Catalogue BV A 3 | Composed 1917 (1917)–24 | |
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The Klavierübung (Piano Tutorial, BV A 3), by the Italian pianist-composer Ferruccio Busoni, is a compilation of piano exercises and practice pieces, including transcriptions of works by other composers and original compositions of his own.
Contents
- Assessment
- Publication of the first edition
- Original plan of the work
- Difficulties completing
- Publication of a second edition
- Significance of the second edition
- Annotated listing of contents
- Klavierbung in Five Parts First Edition
- Part 1 Six Piano Tutorials and Preludes
- Part 2 Three Piano Tutorials and Preludes
- Part 3 Staccato
- Part 4 Eight Etudes by Cramer
- Part 5 Variations Perpetual motion Scales
- Klavierbung in Ten Books Second Edition
- Book 1 Scales
- Book 2 Forms derived from scales
- Book 3 Chordal broken chords
- Book 4 For Three Hands
- Book 5 Trills
- Book 6 Staccato
- Book 7 Eight Etudes after Cramer
- Book 8 Variations and Variants on Chopin
- Book 9 Seven Short Pieces for the Cultivation of Polyphonic Playing
- Book 10 Etudes after Paganini Liszt
- Composition and publication details
- References
Busoni worked on the Klavierübung at various times during the last seven years of his life, and with it, he hoped to pass on his accumulated knowledge of keyboard technique. The Klavierübung is not a comprehensive or systematic graduated course of study, nor is it intended for beginning or intermediate students. Instead it assumes the student has mastered standard piano technique and has reached a virtuoso level. Busoni proceeds by adding refinements, short cuts, and unusual solutions for pianistic problems encountered in a performing artist's repertoire. The included exercises and examples reflect Busoni's own special, but diverse, interests and abilities.
Assessment
Edward J. Dent, author of the first definitive biography of Busoni, had this to say about the exercises and studies in the Klavierübung: "...they are all extraordinarily interesting and stimulating. They are interesting too as helping to elucidate some of Busoni's other compositions, for the studies show how certain of his harmonic devices grew out of purely pianistic principles based on definite positions of the hands on the keyboard. Every one of the studies has genuine musical originality, and even the exercises to be repeated in all keys are a good deal more musical than such forms of torture are generally made to be."
Publication of the first edition
The Klavierübung was first published by Breitkopf & Härtel in separate parts beginning in 1918. Part 2 appeared in 1919, and parts 3 and 4 two years later. The fifth, and what was to be the final part, appeared in 1922. Kindermann, who prepared the first extensive catalog of Busoni's works in 1980, refers to this "First Edition" as Klavierübung in fünf Teilen [Piano Tutorial in Five Parts], and Breitkopf & Härtel later republished a collected edition under this name ca. 1996.
Original plan of the work
Part 1 (Sechs Klavierübungen und Präludien) consists of six tutorials (numbered I - VI). Tutorials I to V were written in three days (10–12 September 1917), and tutorial VI one month later. The first piece of Part 2 was written on 7 November 1917, and the remainder from 4 to 10 June 1918. It consists of three tutorials (VII to IX).
Each tutorial begins with exercises and moves on to short original pieces and adaptions or transcriptions of excerpts from the repertory. For instance, the first tutorial starts with traditional scales (although the fingerings are unorthodox), then adds two excerpts which require power and speed: the first is from Liszt's Totentanz, and the second is based on two bars in Busoni's "Turandots Frauengemach" [Turandot's Bedchamber] (Book 4 from Elegien, BV 249). This is followed by two original compositions: a 16-bar "Tempo di Valse" and a 33-bar "Preludio," both of which emphasize legato scales at moderate speed. Busoni frequently lists at the bottom one or more pieces from the repertoire as examples (in German: Beispiele) suitable for further study. In the case of the "Preludio," the Beispiel is Alkan's first etude from Etudes dans tous les tons majeurs, (Op. 35).
The first tutorial exemplifies a blueprint which is used for the subsequent tutorials, each emphasizing a different aspect of piano technique. These include, in addition to the "simple" scales of the first tutorial: forms derived from scales (chords incorporated into scales); chromatic "sliding-finger" (or "sixth-finger") technique; repeated notes; arpeggios and broken chords; examples of "three-hands"; trills; examples with arpeggios; and further examples of "three hands."
