Its genesis is well documented in letters from which we know that Liszt was Richard Wagner's guest in the Palazzo Vendramin on the Grand Canal in Venice in late 1882. Liszt may have had a premonition there of Wagner's death which inspired the first version of the work: a piano piece in 4/4, written in December 1882 (which remained unpublished until the Rugginenti edition of 2002). This piece was recomposed the next month, in January 1883, and very shortly thereafter arranged for violin or cello and piano. The piano version was published in 1885, with minor changes (this version is today usually called La lugubre gondola II). This was the only version of this piece published in Liszt's lifetime.

Date of composition 1885
First published 1886
Catalogue S. 200/2
Detail Die Trauer-Gondel
Instruments Piano
Autotranslations beta Franz Liszt: La lugubre gondola, S. 200/2
Franz Liszt: La lugubre gondola, S. 200/2
Franz Liszt: La lugubre gondola, S. 200/2