This article lists acoustic recordings made for Columbia by Ferruccio Busoni. The published recordings were issued on 78-rpm records. It is believed that the original matrices were destroyed in a fire at the Columbia factory in England in the 1920s. Copies of the original 78s still exist, and the recordings have been transferred to LP and CD. Some of the digital copies have been computer enhanced.
List of acoustic recordings
Table 1. Recordings from 18–19 November 1919 at Columbia Studios, London.
The recordings from these earlier sessions were deemed unsatisfactory, were not issued, and are probably lost.
| Composer | Work | Matrix/Take |
|---|---|---|
| Bach | Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C Major, BWV 846 (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I) | 76699-1, -2 |
| Mozart | Andantino from Piano Concerto No.9 in E-flat major, KV 271 (BV B 84, excerpt) | 76700-1, -2 |
| Gounod-Liszt | Waltz from the opera Faust, S.407 | 76701-1, -2 |
| Bach | Organ Chorale Prelude "Rejoice, Beloved Christians" BWV 734 (BV B 27) | 76702-1, -2 |
| Beethoven | Ecossaises (not identified further; probably BV B 47) | 76702-1, -2 |
| Chopin | Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op.15, No.2 | 76703-1, -2 |
| Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 1 (abbreviated) | 76704-1, -2 |
| Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 2 (abbreviated) | 76705-1, -2 |
| Liszt | Années de Pèlerinage; Deuxième Année - Italie, S.161 No.6: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca | 76706-1, -2 |
| Liszt | Valse oubliée [No.1?, S.215] | 76707-1, -2 |
| Liszt | Etudes d'Exécution Transcendente d'après Paganini, S.140 No.5, "La Chasse" | 76708-1, -2 |
| Chopin | Etude in E minor, Op.25 No.5 | 76709-1, -2 |
| Weber | Piano Sonata No.1 in C major, Op.24: Finale, Presto (Rondo, Perpetuum mobile) | 76710-1, -2, -3 |
Table 2. Recordings from 27 February 1922 at Columbia Studios, London.
| Composer | Work | Issue | Matrix/Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bach | Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C Major, BWV 846 (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I) | L 1445 |
76699-3 76699-4 |
| Bach | Organ Chorale Prelude "Rejoice, Beloved Christians" BWV 734 (BV B 27) | L 1470 | 76702-3 |
| Beethoven | Ecossaises, WoO 83 (BV B 47) | L 1470 | 76702-3 |
| Chopin | Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op.15, No.2 | L 1432 |
76703-3 76703-4 |
| Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 1 (abbreviated) | L 1456 |
76704-3 76704-4 |
| Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 2 (abbreviated) | L 1456 |
76705-3 76705-4 |
| Liszt | Années de Pèlerinage; Deuxième Année - Italie, S.161 No.6: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca | 76706-3 76706-4 | |
| Chopin | Etude in E minor, Op.25 No.5 | L 1445 |
76709-3 76709-4 |
| Weber | Piano Sonata No.1 in C major, Op.24: Finale, Presto (Rondo, Perpetuum mobile) | 76709-4 76709-5 | |
| Beethoven | Ecossaises (not identified further; probably BV B 47) | 75058-1 | |
| Bach | Prelude to Chorale (not identified further; probably BV B 27) | 75058-1 | |
| Chopin | Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5 | L 1432 |
75059-1 75059-2 |
| Chopin | Prelude in A major, Op.28 No.7; Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5 | L 1470 |
75060-1 75060-2 |
Selected CD reissue
- Busoni and his Legacy: Piano recordings by Busoni • Ley • Petri
- Arbiter 134 (CD; 72 min; ADD using "sonic depth technology"; issued 2002).
- • Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924): the complete 1922 recordings (L 1445, L 1470, L 1432, L 1456)
- • Rosamond Ley (1882-1969):
- • Liszt: Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este (rec. 1942)
- • Liszt: Sonata après une lecture du Dante (rec. 1942)
- • Egon Petri (1881-1962):
- • Liszt: Totentanz (incomplete; first 78 missing; rec. 1936)
- • Busoni: Piano Concerto, Movement 4 (recorded from a live broadcast 2 June 1932 with Hans Rosbaud, conductor)
Notes
- Sitsky, p. 332.
- The information in Table 1 is taken from Roberge, pp. 127-139, and Dyment.
- See Busoni's Letters to His Wife: 1, 19 February 1922 Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine (reproduced at The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine web site). Accessed 7 July 2009.
- The information in Table 2 is taken from Sitsky, pp. 331-333; Roberge, pp. 127-139; and Dyment.
- Each issue is a double-sided 78 rpm record.
- ^ This take was rejected because of "rough surfaces"; probably lost.
- Take 4 was deemed acceptable but for some reason was not published; probably lost.
- ^ This take was rejected because of "extraneous noises"; probably lost.
- There is an "improvised bridge passage" between the Prelude and the Etude (Sitsky, p. 332).
References
- Dyment, Christopher (1978). "Ferruccio Busoni: His Phonograph Recordings," ARSC Journal, 10:2/3, pp. 185-187. Accessed 7 July 2009.
- Roberge, Marc-André (1991). Ferruccio Busoni: a bio-bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-25587-3
- Sitsky, Larry (2008). Busoni and the Piano. The Works, the Writings, and the Recordings. (2nd ed.) Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press. ISBN 978-1-57647-158-6
| Ferruccio Busoni | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lists: Compositions · Adaptations · Discography | ||
| Operas |
|  |
| Concertos |
| |
| Orchestral |
| |
| Piano compositions |
| |
| Piano editions and transcriptions | ||
| Keyboard students | ||
| Composition students | ||
| Related articles | ||