Difficulties completing
Because of distractions, including ill health, and other concerns, not least being the work on his lifelong masterpiece, the opera Doktor Faust (unfinished at the time of his death in 1924), many planned components of the Klavierübung were delayed or never fully realized. For instance, the foreword was not written until July 1920, and did not appear until the publication of Part 3 in 1921. Part 2 contains material which should have been included in Part 1, in tutorials V [arpeggios] and VI ["for three hands"]. Part 3 presents additional material appropriate to Part 1, as appendices. A "Chromaticon" for Part 4, mentioned in a footnote to the Foreword, had to be abandoned, and was hurriedly replaced with his edition of Eight Etudes by Cramer (BV B 53) first published in 1897. Part 5 likewise consists of already existing pieces. Perhaps, if Busoni had lived longer, he would have included much more. For example, there are no tutorials on the very important technique of pedalling, for which he was particularly well known.
Publication of a second edition
From December 1923 to January 1924 Busoni did manage to reorganize and enrich the material for a second edition of 284 pages. Entitled Klavierübung in zehn Büchern [Piano Tutorial in Ten Books], it was published posthumously in 1925 as Volume VIII of the Bach-Busoni Edition. Only a small number of copies of the second edition were printed, and until recently, it has been a major rarity. Fortunately, it is now available online (see, for example, this page at the International Music Score Library Project).
Significance of the second edition
The second edition is particularly important, since it contains all Busoni's last piano compositions. Two of these are not found elsewhere and are of special interest, since they were intended as source material for the unfinished final scene of Doktor Faust:
1) "Veloce e leggiero" [the final piece in Book 5 ("Trills")] 2) "Study for the Third Pedal" [No.7 from Seven Short Pieces for the Cultivation of Polyphonic Playing, Book 9]Annotated listing of contents
Busoni did not typically disclose the source of the extracts on which he based many of the pieces in the Klavierübung. They are often simply titled, for example, "Nach Bach" or "Nach Schubert." Fortunately, both Beaumont and Sitsky have provided fairly detailed descriptions of the contents of both the first and second editions. Some of this information is inserted here as annotations between square brackets.
Klavierübung in Five Parts (First Edition)
Klavierübung in fünf Teilen
Part 1: Six Piano Tutorials and Preludes
Sechs Klavierübungen und Präludien (der Klavierübung erster Teil.) (score)
I. [Scales] [exercises and pieces employing unusual and unorthodox fingerings: the thumb passing under the fifth finger; the fifth finger passing over the thumb; or not using the thumb at all] II. [Chords based on scale patterns] [step-wise movement with incorporated chords] [Tutorial II also appears in the Second Edition, Book 2 (Forms derived from scales), section (a)] III. [Chromatic "sliding-finger" technique] ["sixth finger" technique of sliding from black to white key in chromatic passages] [Tutorial III also appears in the Second Edition, Book 2 (Forms derived from scales), section (b)] IV. [Repeated notes] [Tutorial IV also appears in the Second Edition, Book 2 (Forms derived from scales), section (c)] V. [Arpeggios (broken chords)] [Tutorial V also appears in the Second Edition, Book 3 (broken chords), sections (a) - (i)] VI. [Examples of "À trois mains"] [Tutorial VI also appears in the Second Edition, Book 4 "For Three Hands" as sections (a) - (c)] [Piano music "à trois mains" ("for three hands") combines three musical lines (written on three staves), which sounds as though it is played by three hands, but nevertheless is actually played by two.]Part 2: Three Piano Tutorials and Preludes
