Musical idealism in Ferruccio Busoni's 'Klavierubung'

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) is most often remembered as a virtuoso pianist and transcriber of Bach's work. He was also a composer, editor, teacher, and philosopher. This document explores one of his most neglected and important contributions: his idealistic musical aesthetic.;Musical idealism is a major theme in Busoni's treatise Entwurf einer Neuen Aesthetik der Tonkunst (Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music). The Platonic roots of Busoni's aesthetic, the influence of Arthur Schopenhauer, and the specifics of Busoni's treatise are explained in the first section of this paper. The two main tenets of Busoni's philosophy are: (1) the purpose of art is the communication of eternal ideas; and (2) the particular pathway used in the communication of artistic ideas is irrelevant.;The musical manifestation of Busoni's philosophy is examined in his ten-volume piano study, the Klavierubung. Specific relationships to Busoni's philosophy are drawn by exploring its organization, historical background, and compositional, pedagogical, and editorial techniques.;This study of the Klavierubung shows how Busoni, by consistently integrating his philosophy with his various artistic activities, promotes an idealistic aesthetic. Above all, this aesthetic emphasizes the importance of constant striving after eternal ideas. To Busoni, these ideas are the only genuine source of knowledge.