Explores the little-studied 13 symphonic poems of Franz Liszt. Provides a semiotic analysis of the functions of program and form, discusses the performance and reception of Liszt's poems in Europe and North America from 1849-1861, and studies the chronology and sources (manuscript artifacts) of the poems. Topics include the four schools of thought relating to the poems; themes and their musical characteristics; a structural, analytical approach to understanding the poems; and narrative as structural unification in the poems. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.