Drei Klavierübungen und Präludien (der Klavierübung zweiter Teil.) (score)
VII. [Trills] [Tutorial VII also appears in the Second Edition, Book 5 "Trills", sections (a) to (g).] VIII. [Examples with arpeggios] [Tutorial VIII also appears in the Second Edition, Book 3 "Chordal (broken chords)", sections (j) to (l).] IX. A second group for tutorial VI ["three hands"] [Tutorial IX also appears in the Second Edition, Book 4 "For Three Hands", sections (d) to (f).]Part 3: Staccato
Lo Staccato. (der Klavierübung dritter Teil.) (score)
[The following sections (a) to (j), also appear in the Second Edition, Book 6 "Staccato".] (a) An die Musikschule und das Konservatorium zu Basel, p. 3 [To the Music School and Conservatory of Basel] [Foreword by Ferruccio Busoni, dated Zurich, July 1920.] (b) Vivace Moderato, con precisione, pp. 4-7. (c) Variations-Studie nach Mozart, 1, pp. 8-9. (d) Variations-Studie nach Mozart, 2, pp. 10-15. (e) Motive. Allegro risoluto, pp. 16-18. (f) Preludio. Quasi presto, arditamente, pp. 19-21. (g) Nach Mendelssohn. Vivace assai, pp. 22-23. (h) Nach Bizet. Allegro deciso, pp. 24-25. (i) Allegro, pp. 26-29. (j) Transcriptions-Studie nach Liszt. Quasi Galopp, sempre da Capo, pp. 30-31. [The following two sections (k) and (l) also appear in the Second Edition, Book 10 "Etudes after Paganini-Liszt".] (k) Variations-Studie nach Paganini-Liszt, 1. [Vivo], pp.32-36. (l) Variations-Studie nach Paganini-Liszt, 2. Vivace moderato tutto staccato, pp. 37-44. [The following section (m) also appears in the Second Edition, Book 3 "Chordal (broken chords" as section (d).] (m) Nachsatz zur V. Übung. [Appendix to tutorial V.], pp. 45-46. (n) Anhang. 7 Variationen nach einem Motiv von Beethoven, p. 47. [Appendix: Seven variations on a motive of Beethoven.] [Footnote:] In verschiedenen Tonarten zu üben. Auch in Moll. [To be practiced in different keys. Also in minor.] [The motive is from the coda of the first movement of the 'Emperor' concerto (score)]Part 4: Eight Etudes by Cramer
Acht Etüden von Cramer (der Klavierübung vierter Teil.) (score)
[Busoni's edition of the Cramer etudes was originally published in 1897 by Schlesinger (BV B 53). That edition is faithful to the originals, except the slow introduction of No.5 is omitted, and suggested changes to Etudes 4 to 8 are indicated with ossias. The etudes were republished in this edition of the Klavierübung without alteration. They are also included in the Second Edition, Book 7, but the versions of Etudes 4 to 8 in that edition include the ossias in the text without notification and contain musical and pianistic changes as well.] (Sitsky, p 284) I. Legato, pp. 2-18. II. Staccato, pp. 19-35.Part 5: Variations. Perpetual motion. Scales.
Variationen - Perpetuum mobile - Tonleitern (der Klavierübung fünfter Teil) (score)
[The following two sections (a) and (b) also appear in the Second Edition, Book 8 "Variations and Variants on Chopin"] (a) Zehn Variationen über ein Präludium von Chopin, pp. 2-22. [Ten Variations on a Prelude by Chopin] (score) [Variations on the Prelude in C minor, Op.28, No.20 (Chopin score). The Ten Variations were also published separately as catalog no. EB 5230 (BV 213a). The variations are played continuously; they are not numbered in the score, but are numbered here according to Sitsky (pp. 56-58).] (b) Sechs Varianten zu Etüden und Präludien von Chopin, pp. 23-31. [Six Variants of Etudes and Preludes by Chopin] "Erst der Spiegel der Variante vom Urbild zeigt das Interessante." (Ferruccio Busoni) The variants are taken from Chopin's Etudes Op. 10 (scores) and Preludes Op. 28 (scores) (Sitsky, p 282) [The following piece also appears in the Second Edition, Book 9 as section (b)] (c) Perpetuum mobile, pp. 32-42. [The following four sections (d) to (g) also appear in the Second Edition, Book 1 "Scales" as sections (b) to (e).] (d) Scales. 1. Allegro moderato, pp. 43-46. (e) (Scales.) 2. Übereinanderstellung verschiedener Tonarten. [Superimposed keys], pp. 47-48. (f) (Scales.) 3. Presto volante, pp. 49-51. (g) Anhang. Terzen [Appendix. Thirds], p. 52Klavierübung in Ten Books (Second Edition)
