List of adaptations by Ferruccio Busoni
The composer Ferruccio Busoni produced a large number of adaptations, transcriptions, and editions of works by other composers. He also wrote a number of cadenzas for compositions by other composers. This article presents a complete catalog of these works.
For a complete list of original compositions see Catalog of original compositions by Ferruccio Busoni. For a more selective list of recorded works, see Ferruccio Busoni discography .
Cadenzas and transcriptions
The letters BV B followed by a number are used for the identification of Busoni's cadenzas and transcriptions. The BV B numbers are based on the first comprehensive catalog of Busoni's works prepared by [|Kindermann]. The letters KiV B are also sometimes used. Although Kindermann himself did not specify any letter to be used for referring to his catalog, he has agreed to the use of the abbreviation BV. The dates of composition are from Kindermann and Roberge. For many transcriptions, the date of composition could not be ascertained, and a date "at the latest" was used. This date was determined by the date of publication or first performance, or by some other means. These dates are marked with an asterisk.Abbreviations: acc., according to; arr., arrangement; SB, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; B&H, Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig ; cat., catalog; ded., dedicated to; dur., duration; frag, fragment; fp, first performance; or, link to the score of Busoni's adaptation at the International Music Score Library Project; instr., instrumentation; MS, manuscript; pub., published; rev., revised; transcr., transcription or transcribed; unpub., unpublished.
Cadenzas (BV B 1 to 19)
- Note: This section is not yet complete. The "Details" column needs additional work.
| Cat. no. | Composer | Title | Date of composition | Details |
| BV B 1 | Beethoven | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, | 1890＊ | pub, ded |
| BV B 2 | Beethoven | Four cadenzas for Piano Concertos No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15; No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37; and No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 | 1900 | pub |
| BV B 3 | Beethoven | Three cadenzas for the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 | 1913 | pub, ded |
| BV B 4 | Beethoven | Cello cadenza for Busoni's transcription of Adelaide Op. 46, song for voice and piano | 4 Jul 1915 | unpub; see BV B 48 |
| BV B 5 | Brahms | Cadenza for the Violin Concerto, Op. 77 | 16 Sep 1913 | pub, ded |
| BV B 6 | Mozart | Cadenza for Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 | Childhood | unpub; lost |
| BV B 7 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 | 1907, 1920 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 8 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 | 1915 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 9 | Mozart | Cadenza and coda for Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 | Nov 1918 | pub, fp |
| BV B 10 | Mozart | Three cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 | 1918 | pub, fp |
| BV B 11 | Mozart | Cadenza for the Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313 | 1 Aug 1919 | ded |
| BV B 12 | Mozart | Cadenza for the Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 314 | 2 Aug 1919 | ded |
| BV B 13 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 | Oct 1919 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 14 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482 | 26, 29 Oct 1919 | pub |
| BV B 15 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459 | 22, 25 Dec 1920 | pub |
| BV B 16 | Mozart | Two cadenzas for Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453 | 29 Aug 1921 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 17 | Mozart | Cadenza for the Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448 | 16 Nov 1921 | SB335, unpub, fp |
| BV B 18 | Mozart | Cadenza for Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503 | 9 Jun 1922 | ms, pub |
| BV B 19 | Weber | Two Cadenzas for the Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 | 18 May 1920 | ms, unpub, ded |
Transcriptions (BV B 20 to 115)
- Note: This section is not yet complete. The "Details" column needs additional work.
