Busoni and the piano

This presentation concerns itself with the piano music of Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924). Its aim is to examine this music with a view to determining what constitutes the personal compositional style of Busoni as well as discussing his approach to the piano in his works for and performances on that instrument. Busoni's achievements will be compared with those of Liszt, an important predecessor in the search for a new style of composition early this century. Through further comparisons with his contemporaries in the first quarter of this century, Busoni's place in the history of keyboard music may be assessed. This presentation will contain a review of Busoni's output of works for the piano. Significant representative works from his mature years as a composer will be selected for detailed discussion in an effort to support statements made about his music generally. In order to establish a sense of perspective, the broader currents of transition from a nineteenth-century piano style to a twentieth-century one will be discussed and compared with the transition which took place during Busoni's development as a composer. As well as this, the path of music since the death of Busoni will be discussed in the light of his achievements.