“Chopin: An Insight into Him”. Essay by Ferruccio Busoni Russian Translation Preliminary Remarks, and Commentary

Abstract

The essay “Chopin: An Insight into Him” (“Chopin: Eine Ansicht über ihn”) by Ferruccio Busoni consist an original concept of the Polish composer’s work. The main quality that determined the originality of Chopin’s style, Busoni considers “der Halbheit”—halfness, duality, contradiction, characteristic of Chopin’s personality. This quality, according to Busoni, manifests itself at the levels of intention and objectification, tradition and innovation; is reflected in the inconsistency of the dramaturgy of his works and in the style of the piano texture. Busoni considers the most valuable in Chopin’s work to be works devoid of this “halfness”— a series of etudes, some of preludes and several nocturnes. The translation of the essay is supplemented with extensive commentary giving an idea of the intellectual and artistic context of the creation of this literary opus. The view on the development of the author’s aesthetic opinions and on the role of Chopin’s works in Busoni’s performing art is presented. The influence of his ideas on the 20th century musical performance is traced.

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