| Cat. no. | Composer | Title | Date of adaptation | Details |
| BV B 20 | Bach | Prelude and Fugue in D major for organ, BWV 532 #For Piano Solo | 1888 | pub, fp,ded |
| BV B 21 | Bach | Chorale Prelude Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir for organ, BWV 686 | 1880s | unpub |
| BV B 22 | Bach | Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major for organ, BWV 552 #For Piano solo | 1890? | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 23 | Bach | Inventions and Sinfonias for harpsichord:
| 1891, 1914 | pub, ded |
| BV B 24 | Bach | Chaconne in D minor from Partita No. 2 for violin, BWV 1004 #Chaconne | 1893＊ | pub, fp, ded, arr |
| BV B 25 | Bach | The Well-Tempered Clavier for harpsichord: | 1894, 1915 | pub |
| BV B 26 | Bach | Prelude and Fugue in E minor for organ, BWV 533 #For Piano Solo | 1894＊ | pub |
| BV B 27 | Bach | Ten Chorale Preludes for organ :
| 1898＊ | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 28 | Bach | Concerto for harpsichord and strings No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052, transcribed for piano and orchestra | 1899＊ | pub, fp, ded, arr, see BVB 30 |
| BV B 29 | Bach | Two Toccatas and Fugues for organ: | Jun 1899 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 30 | Bach | Concerto for harpsichord and strings No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052, transcribed for two pianos #For 2 Pianos | 1900＊ | pub, fp, ded, arr. of BV B 28 |
| BV B 31 | Bach | Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for harpsichord, BWV 903 #For Piano solo | 1902＊ | pub, fp |
| BV B 32 | Bach | May 1914 | pub | |
| BV B 33 | Bach | Four Duets for organ and/or keyboard from Clavier-Übung III, BWV 802-805 | Jun 1914 | pub |
| BV B 34 | Bach | Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother in B-flat major for harpsichord, BWV 992 #For Piano solo | Jul 1914 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 35 | Bach | Goldberg Variations for harpsichord, BWV 988 #For Piano solo | Aug 1914 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 36 | Bach | Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat major for solo lute, BWV 998 #For Piano Solo | 1914＊ | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 37 | Bach | Fantasia, Adagio e Fuga, after:
| 1915＊ | pub, fp |
| BV B 38 | Bach | Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue for harpsichord, BWV 903, transcribed for cello and piano | 1915 | pub, ded |
| BV B 39 | Bach | Three Toccatas for keyboard or organ: | Aug 1916 | pub, ded |
| BV B 40 | Bach | Canonic Variations and Fugue, selected from The Musical Offering, BWV 1079 | Sep 1916 | pub, ded |
| BV B 41 | Bach | Fantasy and Fugue in A minor for harpsichord, BWV 904 | 1917 | pub, ded |
| BV B 42 | Bach | Fantasie, Fuge, Andante und Scherzo, after following doubtful works for keyboard : | 1917 | pub |
| BV B 43 | Bach | Sarabande con Partite in C major for harpsichord, BWV 990 #For Piano solo | 1921 | pub |
| BV B 44 | Bach | Aria variata alla maniera italiana in A minor for harpsichord, BWV 989 #For Piano solo | 1921 | pub |
| BV B 45 | Bach | Chaconne in D minor from Partita No. 2 for violin, BWV 1004, transcribed for orchestra | not known | SB212, unpub, instr |
| BV B 46 | Bach | Two Chorale Preludes for organ | not known | ms, unpub |
| BV B 47 | Beethoven | Écossaises for piano, WoO 83,_BV_B_47_ | 1888 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 48 | Beethoven | Adelaide, Op. 47. Song for voice and piano | 1915 | ms, unpub, ded, arr, see BV B 4 |
| BV B 49 | Beethoven | "Benedictus" from the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123 | 1916 | pub, arr |
| BV B 50 | Brahms | Six Chorale Preludes for organ, Op. 122 | 1902 | pub, fp |
| BV B 51 | Chopin | Polonaise in A-flat major for piano, Op. 53 | 1909 | pub, ded |
| BV B 52 | Cornelius | Fantasie über Motive aus "Der Barbier von Bagdad" | Dec 1886 | MS, pub |
| BV B 53 | Cramer | Eight Etudes for piano | 1897＊ | pub, ded |
| BV B 54 | Gade | Novelette for piano, violin, and cello, Op. 29 | 1889＊ | |
| BV B 55 | Goldmark | Concert Fantasy on Motives from "Merlin" for piano | May 1887 | pub |
