Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface: Grigory Kogan: His Life and Times
- Acknowledgments
- Busoni as Pianist
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Busoni's childhood and youth, 1866–88
- Chapter 2 Finland and Moscow, 1889–94
- Chapter 3 Berlin: Busoni's emergence as a great pianist
- Chapter 4 Busoni's technique: Piano orchestration, tone production
- Chapter 5 Busoni's repertoire: An anti-Romantic approach
- Chapter 6 Busoni's interpretation of Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin
- Chapter 7 Busoni's interpretations. Textural liberties
- Chapter 8 Busoni's interpretations of Bach. Articulation
- Chapter 9 Rhythm and dynamics
- Chapter 10 Busoni's recording of the Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase
- Chapter 11 Technical phrasing
- Chapter 12 Technical variants
- Chapter 13 Fingering, pedal
- Chapter 14 Compositions, transcriptions, editions, teaching, writings
- Chapter 15 Busoni's esthetics
- Chapter 16 Busoni's esthetics, continued
- Chapter 17 World War I. Operas
- Chapter 18 Busoni's final years, 1918–24
- Conclusion
- Annotated Discography
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Translator's Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Endmatter
Chapter 4 - Busoni's technique: Piano orchestration, tone production
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface: Grigory Kogan: His Life and Times
- Acknowledgments
- Busoni as Pianist
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Busoni's childhood and youth, 1866–88
- Chapter 2 Finland and Moscow, 1889–94
- Chapter 3 Berlin: Busoni's emergence as a great pianist
- Chapter 4 Busoni's technique: Piano orchestration, tone production
- Chapter 5 Busoni's repertoire: An anti-Romantic approach
- Chapter 6 Busoni's interpretation of Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin
- Chapter 7 Busoni's interpretations. Textural liberties
- Chapter 8 Busoni's interpretations of Bach. Articulation
- Chapter 9 Rhythm and dynamics
- Chapter 10 Busoni's recording of the Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase
- Chapter 11 Technical phrasing
- Chapter 12 Technical variants
- Chapter 13 Fingering, pedal
- Chapter 14 Compositions, transcriptions, editions, teaching, writings
- Chapter 15 Busoni's esthetics
- Chapter 16 Busoni's esthetics, continued
- Chapter 17 World War I. Operas
- Chapter 18 Busoni's final years, 1918–24
- Conclusion
- Annotated Discography
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Translator's Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Endmatter
Summary
The most indisputable quality of Busoni's pianism was his technique. There were no disagreements in its estimation. Both the rapturous admirers and the fierce detractors of the artist were united in the opinion that the technical achievements of his playing “defy description and comparison with any of the contemporary pianists,” that such technique was “never before possessed by any pianist.” “His technical perfection is fantastic, especially the octaves. There can be no doubt that Busoni has no competition—Rosenthal's technique seems childish after Busoni.” “One needs to play the piano for thirty years to properly appreciate Busoni's playing,” as a famous professor of piano assured the critic Y. Engel.
But even thirty years of piano playing were not always enough to solve the riddles of Busoni's mastery: “Busoni elevated pianism to such head-spinning heights, that even seasoned professionals can hardly make out with the naked eye what precisely he is doing up there.” Accomplished experts, stupefied, threw up their hands: “What this artist has achieved in piano technique borders on the supernatural,” “it seemed thoroughly inconceivable that this was done by one man with two hands,” “it seemed incredible that a mortal sat at the piano!”
Specifically, critics noted “his uncommon playing of scales,” “filigree-like clarity and elegance,” “lightning finger passages,” “magic speed” of octaves, the rapidity and evenness of which were beyond the limits of achievability “even for Teresa Carreño” and other notorious octave players.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Busoni as Pianist , pp. 19 - 22Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010