The 19th century saw the rise, during its Romantic period, of programme music, a music no longer conceived merely for its own sake but guided by extra-musical inspirations, borrowing from all the arts.
; Crédits : CMA6 At the heart of this era stands the myth of Faust, which considerably nourished German poetry and literature, with repercussions on all the great artists of the time. Liszt, the Romantic artist par excellence in his ability to blend diverse genres and inspirations, drew on this legend in many ways. There is of course the famous Mephisto Valse No 1, which refers directly to Nikolaus Lenau's Faust through one of its episodes, and gives full virtuosity to this ultimate antagonist, the figure of the Devil.