Written in 1842 and revised the following decade, "Oh! quand je dors" ("Oh! when I sleep") was the first of seven poems of Victor Hugo that Liszt would set between 1842 and 1849. By far the best-known of his handful of French songs, it contains some of his most memorable melodic writing and showcases the ease with which the cosmopolitan Liszt moved between languages and national styles; his French mélodies (as is the case with his handful of Italian songs) feel as idiomatic and grounded in their native culture as do his much-more-numerous German lieder. As a body of works, Liszt's songs have fallen into general neglect, but "Oh! quand je dors"' haunting melody and subtle intensity—not to mention its piano accompaniment, which is considerable more manageable than those of many other Liszt songs—have helped to secure a place for it, along with a few other favorites, in the repertory. The first version of "Oh! quand je dors" was published in Berlin in 1844, along with two other Hugo settings, Enfants, si j'étais roi and S'il est un charmant gazon; the three were again published together in their second versions in 1859.

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