Fantasia contrappuntistica

Last updated
Fantasia contrappuntistica
Solo piano piece by Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni 01.jpg
The composer in 1906
Catalogue BV 256
Composed1910 (1910)
Dedication Wilhelm Middelschulte, Richard Buhlig
Published1910 (1910): Leipzig
Publisher Breitkopf & Härtel
Duration25 minutes
ScoringSolo piano

Fantasia contrappuntistica(BV 256) is a solo piano piece composed by Ferruccio Busoni in 1910. Busoni created a number of versions of the work, including several for solo piano and one for two pianos. It has been arranged for organ (by Wilhelm Middelschulte, dedicatee of the work, whom Busoni praised as "Meister des Kontrapunktes") and for orchestra (by Frederick Stock) under the composer's supervision.

Contents

The work is in large part a homage to Johann Sebastian Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge . Conversely, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's Opus clavicembalisticum appears to be a homage to Fantasia contrappuntistica.

Sections and Piece analysis

Fantasia contrappuntistica is written in twelve parts, and takes about 25 minutes to perform:

  1. Preludio corale
  2. Fuga I
  3. Fuga II
  4. Fuga III (on B-A-C-H)
  5. Intermezzo
  6. Variazione I
  7. Variazione II
  8. Variazione III
  9. Cadenza
  10. Fuga IV
  11. Corale
  12. Stretta

The first ten pages of the introductory "Preludio corale" are nearly identical to the Third Elegy with a few small cuts and alterations, including the removal of all German expression marks or their translation into Italian. [1] In the third fugue, the subject is composed of four notes, which are B♭, A, C, and B♮. These four notes spell Bach in German, where the H is the B♮, and are commonly known as the B-A-C-H motif.

Manuscripts

The manuscripts in Busoni's hand are in the Berlin State Library as part of the Busoni Archive. [2]

