Many of the so-called "Songs Without Words," which constitute a large part of Liszt's transcriptions, include works by a total of seven different composers. Besides numerous Schubert songs and six Chopin pieces, there are also many songs transcribed by Liszt himself, from composers ranging from Alyabiev to Wielhorsky—more than 150 works in total. Similar to his opera transcriptions, the style and approach of these piano works vary considerably: from simple transcriptions to imaginative arrangements. The aim was to make the music accessible to a wider audience, as song recitals in the modern sense did not yet exist in Liszt's time. Liszt almost always integrated the original lyrics into the piano score, not only to pique the listeners' interest but also to give pianists a precise idea of the desired interpretation. The original vocal part was always clearly indicated.
† ... Beethoven's early masterpiece "Adelaide," resembling a piano concerto aria, follows Friedrich Matthison's poem about unrequited love with its two contrasting sections. Liszt created significant variations here, while always remaining close to Beethoven's text. In various versions, he added a reflective coda and subtly extended the ending to create a voluntary cadenza. Even though Liszt often deviates from the original in his Beethoven transcriptions, the connection to the text is always maintained. The sequence of poems addresses the power and providence of God, supplication, repentance, death, and the glory of God in nature.
In his transcription of Beethoven's song cycle "An die ferne Geliebte" (To the Distant Beloved), Liszt takes few liberties, for example, omitting repeated melodic phrases to emphasize the changing accompaniment. The songs flow seamlessly into one another and reflect the stanzas of Aloys Jeitteles' poem. The songs of Robert Franz are almost unknown outside the German-speaking world, yet they are characterized by aphoristic simplicity. Many of Liszt's transcriptions of Franz's songs remain closely to the original. Liszt's Schumann transcriptions have impressed generations of pianists and are firmly established in the repertoire.
Anton Rubinstein's works offered Liszt only two songs for transcription, which nevertheless maintain their place, even if they are less significant in the repertoire. Liszt's Schumann transcriptions focus more on lesser-known late works than on popular pieces. His sensitive arrangements of Clara Schumann's songs failed to gain widespread acceptance, even though they were created despite Clara's aversion to Liszt and his music.
The late transcription of Schumann's "Provençal Song" offers a new interpretation of Uhland's Minnelied. Reinicke's poem "To the Light of the Sun" is enriched by Schumann's setting of Burns's poem. Despite his great fidelity to the originals, Liszt transformed some Schumann songs into sensitive piano pieces. "Widmung," a gift from Schumann to Clara, demonstrates Liszt's respect for Schumann's music; the expansion of these popular songs in Liszt's transcription is a beautiful tribute to the compositional masterpieces.