Romance S.169, the theme of which is based on the song "O pourquoi donc" ("Why, oh Why"), is a piece of music written in 1848 by the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt during a visit to Moscow. It bears some resemblance to Chopin's Nocturne in E minor, as both pieces commence with broken E-minor chords.
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The piece would eventually be a predecessor for the Romance Oubliée S.527 ("Forgotten Romance"), which was published more than 30 years after Romance S.169 was written. Friedrich Schnapp described the Romance S.169 as a "piece of music written in his youthful years", whereas the Romance Oubliée can be seen as a slightly impressionistic old man's reminiscence.
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References
- Banowetz, Joseph (2006). 21 selected piano works. Alfred Music. p. 13. ISBN 0739043455.
- Searle, Humphrey (2012). The Music of Liszt. Dover Publications. p. 144. ISBN 0486487938.
- Schnapp, Friedrich (1953). "Liszt: A Forgotten Romance". Music & Letters. 34 (3): 232–235. JSTOR 730330.