Morceaux Suisses (3) is a collection of three pieces by Franz Liszt that are revisions of the three Paraphrases that formed the third book of his original Album d'un voyageur. Based on themes from Swiss art songs by composers Ferdinand Huber and Ernest Knop, they make a pleasing valediction to their greater companion volume, Premièr Année de Pèlerinage. As he did with his similar Italian collection, Liszt waited many years before issuing this supplemental cycle. These revised versions of the Paraphrases also carry different titles than the originals, but the link between the sets is unmistakable. The first piece in this collection is titled Ranz de vaches. Although there is no direct English translation of the word "ranz," it is a generic term for the melodies improvised by Swiss herdsmen and played on the alpenhorn or sung. This work is based on a melody by Huber in the ranz style and includes several charming variations on the original theme. Opening with a call and echo motif, the melody is supported by a pulsing chord figure in the left hand, which creates a sense of movement and line. Some of the variations are sprightly and mischievous in character, while others are dance-like and lyrical. Liszt's tendency to write for the virtuoso pianist is evident here in the showy runs and trills he adds in many of the variations. As the work continues, the variations become more and more complex and the piece retains the youthful exuberance of the original first Paraphrase upon which it is based. The second work in this set is titled Le soir dans la montagne and depicts a night in the mountains that includes a violent rainstorm. Based on a melody by Knop it is in the form of a nocturne and is, musically, the finest of these three compositions. This piece opens with a single pulsing note that creates a tonal picture of raindrops gently dripping from the edges of a leaf. A sense of the pastoral Swiss countryside is evoked in the early portion of this work. A hint of the coming storm begins to build with a brooding chordal passage, but subsides and returns to the earlier lyrical theme. Running arpeggios in a minor mode bring the storm back into play with a frenetic display of its power. With the storm's rage spent, the original pastoral theme is recapitulated and closes this piece with a sweetly lyrical broken-chord finale. The final piece, titled Ranz de chèvres, must have pleased him from its inception because Liszt made very few alterations to his original third Paraphrase. Like the first in the set, this work is based on a melody by Huber in the Swiss herdsmen's style. The work is showy and complex and requires a good deal of virtuosity on the part of the performer. Its running passages and trills add a grandeur to the flowing melodic line. This piece is as typical of Liszt's virtuosic compositional style as any of the Hungarian Rhapsodies and is quite impressive when well played. Brilliant and lyrical, these three pieces are certainly gems when taken individually, but in collection are one of the finest examples of Liszt's unique compositional style.

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