| BV B 56 | Goldmark | Merlin: Opera in Three Acts | 1888＊ | pub |
| BV B 57 | Liszt | Coeli enarrant: Psalm 18 for male chorus and orchestra | 1880s | SB203, unpub. |
| BV B 58 | Liszt | Rhapsodie espagnole for piano | 1894＊ | pub, instr, fp, ded, arr |
| BV B 59 | Liszt | Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam" for organ,_BV_B_59_ | 1897＊ | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 60 | Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No. 20 for piano | ca. 1900 | MS, unpub. |
| BV B 61 | Liszt | Mephisto Waltz from Deux Épisodes d'apres le Faust de Lenau for orchestra,_BV_B_61_ | Mar 1904 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 62 | Liszt | Heroic March in Hungarian Style for piano | 1905＊ | pub, ded |
| BV B 63 | Liszt | Sonetto 104 di Petrarca: "Pace non trovo" for tenor and piano | Dec 1907 | pub, instr, fp, ded |
| BV B 64 | Liszt | Polonaise No. 2 in E major for piano | 1909＊ | pub, ded |
| BV B 65 | Liszt | Saint François d'Assise: La Prédication aux oiseaux for piano | ca. 1910 | MS |
| BV B 66 | Liszt | Fantasy on Two Motives from W. A. Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" for piano | 11 Jul 1912 | pub, fp, ded |
| BV B 67 | Liszt | Etude No. 6 after Paganini for piano | 1 Aug 1913 | ms, pub, ded |
| BV B 68 | Liszt | Etude No. 3 "La Campanella" after Paganini for piano | 1915 | pub, ded |
| BV B 69 | Liszt | Valse oubliée No. 1 for piano | 1915 | pub: B&H, 1917 |
| BV B 70 | Liszt | Etude No. 2 after Paganini for piano | 22 Sep 1916 | pub |
| BV B 71 | Liszt | Réminiscences de Don Juan for piano,_BV_B_71_ | 9 Jun 1917 | pub, ded |
| BV B 72 | Liszt | Totentanz for piano and orchestra | 21 Nov 1918 | pub, ded |
| BV B 73 | Liszt | Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 for piano | 1920＊ | pub |
| BV B 74 | Liszt | Etude No. 4 after Paganini for piano | 1921＊ | pub |
| BV B 75 | Liszt | Etude No. 1 after Paganini for piano | 1923＊ | |
| BV B 76 | Liszt | Etude No. 5 after Paganini "La Chasse" for piano | 20 May 1923 | ms, pub |
| BV B 77 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11 | 1890＊ | pub |
| BV B 78 | Mozart | Symphony No. 30 in D major, K. 202 | 1888＊ | pub |
| BV B 79 | Mozart | Symphony No. 32 in G major, K. 318 | 1888＊ | pub |
| BV B 80 | Mozart | Symphony No. 37 in G major, K. 444 | 1888＊ | pub |
| BV B 81 | Mozart | Overture to "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," K. 384 | 1904＊ | pub, ded, fp |
| BV B 82 | Mozart | Overture to "Don Giovanni," K. 527 | 1904＊ | pub, fp |
| BV B 83 | Mozart | Overture to "Die Zauberflöte," K. 620 | ca. 1908 | ms |
| BV B 84 | Mozart | Andantino from the Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271,_BV_B_84_ | 1913＊ | pub, ded, fp |
| BV B 85 | Mozart | Concert Suite from "Idomeneo," K. 366 | 1918 | pub, ded, instr |
| BV B 86 | Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482 | 1919 | SB310 |
| BV B 87 | Mozart | Rondo concertante after the Finale of the Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482 | Dec 1919 | SB312, pub |
| BV B 88 | Mozart | Duettino concertante after the Finale of the Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459 | Dec 1919 | SB313, pub, fp |
| BV B 89 | Mozart | Sonata in D major, K. 448 and Fugue in C minor, K. 426 for two pianos four hands | 1921 | ms ? |
| BV B 90 | Mozart | Adagio from the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major, K. 622 | 1920＊ | pub, ded, fp |
| BV B 91 | Mozart | Fantasy in F minor for a Mechanical Clock, K. 608 | 23 Jan 1922 | pub, ded, fp |
| BV B 92 | Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453 | 1922 | SB341, unpub |
| BV B 93 | Mozart | Overture to "Die Zauberflöte," K. 620 | 3 Jun 1923 | pub |
| BV B 94 | Mozart | Fugue from the String Quartet in C minor, K. 546 | ca. 1888 | SB259 |
| BV B 95 | Nováček, O. | Scherzo from the String Quartet No. 1 in E minor | 1892＊ | pub, ded |
| BV B 96 | Nováček, R. | Waltz Suite | ca. 1905 | ms |
| BV B 97 | Schoenberg | Piano Piece, Op. 11, no. 2 | 26 Jul 1909 | pub |
