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Ferruccio Busoni

Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary figures of his time, and he was a sought-after keyboard instructor and a teacher of composition.

From an early age, Busoni was an outstanding, if sometimes controversial, pianist. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory and then with Wilhelm Mayer and Carl Reinecke. After brief periods teaching in Helsinki, Boston, and Moscow, he devoted himself to composing, teaching, and touring as a virtuoso pianist in Europe and the United States. His writings on music were influential, and covered not only aesthetics but considerations of microtones and other innovative topics. He was based in Berlin from 1894 but spent much of World War I in Switzerland.

He began composing in his early years in a late romantic style, but after 1907, when he published his Sketch of a New Esthetic of Music, he developed a more individual style, often with elements of atonality. His visits to America led to interest in North American indigenous tribal melodies which were reflected in some of his works. His compositions include works for piano, among them a monumental Piano Concerto, and transcriptions of the works of others, notably Johann Sebastian Bach (published as the Bach-Busoni Editions). He also wrote chamber music, vocal and orchestral works, and operas—one of which, Doktor Faust, he left unfinished when he died, in Berlin, at the age of 58.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 1, 1866 (Empoli), Died July 27, 1924 (Berlin)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1919 - 1938

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-39339 10-in. 9/28/1927 Ecossaises Myrtle C. Eaver Piano solo arranger  
Victor BVE-58689 10-in. 3/4/1930 Paganini etude in E flat major Vladimir Horowitz Piano solo arranger  
Victor CS-023628 12-in. 6/24/1938 Chaconne Johanna Harris Piano solo arranger  
Victor CS-023629 12-in. 6/24/1938 Chaconne Johanna Harris Piano solo arranger  
Victor CS-023630 12-in. 6/24/1938 Chaconne Johanna Harris Piano solo arranger  
Victor CS-023631 12-in. 6/24/1938 Chaconne Johanna Harris Piano solo arranger  
Columbia W148453 10-in. 4/18/1929 Organ choral prelude (Ich rufe zu dir) Gunnar Johansen Piano solo arranger  
Columbia W98743 12-in. 10/13/1931 Toccata and fugue in D minor for organ (1st half) Percy Grainger Piano solo arranger  
Columbia W98744 12-in. 10/13/1931 Toccata and fugue in D minor for organ (Completion) Percy Grainger Piano solo arranger  
Columbia 75058 12-in. 2/27/1922 Écossaises Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 75059 12-in. 2/27/1922 Etude in G flat, op. 10 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 75060 12-in. 2/27/1922 Prelude in A major, op. 28 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76699 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Prelude, no. 1 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76700 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 9 in E-flat major, KV 271 (exceprt) Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76701 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Valse de l'opéra Faust Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76702 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Organ chorale prelude "Rejoice, beloved Christians" BWV 734 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano, arranger  
Columbia 76703 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Nocturne in F sharp major Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76704 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Hungarian rhapsody no. 13 in A minor G244, part 1 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76705 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Hungarian rhapsody no. 13 in A minor G244, part 2 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76706 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Annés de Pèlerinage : Deuxième anné Italie, G 161 no. 6 Sonetto 123 del Petrarca Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76707 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Valse oubliee G 215 Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76708 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Études d'exécution transcendente d'après Paganini G 140 no. 5 : La chasse Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76709 12-in. either November 18 or 19, 1919 Etude in e minor Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia 76710 12-in. November 18 or 19, 1919 Piano sonata no. 1 in C major, op. 24 : Finale, presto Ferruccio Busoni Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Gramophone 0B6196 10-in. 5/6/1934 Choral prelude : Rejoice, beloved Christians Vladimir Horowitz Piano solo arranger  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Busoni, Ferruccio," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102577.

Busoni, Ferruccio. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102577.

"Busoni, Ferruccio." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102577

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