Publication history

1) Title: Große Fuge. Kontrapunktische Fantasie über Joh. Seb. Bach's letztes unvollendetes Werk für Klavier ausgeführt. [Great Fugue. Contrapuntal Fantasy on Joh. Seb. Bach's Last Unfinished Work (from the "Art of the Fugue," BWV 1080), realized for piano.]
Published: New York: G. Schirmer, Copyright 1910, plate no. 22004, (100 copies printed privately), (39 pages).
Dedication: An Wilhelm Middelschulte Meister des Kontrapunktes
Dated (p. 39): Begonnen auf dem Dampfer "Barbarossa" um Neujahr 1910. Beendet in New Orleans am 1. März 1910. [Begun on the steamship "Barbarossa" on New Year's 1910. Finished in New Orleans on 1 March 1910.]
Notes:
1) p. 30: "Diese Zusammenstellung des Hauptthemas aus der Kunst der Fuge mit den drei vorigen Subjecten verdanke ich den Studien des Herrn Bernhard Ziehm in Chicago. F. B." ["For this combination of the main themes from the Art of the Fugue I am indebted to Mr. Berhard Ziehm in Chicago. F. B. (Ferruccio Busoni).]
2) p. 38: "Partitur-Darstellung der Durchführung auf S. 33, welche aus clavieristischen Gründen dort eingeschränkt ercheint." ["Score-representation of the execution on p. 33, which is abridged there for pianistic reasons."]
3) p. 39, the plan of the work: "Fuga I: Subject 1; Fuga II: Subject 2 und 1; Fuga III: Subject 3 und die vorigen: Intermezzo: Subject 3; Variazione 1.: Subject 1; Variazione 2: Subject 3; Variazione 3: Subject 2 and die vorigen; Cadenza: Subject 3 and 4; Fuga IV: Subject 4 and the vorigen; Stretta"
Ref: Kindermann, pp. 244–245.
2) Published: Boston: Boston Music Company, 1910
Ref: Roberge, p. 35.
1) Title: Fantasia contrappuntistica. Preludio al Corale "Gloria al Signore nei Cieli" e Fuga a quattro obbligati sopra un frammento di Bach. Compilita per il Pianoforte. (Edizione definitiva) [Contrapuntal Fantasy. Prelude to the chorale "Glory to the Lord in Heaven" and Fugue in four obbligato voices on a fragment of Bach. Compiled for the piano.]
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, Copyright 1910, cat.no. V.A. 3491 (45 pages)
Dated: (Giugno 1910).
Note: The plan of the work "Distribuzione dell'opera" is on the final unpaginated page.
Ref: Kindermann, pp. 245–250.
2) Title: Fantasia contrappuntistica
Published: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1916], cat. no. BB IV.
In: Bach-Busoni Complete Edition, Vol. IV, pp. 82–123 (42 pages); pp. 125–127 (Appendix) (3 pages)
Dedication: An Wilhelm Middelschulte, Meister des Kontrapunktes.
Reprint: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1920], cat. no. BB IV.
Note: The Appendix contains music cut from Fuga IV and still present at this point [in the score] in the first edition, which Busoni decided to omit for public performance.
Ref: Kindermann, pp. 245–250.
3) Title: Fantasia contrappuntistica
Published: Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1983] (Roberge), cat. no. Edition Breitkopf 3491, pp. 1–43; pp. 44–45 (Appendix)
Dedication: An Wilhelm Middelschulte, Meister des Kontrapunktes.
Note: The Appendix contains music cut from Fuga IV (p. 37) and still present at this point [in the score] in the first edition, which Busoni decided to omit for public performance.
Ref: IMSLP #03400 Image:Busoni fc.pdf (14:08, 2 September 2008)
Ref: Roberge, p. 35.
1) Title: Choral-Vorspiel und Fuge über ein Bachsches Fragment (Der "Fantasia Contrappuntistica" kleine Ausgabe). Preludio al Corale e Fuga sopra un frammento di Bach (Edizione minore della "Fantasia Contrappuntistica") [Chorale Prelude and Fugue on a Bach Fragment (Minor edition of the "Fantasia Contrappuntistica")]
Published: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, Copyright 1912, cat.no. V.A. 3829 (21 pages)
Dedication: gewidmet Richard Buhlig.
Note: This edition contains a preface by Busoni.
2) Title: same as for (1)
Published: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1916], cat. no. BB IV.
In: Bach-Busoni Complete Edition Vol. IV, pp. 61–79.
Dedication: An Richard Buhlig.
Note: This edition contains a foreword.
Reprint: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1920], cat. no. BB IV.
Ref: Kindermann, pp. 250–251.
1) Title: Fantasia contrappuntistica. Choral-Variationen über "Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe" gefolgt von einer Quadrupel-Fuge über einBachsches Fragment für zwei Klaviere [Chorale Variations on "Glory to God in the Highest" followed by a quadruple fugue on a Bach fragment for two pianos.]
Published: Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, Copyright 1922, cat.no. E.B. 5196, plate no. 28713 (68 pages)
Dedication: An das Künstler- und Freundespaar Kwast-Hodapp.
Notes:
1) According to a later entry in Schnapp's Busoni-Archive catalog, the now-lost autograph had the following date at the end: "Berlin, 3. Juli 1921"
2) The Busoni-Archive of the Berlin State Library (Busoni-Archive No. 356) preserves a proof copy with Busoni's handwritten corrections.
3) On the back of the title page is a plan of the work: "A. Analytischer 1. Choral-Variationen (Einleitung – Choral und Variationen – Übergang). 2. Fuga I. 3. Fuga II. 4. Fuga III. 5. Intermezzo. 6. Variato I. 7. Variato II. 8. Variato III. 9. Cadenza. 10. Fuga IV. 11. Corale. 12. Stretta. – B. Architektonischer: Zeichnung in Form einer Gebäudefassade."
4) According to the B&H Busoni catalog this edition appeared in 1921.
Reprints:
1) Leipzig: VEB Breitkopf & Härtel, [1955 or later]
2) Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, [1966]
Ref: Kindermann, p. 251.

Arrangements

Notes

  1. Beaumont, p. 164; Sitsky, p. 62.
  2. Schnapp (1928); Kindermann (1980); Sitsky (2008)
  3. Letter to Egon Petri dated 24 Aug 1911, translated and quoted by Beaumont, p. 175.
  4. Dent, pp. 199–200.
  5. Beaumont, p. 175.
  6. Gasser, M., "Ronald Stevenson, Composer-Pianist : An Exegetical Critique from a Pianistic Perspective" (Edith Cowan University Press, Western Australia, 2013)
  7. "Concerto for orchestra : a completion & realization of Busoni's 'Fantasia contrappuntistica' by Larry Sitsky : Work : Australian Music Centre". www.australianmusiccentre.com.au. Retrieved 2017-04-17.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferruccio Busoni</span> Italian composer, pianist, and conductor (1866–1924)

Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary figures of his time, and he was a sought-after keyboard instructor and a teacher of composition.

<i>An die Jugend</i> Sequence of classical music

An die Jugend(BV 254) is a sequence of pieces of classical music for solo piano by Ferruccio Busoni.

<i>The Art of Fugue</i> Musical work by Johann Sebastian Bach

The Art of Fugue, or The Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080, is an incomplete musical work of unspecified instrumentation by Johann Sebastian Bach. Written in the last decade of his life, The Art of Fugue is the culmination of Bach's experimentation with monothematic instrumental works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565</span> Organ music by Johann Sebastian Bach

The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a composition for organ by, according to the oldest sources, German composer Johann Sebastian Bach and is one of the most widely recognisable works in the organ repertoire. Although the date of its origin is unknown, scholars have suggested between 1704 and the 1750s. The piece opens with a toccata section followed by a fugue that ends in a coda, and is largely typical of the north German organ school of the Baroque era.

