The New Liszt Edition Series I volume 9, published in 1981, contained the final version of the piano cycle Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, consisting of ten movements. Liszt mentioned several times that he ascribed especial importance to this cycle, and this was proven by the fact that he dedicated nearly two decades (1835-1853) to writing it. This volume gives the reader an insight into the genesis of the cycle, containing the seventeen completed pieces, six in fragmentary form, and also five album leaves. These works, composed between 1840 and 1848, show us Liszt's various concepts of the cycle, and the prior history of the final version; indeed, several of them conjure up Liszt the extemporizer. Among the compositions in manuscript form there are lesser-known gems, such as a Piano Piece in G-flat major, a Piano Piece in austere mood in C minor showing a common heritage with Chopin, and two versions of the charmingly beautiful Litanies de Marie.

The volume includes a detailed preface in German, English, and Hungarian, including new research findings and manuscript facsimiles, as well as critical notes in English. Along with the cloth-bound edition, a practical paperback version has also been published, the contents of which are identical, but for the omission of the critical notes.