From the autumn of 1864, Liszt accepted the invitation of Cardinal Gustav Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst almost every year to spend a few days or weeks at the Villa d'Este in Tivoli near Rome. He often received visitors there from Rome; besides Liszt and his pupils the liberal-minded, cultured prelate also attracted representatives of the intellectual elite. This extraordinary place not only became Liszt's favourite dwelling-place in Italy but also inspired him to write several works for piano, which he published in 1883 in the third volume of Années de pélerinage. One of these is Les jeux d'eaux á la Villa d'Este, composed in 1877, which would become one of the most popular pieces by Liszt.

This revised (2020) edition adopts the score and the critical report of the New Liszt Edition (amending it, if necessary). In addition, it includes a preface in German and English, that explores the genesis of the work on the basis of current research, and orients the reader in issues of notation.

This publication is printed on high-quality, age-resistant paper that is produced in an environmentally-friendly, climate-neutral manner using renewable raw materials.