Franz Liszt was one of the most dynamic and influential musicians of the nineteenth century. His influence on piano performance, pedagogy, and composition altered the musical world for future generations, yet this is not the sum of his accomplishments. Certain aspects of his compositional output still require a great deal of attention from both scholars and performers. The aim of this study is to examine one such neglected topic, Liszt's songs.

The central issue I explore is Liszt's composition and publication of multiple versions of a song with the same text. The goal of this study is a comparative analysis in which I highlight commonalities and divergences between versions in order to illuminate their relationships. Common compositional frameworks allow us to trace a line of composition from a song's genesis to final form. Dissimilar frameworks help us examine Liszt's exploration of new musical ideas and creative impulses for a text he previously used. I then classify these revisions in three-part taxonomy to account for compositional variants. By performing such a comparative analysis, we gain a more intimate understanding both of Liszt's compositional style and the underlying dialogue that exists between these works.

This study relies on the Schenkerian analytical model to systematically examine Liszt's songs, an uncommon and innovative approach for a variety of reasons. Schenker did not discuss or analyze Liszt's music; he likely dismissed it along with other "progressive" composers who undermined traditional compositional principles. However, I use the Ursatz as an idealized structure and recognize its enduring presence though Liszt's revisions to establish a method of comparative analysis. By using an analytical method focused on a sub-surface compositional structure, we gain insight into Liszt's revisional process and more accurately determine if there is a line of continuity between two works.