Composer

:

Franz Liszt

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Character Piece

Compose Date

:

1863

Publication Date

:

1866

Average_duration

:

9:49

Franz Liszt's 'St François d'Assise: la prédication aux oiseaux, S. 175/1' is a solo piano piece that was composed in 1882. It is part of a larger work called 'St François d'Assise', which is a set of three pieces that Liszt composed based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The premiere of the piece was in Weimar, Germany, in 1882. The piece is divided into two movements. The first movement is titled 'La prédication aux oiseaux' (The Sermon to the Birds) and is a musical representation of a story from the life of St. Francis. According to the story, St. Francis was walking through the countryside when he saw a group of birds. He began to preach to them, and they listened intently. The music of the first movement is light and delicate, with trills and runs that evoke the fluttering of bird wings. The melody is simple and repetitive, like a chant, and the harmonies are mostly diatonic. The second movement is titled 'Les stigmates' (The Stigmata) and is a musical representation of another story from the life of St. Francis. According to the story, St. Francis received the stigmata, or wounds of Christ, on his hands, feet, and side. The music of the second movement is much more dramatic and intense than the first. It begins with a series of chords that are played forcefully and repeatedly, like the tolling of a bell. The melody is more complex than in the first movement, with chromaticism and dissonance that create a sense of tension and unease. The harmonies are also more complex, with frequent modulations and unexpected chord changes. Overall, 'St François d'Assise: la prédication aux oiseaux, S. 175/1' is a beautiful and evocative piece of music that showcases Liszt's skill as a composer. The first movement is light and delicate, while the second is dramatic and intense, creating a sense of contrast that reflects the two different stories from the life of St. Francis that inspired the piece.

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