One of the greatest piano transcriptions of all time is Franz Liszt’s arrangement of Robert Schumann’s love song Widmung (‘Dedication’). On the eve of their marriage, in September 1840, Robert presented a collection of songs to his beloved Clara as a wedding present—something he had kept completely secret from her for months. ‘Widmung’ is the first song in the cycle (Myrthen, Op 25). The text is by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866), and it captures perfectly what Schumann must have felt, finally having been able to marry his beloved after years of fierce opposition from her father.