Legend No. 1

Apart from mimicking actual sounds of nature, there is an entire collection of myths and historical figures linked with animals. For many, the patron saint of animals—and one particularly linked with birds—is Francis of Assisi, a religious and political activist of the early 13th century. Legends are told that Francis took time to preach to birds. The theme inspired a fresco by Giotto in the basilica at Assisi. Some 500 years later, Franz Liszt (1811-86) created a musical celebration of that same scene in the first of two Legends for solo piano. (The second treats St. Francis of Paola walking on the waters.) Liszt was drawn to such programmatic scenarios throughout his career. He also likely identified himself with the preacher from Assisi: the names Francis and Franz would both be rendered as Ferenç in Hungarian, and Liszt carried his religious devotion far enough to take minor orders. Legend No. 1 hovers in the piano’s highest register; about 90% of the entire piece occurs above middle C. Surrounded by abundant trills that evoke the fluttering of his avian audience, Francis appears in the tenor voice entries and hymn-like episodes toward the middle of the work.

(c) Jason Stell