Liszt / Renié - Le rossignol (The Nightingale)

Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Le Rossignol (1842) Arranged for harp by Henriette Renié www.miloharper.com Franz Liszt’s short piano piece Le Rossignol (The Nightingale) is characteristic of the intimate Romanticism often explored by the Hungarian composer. The melody comes from a Russian song by Aleksandr Alyabyev: the original lyrics depict the singer expressing their shared loneliness with a chirruping nightingale. The Nightingale’s lament can be heard through the use of trills and rapid arpeggios. The great French harpist Henriette Renié transcribed the piece with minor clever alterations to suit the harp. Liszt encouraged the transcription of his works on the harp, having been an admirer of virtuoso harpists Elias Parish-Alvars and Wilhelm Posse– thus Liszt’s piano works have formed a significant part of the harp repertoire.