Two Legends: A Musical Journey with Franz Liszt

Hello everyone! Last time, we talked about one of the most beloved pieces in Franz Liszt’s repertoire, “Liebesträume”. Today, let’s delve into another piece by the same composer that my students have recently started working on: “Two Legends”. Liszt composed “Two Legends” between 1861 and 1863, when he was approximately 49 to 51 years old. This was a period when Liszt moved from Weimar to Rome, and his faith deepened. As a result, he composed a large number of religious works, and in 1865, he entered the priesthood. Thus, “Two Legends” can be said to be a work composed during an important turning point in Liszt’s life. This piece consists of two songs: “St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds” and “St. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves”. These two Francises may seem to be the same person, but they are actually different individuals. First, St. Francis of Assisi, known as the founder of the Franciscan Order, was a Catholic monk who preached poverty, repentance, and the “Kingdom of God”. On the other hand, St. Francis of Paola (1416 - 1507), born in Paola, Italy, is known as the founder of the Minim friars.

Franz Liszt’s “Two Legends” expresses different legends about these two saints through music. How each song depicts the legend of the saint will be discussed in detail in tomorrow’s blog. Look forward to it!

If you are interested in lessons, please search for “Wisteria Piano Class” and feel free to contact us from our website. That’s it for this blog post. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you.