<i>Fantasy on Themes from Mozarts </i>Figaro<i> and </i>Don Giovanni Unfinished operatic paraphrase for piano by Franz Liszt

The Fantasy on Themes from Mozart's Figaro and Don Giovanni, S.697, is an operatic paraphrase for solo piano by Franz Liszt, based on themes from two different Mozart's operas: The Marriage of Figaro, K.492 and Don Giovanni, K.527.

Wilhelm Middelschulte was a German organist and composer who resided in America for most of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Concerto (Busoni)</span>

The Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 39 (BV 247), by Ferruccio Busoni, is one of the largest works ever written in this genre. Completed and premiered in 1904, it is about 70 minutes long and laid out in five movements played without a break; in the final movement a quiet men's chorus intones words from the verse-drama Aladdin by Adam Oehlenschläger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam"</span>

The Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", S.259, is a piece of organ music composed by Franz Liszt in the winter of 1850 when he was in Weimar. The chorale on which the Fantasy and Fugue is based was from Act I of Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera Le prophète. The work is dedicated to Meyerbeer, and it was given its premiere on October 29, 1852. The revised version was premiered in the Merseburg Cathedral on September 26, 1855, with Alexander Winterberger performing. The whole work was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1852, and the fugue was additionally published as the 4th piece of Liszt's operatic fantasy "Illustrations du Prophète" (S.414). A piano duet version by Liszt appeared during the same time (S.624).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferruccio Busoni discography</span>

Ferruccio Busoni discography is a list of recordings of music composed or adapted by Ferruccio Busoni. For recordings of music with Busoni as pianist, see Ferruccio Busoni discography.

<i>Klavierübung</i> (Busoni) Piano composition compilation by Ferruccio Busoni

The Klavierübung, by the Italian pianist-composer Ferruccio Busoni, is a compilation of piano exercises and practice pieces, comprising transcriptions of works by other composers and original compositions of his own.

<i>Elegies</i> (Busoni) 1908 piano pieces by Ferruccio Busoni

Elegies, BV 249, by the Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni is a set of solo piano pieces which can be played as a cycle or separately. Initially published in 1908 with six pieces, it was subsequently expanded to seven by the addition of the Berceuse. The set of seven takes just over 40 minutes to play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bach-Busoni Editions</span> Series of publications by Ferruccio Busoni

The Bach-Busoni Editions are a series of publications by the Italian pianist-composer Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924) containing primarily piano transcriptions of keyboard music by Johann Sebastian Bach. They also include performance suggestions, practice exercises, musical analysis, an essay on the art of transcribing Bach's organ music for piano, an analysis of the fugue from Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier' sonata, and other related material. The later editions also include free adaptations and original compositions by Busoni which are based on the music of Bach.

<i>Turandot Suite</i>

The Turandot Suite, Op. 41 is an orchestral work by Ferruccio Busoni written in 1904–5, based on Count Carlo Gozzi's play Turandot. The music – in one form or another – occupied Busoni at various times between the years 1904–17. Busoni arranged the suite from incidental music which he was composing to accompany a production of Gozzi's play. The suite was first performed on 21 October 1905, while the play with his incidental music was not produced until 1911. In August 1916 Busoni had finished composing the one-act opera Arlecchino, but it needed a companion work to provide a full evening's entertainment. He suddenly decided to transform the Turandot music into a two-act opera with spoken dialog. The two works were premiered together as a double-bill in May 1917.

Wilhelm Mayer was an Austro-Bohemian composer who published his works under the name W. A. Rémy. He was also a noted teacher, whose pupils included Ferruccio Busoni and Felix Weingartner. His name sometimes appears as Wilhelm Mayer-Rémy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concerto for Piano and String Quartet (Busoni)</span> Composition by Ferruccio Busoni

Ferruccio Busoni composed his Concerto for Piano and String Quartet in D minor, Op. 17, BV 80, in 1878, at the age of twelve. The original title was Concerto per piano-forte con accompagnamento di quartetto ad arco, Op. 17. Conceived for string quartet, the piano can also be accompanied by a string orchestra as Concerto for Piano and Strings, the title under which it was published in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906</span>

Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906, is a keyboard piece, likely unfinished, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime during his tenure in Leipzig (1723–1750). The work survives in two autograph scores, one with the fantasia alone, and the other, believed to have been penned around 1738 in which the fugue is incomplete. The piece is notable for being one of Bach's latest compositions in the prelude and fugue format, and for being a showcase of Bach trying his hand at the emerging galant and empfindsam styles of music that his sons were known to compose.

References