| BV B 98 | Schubert | Overture to "Der Teufel als Hydraulicus," D. 4 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 99 | Schubert | Overture in D major for orchestra, D. 26 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 100 | Schubert | Overture in B-flat major for orchestra, D. 470 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 101 | Schubert | Five Minuets with Six Trios and Minuet for Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, D. 89 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 102 | Schubert | Five German Dances with Coda and Seven Trios for Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, D. 90 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 103 | Schubert | Overture in D major for Orchestra, D. 556 | 1889＊ | B&H, 1889 |
| BV B 104 | Schubert | Overture in E minor for Orchestra, D. 648 | 1889＊ | B&H, 1889 |
| BV B 105 | Schubert | Overture in the Italian Style in D major, D. 590 | 1889＊ | B&H, 1889 |
| BV B 106 | Schubert | Overture in the Italian Style in D major, D. 591 | 1889＊ | B&H, 1889 |
| BV B 107 | Schumann | Abendlied, No. 12, for piano four hands | 1878-81 | SB169, pub. |
| BV B 108 | Schumann | Three Romances for oboe, Op. 94 | 1879-81 | SB170, unpub. |
| BV B 109 | Schumann | Concert Allegro in D minor for piano and orchestra, Op. 134 | 1888＊ | B&H, 1888 |
| BV B 110 | Spohr, Ernst | Introduction and Elegy | 1879-81 | SB168, unpub. |
| BV B 111 | Wagner | "Siegfried's Funeral March" from "Götterdämmerung" | 1883 | pub, fp |
| BV B 112 | Weill | "Ach wär' mein Lieb ein Brünnlein" from "Frauentanz: Sieben Gedichte des Mittelalters" for soprano, with flute, viola, clarinet, horn, and bassoon, Op. 10 | 1923 or 1924 | pub, ded |
| BV B 113 | Fugue for organ | 1888 | SB214, unpub. | |
| BV B 114 | Liszt | Scherzo in G minor for piano | 5 Apr 1909 | ms, pub |
| BV B 115 | Liszt | Tarantelle di bravura after the Tarantelle from Auber's "La Muette de Portici," S. 386 | SB: N. Mus. Nachl. 4, 88 |
Klavierübung
The Klavierübung is a compilation of exercises, transcriptions, and original compositions by Busoni, with which he hoped to pass on his accumulated knowledge of keyboard technique. It was issued in five parts between 1918 and 1922, and a second edition was published posthumously in 1925.Bach Editions
Busoni's Bach editions are a series of publications containing primarily 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.Liszt Editions
In the 1890s Busoni began to study Liszt's scores more intensively, including them more and more in his concert performances and collecting an extensive library of Liszt editions. By 1900 even Liszt's pupils were beginning to declare Busoni a true disciple. His reputation as a Liszt scholar and advocate grew to such an extent that in 1907 Busoni was invited to join the editorial board appointed to oversee to the publication of Liszt's collected works. Between 1901 and 1936 the Franz Liszt-Stiftung supervised the publication of 34 volumes. Of these, Busoni edited three: II.1, II.2, and II.3. These three consist of the studies S.136–145 and S.420. The goal of the Liszt-Stiftung edition was scholarly, and Busoni adhered faithfully to this policy. Only in Volume II.1 did he even include any ossias, each labelled with "F.B." in small print.Franz Liszt-Stiftung Edition
- Franz Liszt Musikalische Werke. Herausgegeben von der Franz Liszt-Stiftung. II. Pianofortewerke. Etüden für Pianoforte zu zwei Händen. Bd. 1–3
Paganini Etudes
- Sechs Paganini Etüden für Klavier. Revidierte Ausgabe von Ferruccio Busoni
Selected Piano Works
- Ausgewählte Klavierwerke aus den von der Franz Liszt-Stiftung herausgegebenen [|Musikalischen Werken Franz Liszts], herausgegeben von Ferruccio Busoni
Dover reprints
- Complete Etudes for Solo Piano, Series I: Including the Transcendental Etudes. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni
- Complete Etudes for Solo Piano, Series II: Including the Paganini Etudes and Concert Etudes. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni
Biographical notes
- Eduard Liszt, the youngest son of Franz Liszt's grandfather and the stepbrother of Franz Liszt's father. Eduard handled Franz Liszt's business affairs for more than thirty years until Eduard's death in 1879.
- Rosamond Ley, was a pianist and writer on music. She translated Busoni's Letters to his Wife and The Essence of Music into English.