Ferruccio Busoni

The Artistry of Ferruccio Busoni: Historic Recordings from 1922

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Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924), who died 100 years ago last July, was a musical renaissance man. The Italian composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, writer, and editor has been called “the first truly modern composer.” He is also remembered for numerous enduring transcriptions of the music of J.S. Bach. Busoni associated with such a disparate group of contemporaries as Schoenberg, Sibelius, and Edgard Varèse. His small circle of students included Kurt Weill. The pianist Alfred …

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Busoni’s “Nuit de Noël”: An Atmospheric Sketch

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Nuit de Noël (“Christmas Night”) is a six-page sketch for solo piano, written in 1908 by the Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924). An Impressionistic tone painting of Christmas night, it is music filled with mysticism and atmosphere. Gently floating fourths and fifths evoke the magic of falling snowflakes. The rhythm takes the lilting form of a siciliana. A quotation emerges of the Sicilian carol, O sanctissima, known in German-speaking countries as …

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The Lusty Month of May

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  I can’t resist marking the recent turn of the calendar page with this well-known excerpt from Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s 1960 Broadway musical, Camelot. The score includes some of Loewe’s most beautiful and soaring melodies, including The Simple Joys of Maidenhood, If Ever I Would Leave You, and I Loved You Once In Silence.  Born in Germany, Frederick Loewe began writing songs at the age of 7 and performed as a piano soloist with the …

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Exploring the Lullaby

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The lullaby is universal and timeless. It’s one of the clearest expressions of the deep bond between mother and young child. Its gentle, repetitive, rocking rhythm lulls infants to sleep. The simple expression of its melody evokes warmth and security. At the same time, many lullabies contain an inexplicable hint of sadness. From Franz Schubert to George Gershwin to U2, music history is full of lullabies. Here are five of my favorites: …

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