Title page:
Klavierübung in zehn Büchern von Ferruccio Busoni. Zweite umgestaltete und bereicherte Ausgabe. [Piano Tutorial in Ten Books by Ferruccio Busoni. Second reorganized and enriched edition.]Title shown on page 1:
Klavierübung. Studien and Vortragsstücke. [Piano Tutorial. Studies and Performance Pieces.]Book 1: Scales
Erstes Buch. Tonleitern, pp. 1–12. (score)
[The following section (a) also appears in the First Edition, Part 1, Tutorial I.] (a) Presto, pp. 1-2. [The following sections (b) to (e) also appear in the First Edition, Part 5, sections (d) to (g)] (b) Allegro moderato, pp. 3-6. (c) [Superimposed keys], pp. 7-8. (d) Presto volante, pp. 9-11. (e) [Thirds], p. 12.Book 2: Forms derived from scales
Zweites Buch. Von Tonleitern abgeleitete Formen, pp. 13–26. (score)
[The following section (a) also appears in the First Edition, Part 1 as Tutorial II.] (a) [Chords based on scale patterns] [The following section (b) also appears in the First Edition, Part 1 as Tutorial III.] (b) [Chromatic "sliding-finger" technique] ["sixth finger" technique of sliding from black to white key in chromatic passages] (1) [Seven exercises on double chromatics], pp. 16-17. (2) Preludio (Andantino), pp. 17-18. (3) Con bravura (la mano destra sotto), p. 18. (4) Preludio (Tempo di Valse moderato), p. 19. (5) Allegro moderato [exercise, in 6/8], pp. 19-20. [The following section (c) also appears in the First Edition, Part 1 as Tutorial IV.] (c) [Repeated notes]Book 3: Chordal (broken chords)
Drittes Buch. Akkordisches, pp. 27–50. (score)
[The following sections (a) to (c) also appear in the First Edition, Part 1, Tutorial V. (Arpeggios)] (a) [5 arpeggio exercises, thumb and fifth finger passing over and under each other], pp. 27-28. (b) Prestissimo; stretto, pp. 28-30. (c) (Nach Bach), p. 30. [The following section (d) also appears in the First Edition, Part 3, section (m) (pp. 45-46), as "Appendix to Tutorial V."] (d) [6 further arpeggio exercises], pp. 31-32. [The following sections (e) to (i) also appear in the First Edition, Part 1, Tutorial V. (Arpeggios)] (e) Nach Beethoven. Allegretto, pp. 33-34. (f) [Contrary motion extension study], p. 35. (g) Allegro vivace, p. 36. (h)[Extended broken octaves], pp. 37-38. (i) Preludio, pp. 39-40. [The following sections (j) to (l) also appear in the First Edition, Part 2, Tutorial VIII. (Examples with Arpeggios)] (j) Nach Beethoven. Allegro, pp. 41-42. (k) Preludio. Andante tranquillo, pp. 43-44. (l) Tempo di Valse, elegantemente, pp. 45-48. [The following section (m) does not appear in the First Edition.] (m) [Unmarked arpeggio study], pp. 49-50.Book 4: "For Three Hands"
Viertes Buch. "À trois main," pp. 51–62. (score)
[Piano music "à trois mains" ("for three hands") combines three musical lines (written on three staves), which sounds as though it is played by three hands, but nevertheless is actually played by two.] [The following sections (a) to (c) also appear in the First Edition, Part 1, Tutorial VI. Examples of "three hands"] (a) Preludio. Alla Tarantella, pp. 51-52. (b) Nach Offenbach. Barcarole, pp. 53-54. (c) Nach Beethoven. Presto, pp. 55-56. [The following sections (d) to (f) also appear in the First Edition, Part 2, Tutorial IX. A second group for tutorial VI] (d) Perpetuum mobile et infinitum. Studie nach Bach (aus "an die Jugend"). Allegro non troppo, pp. 57-58. (e) Nach Schubert, pp. 59-60. (f) Aus meinem "Concerto". Trattenuto e fantasticamente, pp. 61-62.Book 5: Trills
Fünftes Buch. Triller, pp. 63–88. (score)
