1. Home
  2. Editions
  3. Briefwechsel Ferruccio Busoni – Natalie Curtis
  4. Friday, September 19, 1913

Natalie Curtis to Ferruccio Busoni arrow_backarrow_forward

September 19, 1913

Facsimile
Diplomatic transcription
Reading version
XML
[1]
address: Foster
San Diego Co.
900 Juniper Street
 California.
Sept 19th 1913

My dear friend and Master;

you have given
me much happiness in the
news of your new composi-
tion and in your thought of
me. I accept your dedication
with much appreciation and
am eagerly looking forward
to knowing the work, which
I feel sure will mean
an enlarging of our artistic
horizon.

Have you found
time amid the fulness

Sept 19th 1913

My dear friend and Master;

you have given me much happiness in the news of your new composition and in your thought of me. I accept your dedication with much appreciation and am eagerly looking forward to knowing the work, which I feel sure will mean an enlarging of our artistic horizon.

Have you found time amid the fulness of your art-life, to experiment further with the smaller intervals (the proposed division of our arbitrary tonal system) and the new harmonic combinations that might result therefrom? Your wonderful little book so clearly pointed the way forward a new growth in music along those lines, that I hope you may live long enough, dear Master, to make practical some of those ideas. Such a task needs the clear logical mind of the scientist as well as the prophetic vision of the artist, and no doubt something of the philosopher – a modern Pythagoras – and it seems to me that you have just this unusual combination of gifts.

I am quite out of the world in our new West and so not know what has been going on in Europe excepting as my friends keep me advised. Were you satisfied with your opera? – I shared like so much to know! – Before I left New York I went to hear you play again chez Welte-Mignon and was impressed anew with the wonder that you earned have achieved such complete supremacy as a performer and yet have done so much else besides. And you are not much a very old man, either! – Yours is indeed a full, rich and useful life – may it be a long one.

When may I hope to know some of the new work? Will it all be written so that our pianistic olympians can perform it, or will there be a few simple laws that poor humble mortals like me, can play? – I am full of anticipation and expentancy.

Please give my bow to your wife, and believe me as always your grateful and affectionate pupil,

 
                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split">
            
            <note type="foliation" resp="#archive" place="top-right">[1]</note>
            <opener>
               <address>
                  <addrLine rend="align(center)">address: <placeName key="E0501029">Foster</placeName></addrLine>
                  <addrLine rend="align(right)"><placeName key="E0501030">San Diego Co.</placeName></addrLine>
                  <addrLine rend="align(right)"><del rend="strikethrough"><fw place="inline left" rend="small"><placeName>900 Juniper Street</placeName></fw></del> <placeName key="E0500343">California</placeName>.</addrLine>
               </address>
               <dateline rend="align(right) underline space-below"><date when-iso="1913-09-19">Sept 19th 1913</date></dateline>
               <salute>My dear <rs key="E0300017">friend and Master</rs>;</salute>
            </opener>
            <p rend="indent-3-first">you have given
               <lb/>me much happiness in the
               <lb/>news of your <rs key="E0400120">new composi
                  <lb break="no"/>tion</rs> and in your thought of
               <lb/>me. I accept your dedication
               <lb/>with much appreciation and
               <lb/>am eagerly looking forward
               <lb/>to knowing the work, which
               <lb/>I feel sure will mean
               <lb/>an enlarging of our artistic
               <lb/>horizon.</p>
            <p type="pre-split" rend="indent-2-first">Have you found
               <lb/>time amid the fulness
               </p></div>
2Facsimile
2Diplomatic transcription
2XML

2 of your art-life, to ex-
periment further with the
smaller intervals (the
proposed division of our
arbitrary tonal system)
& the new harmonic com-
binations that might result
therefrom? Your wonderful
little book so clearly pointed
the way forward a new
growth in music along
those lines, that I hope
you may live long enough,
dear Master, to make
practical some of those
ideas. Such a task needs
the clear logical mind
of the scientist as well 

                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split"><p rend="indent-2-first" type="split">
               <note type="foliation" resp="#archive" place="top-left">2</note>
               of your art-life, to ex
               <lb break="no"/>periment further with the
               <lb/>smaller intervals (the
               <lb/>proposed division of our
               <lb/>arbitrary tonal system)
               <lb/><choice><abbr>&amp;</abbr><expan>and</expan></choice> the new harmonic com
               <lb break="no"/>binations that might result
               <lb/>therefrom? Your wonderful
               <lb/>little book so clearly pointed
               <lb/>the way forward a new
               <lb/>growth in music along
               <lb/>those lines, that I hope
               <lb/>you may live long enough,
               <lb/>dear <rs key="E0300017">Master</rs>, to make
               <lb/>practical some of those
               <lb/>ideas. Such a task needs
               <lb/>the clear logical mind
               <lb/>of the scientist as well
               </p></div>
3Facsimile
3Diplomatic transcription
3XML


as the prophetic vision of the
artist, & no doubt something of
the philosopher, – a modern
Pythagoras, – and it seems to
me that you have just this unusual
combination of gifts.

