Notturno No. 3 (Liebestraum)

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Note on Tempo and Interpretation

This piece is sometimes performed rather slowly and sentimentally, perhaps in response to the “love dream” of its title. However, the poem seems more passionate than dreamy, and the musical expression more heart-on-sleeve than inward-looking. Moreover, such an interpretation is at odds with Liszt’s tempo marking of Poco allegro, con affetto. The original song takes the tempo one step further in this direction, with its opening marking of agitato. A good way to find a natural tempo is to sing the opening melody of the song with the words (see the introduction of this edition). The need to sustain...

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