[The following sections (a) to (g) also appear in the First Edition, Part 2, Tutorial VII. Trills] (a) Moderato, pp. 63-65. (b) Nach Bach. Andante, pp. 66-68. (c) Nach Beethoven. Allegro, pp. 69-70. (d) Preludio (ohne den 3. Finger [without the third finger]). Moderato alla breve, pp. 71-72. (e) Nach Gounod. Andante con moto, pp. 73-75. (f) Preludio. Allegro, pp. 76-78. (g) Nach Liszt. Andantino, pp. 79-82. [The following section (h) also appears in the First Edition, Part 3, section (n), p. 47.] (h) 7 Variationen nach eimem Motive von Beethoven, p. 83. [Appendix: Seven variations on a motive of Beethoven.] [Footnote:] In verschiedenen Tonarten zu üben. Auch in Moll. [To be practiced in different keys. Also in minor.] [The motive is from the coda of the first movement of the 'Emperor' concerto (score)] [The following piece is not included in the First Edition] (i) Veloce e leggiero, pp. 84-88.Book 6: Staccato
Sechstes Buch. Lo Staccato, pp. 89–117. (score)
[The material in Book 6 also appears in the First Edition, Part 3 "Staccato", sections (a) to (j).] (a) Vorwort zum Sechsten Buch, p. 89. (b) Vivace Moderato, con precisione, pp. 90-93. (c) Variations-Studie nach Mozart, 1, pp. 94-95. [transcription (score) of the "Serenade" from Don Giovanni] [This piece was played frequently by Egon Petri as an encore.] (Sitsky, p 264) (d) Variations-Studie nach Mozart, 2. Allegro, pp. 96-101. [slightly altered versions the Giga and Variazione from Book 3 of An die Jugend, BV 254 (score); the Bolero is cut] (Sitsky, pp. 264-266) (e) Motive. Allegro risoluto, pp. 102-104. (f) Preludio. Quasi presto, arditamente, pp. 105-107. (g) Nach Mendelssohn. Vivace assai, pp. 108-109. (h) Nach Bizet. Allegro deciso, pp. 110-111. (i) Nach Liszt. Quasi Galopp, sempre da Capo, pp. 112-113. (j) Allegro, pp. 114-117.Book 7: Eight Etudes after Cramer
Siebentes Buch. Acht Etüden nach Cramer (score)
[Busoni's edition of the Cramer etudes was originally published in 1897 by Schlesinger (BV B 53). That edition is faithful to the originals, except the slow introduction of No.5 is omitted, and possible changes to Etudes 4 to 8 are indicated with ossias. The etudes republished in the Klavierübung (First Edition, Part 4) are identical to those in the Schlesinger edition. However, in this edition Etudes 4 to 8 include the ossias in the text without notification and contain musical and pianistic changes as well.] (Sitsky, p 284) Acht Etüden nach Cramer, pp. 118-150.Book 8: Variations and Variants on Chopin
Achtes Buch. Variationen und Varianten zu Chopin (score)
[The material in Book 8 also appears in the First Edition, Part 5 "Variations. Perpetual motion. Scales.", sections (a) and (b).] (a) Neun Variationen über ein Präludium von Chopin, pp. 151-167. (b) Varianten zu Etüden und Präludien von Chopin, pp. 168-177. [Six Variants of Etudes and Preludes by Chopin] "Erst der Spiegel der Variante vom Urbild zeigt das Interessante." (Ferruccio Busoni) [The variants are taken from Chopin's Etudes Op. 10 (scores) and Preludes Op. 28 (scores)] (Sitsky, p 282)Book 9: Seven Short Pieces for the Cultivation of Polyphonic Playing
Neuntes Buch. Sieben kurze Stücke zur Pflege des polyphonen Spiels (score)
(a) Sieben kurze Stücke zur Pflege des polyphonen Spiels, pp. 178-202. [The following piece also appears in the First Edition, Part 5 as section (c)] (b) Perpetuum mobile (nach des Concertino II. Satze), pp. 203-213.Book 10: Etudes after Paganini-Liszt
Zehntes Buch. Etüden nach Paganini-Liszt (score)
[Sections (a) to (f) are Busoni's concert transcriptions (scores) of Listzt's Grandes Études de Paganini (S.141)] (a) 1. [Etude No.1 "Tremolo" (in G minor) (BV B 75)], pp. 214-227. (b) 2. [Etude No.2 (in E-flat major) (BV B 70)], pp. 228-238. (c) 3. [Etude No.3 "La Campanella" (in G-sharp minor) (BV B 68)], pp. 239-256. (d) 4. [Etude No.4 "Arpeggio" (in E major) (BV B 74)], pp. 257-261. (e) 5. [Etude No.5 "La Chasse" (in E major) (BV B 76)], pp. 262-267. (f) 6. [Etude No.6 "Theme with variations" (in A minor) (BV B 67)], pp. 268-275. (g) Introduzione e Capriccio (Paganinesco), pp. 276-284.