Harmonies poétiques et religieuses I, S.154

Historical context

Liszt mentioned having written six Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses in March 1851, intending to send them to Carl Reinecke, and they were expected to appear successively in the course of the summer of 1852, as Carl Reinecke noted in 1851 and 1852. Louis Kohler was also to receive a copy of the Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses from Kistner, as Louis Kohler recorded in 1853 and 1854.

The composer himself played his ‘Benedictions de Dieu dans la solitude’ from Harmonies religicuses et poetiqiies for Nadine Helbig, feeling “quiet and happy” in his retreat near the Cardinal, as Nadine Helbig recalled. She also played Liszt’s Harmonies poetiques et religieuses for him, and he was “specially pleased” when she played his own sacred music to him. Liszt performed the ‘Cantique,’ the last number of the Harmonies poetiques et religieuses, at a concert in the Capitol hall in Rome, a venue that “had not hosted such festivities for years.” As Liszt wrote on April 3rd, 1865, this concert was proposed to and approved by the Holy Father, and the hall was “more than full.” Due to the audience’s “endless applause,” Liszt added his transcription of Rossini’s ‘Charite’ after playing the ‘Cantique,’ which was published by Kistner.

Drawn from Ledos de Beaufort, Raphaël; Helbig, Nadine, Franz Liszt, the story of his life (1910); Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886; La Mara, 1837-1927; Bache, Constance, 1846-1903, Letters of Franz Liszt (1894); Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886; La Mara, 1837-1927, Letters of Franz Liszt (1894) — public domain, archive.org.