The Busoni House Museum

The Museum occupies the second floor of the house where Ferruccio Busoni was born, and where the Centre has its offices. It displays items relating to Busoni, among them:

• a piano (gifted by the family) on which Busoni practised when he came to Empoli;

• a marble bust of the musician (by the sculptor Antonini);

• the manuscript of Die Brautwahl (The Bride’s Choice, the first of Busoni’s four operas: the first two Acts in the original scoring for voice and piano, dating to 1907), acquired for the Centre by the Municipality of Empoli at the end of summer 1997, through an antiquarian in Basle;

• a copy on microfilm of the complete score of Die Brautwahl, from the Busoni Collection of the Staatsbibliothek of Berlin;

• an original libretto – in an edition with a limited run – of Die Brautwahl, illustrated with scenery and costume sketches by Karl Walser (first stage and costume designer for the opera);

• other autographs by Busoni, among them about thirty letters and the Finnländische Volkweisen, (Finnish Folk Tunes) op. 27 for piano, four hands;

• about 50 original photos of Busoni and his family;

• various programmes of Busoni concerts;

• the autograph manuscript of Luigi Dallapiccola’s opening speech at the Busoni celebrations of 1954;