“Légendes” (“Two Legends, Deux légendes”) was composed by Liszt around 1863, during his Roman period (1861-68). In the same year, Liszt received minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican's prayer room, and the “Légendes” are emblematic creations of this deeply religious Roman period. Two years after its composition, on August 29, 1865, it received its public premiere in Pest (Pesth), performed by Liszt (1811-1868) himself. Since Liszt had largely retired from his activities as a pianist in 1847, the audience at this performance encountered an exceptionally rare event. One such person was Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921). Captivated by Liszt's colorful sonorities, Saint-Saëns subsequently arranged both pieces of the “Légendes” for organ. Beginning with its premiere in Paris in 1878, Saint-Saëns performed this organ arrangement in London and also in Weimar, where Liszt was present.  

The first edition was published in 1866 by Rózsavölgyi in Pest, followed by Heugel in Paris. The cover of this Paris edition features an engraving of Saint Francis, the subject of the second piece, and bears a dedication to “Madame Cosima von Bülow,” Liszt's second daughter, who was married to Hans von Bülow (1830-1898) (although legally “Madame von Bülow” at this time, Cosima was already in an adulterous relationship with Richard Wagner (1813-1883), and four years later, she would officially divorce Bülow and become “Madame Wagner”).  

These pieces also have orchestral versions with the same titles, but interestingly, the order of the two pieces is reversed compared to the piano version. The extant autograph manuscript of the orchestral version is dated “October 23-29, 1863,” suggesting it was composed in the seven days following Liszt's 52nd birthday. While it is widely believed that the composition periods of both versions are not far apart, it has not been definitively established which, the piano or orchestral version, was composed first. Notably, the orchestral version was never printed during Liszt's lifetime; it was only published by Musica Budapest in 1983, 120 years after its completion.

No. 1: St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds

The piece was composed, drawing its “spiritual inspiration” from the anecdote recorded in Chapter 16 of the medieval biographical work “The Little Flowers of St. Francis,” which describes the saint preaching to birds. Born in Assisi, a town in central Italy, Saint Francis (1181-1226) is one of the most revered saints in the history of the Catholic Church and is also known as the founder of the Franciscan Order.  

The first 70 measures are predominantly in the treble clef, with soft trills, arpeggios, and intricate 32nd-note movements depicting the chirping of birds. Additionally, a recitative-like monophonic melody symbolizes the saint. The saint's sermon is also expressed midway through as a solemn, chordal melody in flat keys. The concluding section returns to a dialogue between the birds and the saint, ending quietly with the bird motif.  

Approximately 90 years before Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) began developing his “bird song series” from the 1950s onwards, Liszt, who richly colorized the chirping of birds, truly deserves to be called a “musician of the future” (Messiaen himself composed a three-act opera, “Saint Francis of Assisi,” based on the same subject as Liszt).

No. 2: St. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves

Saint Francis of Paola (1426-1507) shares the same name as the saint in the first piece, but they are different individuals, active more than two centuries apart. Many miracles are also attributed to this Saint Francis, but among them, the legend depicted in “St. Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves” is particularly well-known. It tells of the saint, refused passage by a ferryman due to his apparent poverty, walking across the Strait of Messina between mainland Italy and Sicily, a miracle that has served as a subject for many painters. The preface to the first edition states that Liszt was inspired by a linear drawing by Eduard von Steinle (1810-1886), which he owned in his Weimar home.  

The piece begins Andante maestoso with a unison introduction in the bass, followed by the E major main theme melody, which is sung sonorously over a bass accompaniment. Following the violent surging of bass tremolos symbolizing the rough waves of the strait, sharp, piercing chromatic ascents repeatedly surge forward. After finally overcoming this dark and prolonged ordeal, a divine main theme awaits. The Lento-marked conclusion temporarily becomes recitative-like, but as the unison of the introduction quietly returns, the piece finally reaches a glorious fff with majestic arpeggios. It is a dramatic sound art born from Liszt's religious inspiration.