Are you ready to get in the mood for love? These romantic pieces, old, original, and new, will make perfect additions to any Valentine’s Day set list!
(Titles marked with an * are playable on lever harp.)
Romantic Melodies
True Love’s Vow
Stephanie Bennett
I’ve said this before, but this piece feels like the theme straight out of a romantic movie score—like the music that would play every time the couple sees each other. I highly recommend adding it to your Valentine’s Day repertoire to set the mood!
Still Light
Carol Robbins
There’s something about jazzy melodies that always scream romance to me. I love Carol Robbin’s harmonies and melodies in this piece. There’s never a dull moment and everything is just absolutely beautiful.
Romance Anonimo
arr. Debbie Vinick
This arpeggio-filled 19th century anonymous guitar melody is filled with passion. The right hand exclusively plays arpeggios, allowing you to be really expressive with the melody notes. Although written for pedal harp, I think this piece is fairly easy to adapt to a lever harp with full levers.
*I Would Love You All The Day
arr. Barbara Ann Fackler
I had never heard of this traditional folk tune before, but how fitting it is for this time of year! It has a carefree joy to it, like the budding of a new romance.
*Treasures of the Heart
Joy Slavens
Full of emotion, this original piece piece by Slavens has a playful, young love feel to it.
*Nataliana
Deborah Henson-Conant
This performance piece by Deborah Henson-Conant is filled with romance, passion, and drama. What more could you ask for during the season of love?
*O Perfect Love
arr. Charles E. Peery
I always have this hymn in my repertoire for wedding ceremonies. I’m always looking for “fancier” hymn arrangements–something more than what I can find in a hymnal. This arrangement ticks that box! I particularly like the triplet arpeggio section where the melody rings out on top.
*The Sugarlands Waltz
Liana Alpino
I wrote this piece after a weekend away in the Smoky Mountains. The beautiful scenery inspired me to write this sweet-as-sugar melody that’s perfect for February or any time you’re in the mood for love!
Well-known Romantic Favorites
*A Thousand Years
arr. Michelle Whitson Stone
This pop ballad made famous by Christina Perri and the Twilight series is arguably one of the most requested wedding songs these days. The lyrics just scream love. If you don’t already have this one in your gig book, it is just a matter of time before it gets requested!
*Theme from Brave Heart
arr. Star Edwards
Admittedly, I’ve never seen Braveheart, but the theme is absolutely beautiful. On the film soundtrack version, harp is actually very prevalent. This gorgeous Scottish-inspired melody is the perfect statement piece to bring some diversity to any performance.
Waltz from Sleeping Beauty
arr. Keziah Thomas
Is there anything more romantic than Tchaikovsky’s music or the ballet? This beautiful, melodious, and beloved piece is just the thing to add some romance and sparkle to your Valentine’s Day setlist.
*Baroque to Romantic
Marcia Dickstein
No romantic music list is complete without some nice classical music. This collection by Marcia Dickstein includes arrangements of 15 short and accessible transcriptions of Baroque and Romantic era pieces. My favorites are “Berceuse” and “Scherzo.”
Love Unspoken
arr. Meinir Heulyn
Can you tell that I think waltzes are romantic? This is the third one to make the list! Written in 1905, “Love Unspoken” from Franz Lehár’s opera The Merry Widow, is uber romantic. The lyrics are quite touching and I find the melody ornamentations to be particularly flirty. See Heulyn’s intermediate arrangement of this here.
Morning Mood
arr. Angela Klöhn
This well-loved classic is really welcome any time of the year. The piece by Grieg depicts the rising of the sun, and I think we can all agree that watching the sunrise is very romantic!
*Perfect
arr. Michelle Whitson Stone
Ed Sheeran is the master of the modern love song. This is another classic arranged by Whitson Stone that should be a gig book staple.