Meyerbeer is best known for his spectacular operas, such as the Italian Semiramide (8.660205–06) and Il Crociato in Egitto (8.660245–47) that won him great popularity. Less well-known are his songs, of which 26 were presented in the first volume of this series (8.572367). In this second volume the music covers a substantial period of the composer’s life with settings in French, German and Italian that explore the joys and pain of love, Arcadian idylls, and religious themes. Four of the songs are heard in world première recordings.