What would love be without music - or music without love! Many couples associate unforgettable beautiful hours, a first meeting, or first kiss with a particular song. And composers have always been inspired and stimulated by love, have celebrated romantic love and longing from afar, secret love, and jealousy. In her selection of 80 songs from seven centuries, Mirjam James evokes this tremendous feeling with the most beautiful songs ranging from medieval courtly songs, through Beethoven's Ich liebe dich, to the Beatles song And I love her. Many of the songs come from German and English language traditions, but what would such a book be without the fire of southern Europe or a dose of French charm, without the moving melodies of cool northern climes, or the melancholy songs of the Russian soul?

This beautifully-produced song book is illustrated with the sumptuous paintings of Gustav Klimt, for whom love was one of the great themes of his life. The song book contains a CD with recordings of all the songs in instrumental versions so you can sing along with the pieces and get to know them. A piano book is published alongside the song book, containing all the songs in idiomatic, playable accompaniments.

Whether it's for an engagement or a wedding, for Valentine's Day or an anniversary, Liebeslieder makes an ideal present for those newly in love or still in love, and who also love music.