remains modest. Its key is B major and the time signature is 4/4.

3. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude (‘God’s Blessing in Solitude’)
   A piece referencing Lamartine and one of the most beautiful compositions in the series; its first sketches date to 1845. Here, Liszt managed to express the spiritual serenity and reconciliation conveyed in the text through musical means. Its key is F-sharp major, and its form is A-B-C-A'-coda. A is the longest section and also has three parts. B has a bell-like quality, acting as a second movement. C is a musical piece of improvisation that shifts in tone; A' is a variation return; and in its coda, the materials of B and C return. It is noteworthy that it represents a cyclic form condensed into one movement, a technique that would actually be realized in the B minor Sonata, which is important for that period.

4. Pensée des morts (‘Thoughts of the Dead’)
   The first completed piece of the series, created in 1834 and published the following year under the title Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. Liszt noted in 1852: "...it appeared too hastily, as a result of carelessness. Today, the author completely rejects this mutilated and in many respects erroneous edition..." The novelty of the piece is that it is based on a single theme. Its rhythm is varied, using 5/4, 7/4, 4/4, and 3/4, with alternating free details in the manner of a cadenza or recitative.

5. Pater Noster (‘Our Father’)
   This movement, like Ave Maria, is a reworking of an a cappella piece written in 1846. It is a short, sober piece with a C major sound in 3/4 time. Even though Liszt was a virtuoso pianist, he considered it important to edit a piece without glamour for the series.

6. Hymne de l’enfant à son réveil (‘Hymn of the Child at Awakening’)
   Liszt did not publish a text for this piece, but he later made a choral transcription of it—a glorification and plea put into the mouth of a child. Its key is A-flat major, and it is formally divided into two parts.

7. Funérailles (‘Funeral’)
   Funérailles is the most important, significant, and frequently played piece in the series. It has no relation to Lamartine; Liszt originally wrote it after the failure of the Hungarian independence movement of 1849, in which he mourned Lajos Batthyány and the Martyrs of Arad. In the draft, its title was still in Hungarian, and it later received the subtitle October 1849. A captivating and varied piece, it is a masterpiece in every sense, with an introductory A-B-C coda structure. In part A, the left hand plays a mournful melody with a pure Hungarian tone, and the right hand adds a chordal accompaniment. Part B displays a sound of mourning and lament, followed by the presentation of the struggle in C. In its coda, again in a lamenting tone, all the previous material reappears.

8. Miserere, d’après Palestrina
   Miserere is also a choral adaptation based on one of the choral works composed in 1845. It is interesting that, apart from the title, there are no characteristic features of Palestrina in the melody, and the presentation on the piano (tremolos, arpeggios, runs) is also foreign to the early Baroque style. Its tonality is E minor/E major, and there is no time signature indication.

9. (Untitled: Andante lagrimoso)
   This is a piece in G minor with a 4/4 rhythm. It is untitled (its tempo marking is used to identify it), but Liszt previously inserted an excerpt from Lamartine's poem Une larme ou consolation (A Tear or Consolation). It is rarely played.

10. Cantique d’amour (‘Hymn of Love’)
    This piece is effectively the composer's confession of love to Princess Carolyne Wittgenstein. Its key is E major, its rhythm is varied, and its form is: Introduction-A-B-A'-coda. It is a delicately emotional piece that Liszt later reworked for harp.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonies_poétiques_et_religieuses / License: CC BY-SA 4.0