I am quite out of
the world in our new West and
so not know what has been
going on in Europe excepting
as my friends keep me advised.
Were you satisfied with your
opera? – I shared like so
much to know! – Before I left 

                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split"><p rend="indent-2-first" type="split">
               <lb/>as the prophetic vision of the
               <lb/>artist, <choice><abbr>&amp;</abbr><expan>and</expan></choice> no doubt something of
               <lb/>the philosopher<orig>,</orig> – a modern
               <lb/>Pythagoras<orig>,</orig> – and it seems to
               <lb/>me that you have just this unusual
               <lb/>combination of gifts. </p>
            <p type="pre-split" rend="indent-3-first">I am quite out of
               <lb/>the world in our new West and
               <lb/>so not know what has been
               <lb/>going on in <placeName key="E0500943">Europe</placeName> excepting
               <lb/>as my friends keep me advised.
               <lb/>Were you satisfied with your
               <lb/>opera? – I shared like so
               <lb/>much to know! – Before I left
               </p></div>
4Facsimile
4Diplomatic transcription
4XML


New York I went to hear you play
again chez Welte-Mignon and was
impressed anew with the wonder that
you earned have achieved such complete
supremacy as a performer and yet
have done so much else besides. And
you are not much a very old man,
either! – Yours is indeed a full, rich
& useful life – may it be a long
one.

When may I hope to know some
of the new work? Will it all be
written so that our pianistic olympians
can perform it, or will there be
a few simple laws that poor humble 

                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split"><p rend="indent-3-first" type="split">
               <lb/><placeName key="E0500031">New York</placeName> I went to hear you play
               <lb/>again <hi rend="underline" xml:lang="fr">chez</hi> <orgName key="E0600242">Welte</orgName>-Mignon and was
               <lb/>impressed anew with the wonder that
               <lb/>you earned have achieved such complete
               <lb/>supremacy as a performer and yet
               <lb/>have done so much else besides. And
               <lb/>you are not much a very old man,
               <lb/>either! – Yours is indeed a full, rich
               <lb/><choice><abbr>&amp;</abbr><expan>and</expan></choice> useful life – may it be a long
               <lb/>one.</p>
            <p type="pre-split" rend="indent-first">When may I hope to know some
               <lb/>of <rs key="E0400120">the new work</rs>? Will it all be
               <lb/>written so that our pianistic olympians
               <lb/>can perform it, or will there be
               <lb/>a few simple laws that poor humble
               </p></div>
5Facsimile
5Diplomatic transcription
5XML

3 mortals like me, can
play? – I am full
of anticipation and
expentancy.

Please give my
bow to your wife, and
believe me as always
your grateful and
affectionate pupil,

 
                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split"><p rend="indent-first" type="split">
               <note type="foliation" resp="#archive" place="top-right">3</note>
               mortals like me, can
               <lb/>play? – I am full
               <lb/>of anticipation and
               <lb/>expentancy. </p>
            <p rend="indent-2-first">Please give my
               <lb/>bow to <rs key="E0300059">your wife</rs>, and
               <lb/>believe me as always
               <lb/>your grateful and
               <lb/>affectionate pupil,</p>
            <closer>
               <signed rend="align(center)"><persName key="E0300818">Natalie Curtis</persName>.</signed>
            </closer>
            </div>
6Facsimile
6Diplomatic transcription
6XML
 
                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split">
            </div>
7Facsimile
7Diplomatic transcription
7XML
 
                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split">
            </div>
8Facsimile
8Diplomatic transcription
8XML
 
                                                                
<div xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" type="split">
         </div>

Document

warningStatus: unfinished XML Facsimile Download / Cite

Provenance
Deutschland | Berlin | Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin · Preußischer Kulturbesitz | Musikabteilung mit Mendelssohn-Archiv | Nachlass Ferruccio Busoni | Mus.Nachl. F. Busoni B II, 1355 | olim: Mus.ep. N. Curtis 8 |

proof Kalliope

Condition
Der Brief ist gut erhalten.
Extent
2 Bogen, 5 beschriebene Seiten
Collation
Seitenfolge: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5 (2, 4 im Querformat)
Hands/Stamps
  • Hand des Absenders Natalie Curtis, Brieftext in schwarzer Tinte, in lateinischer Schreibschrift
  • Hand des Archivars, der mit Bleistift die Signaturen eingetragen, eine Foliierung vorgenommen und das Briefdatum ergänzt hat
  • Hand des Archivars, der die Zuordnung innerhalb des Busoni-Nachlasses mit Rotstift vorgenommen hat
  • Bibliotheksstempel (rote Tinte)
Image source
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin · Preußischer Kulturbesitz: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8

Summary
Curtis freut sich auf Busonis „Indianische Fantasie“, nimmt die Widmung an; erkundigt sich nach praktischen Umsetzungen von Busonis Sechsteltonsystem; hat Busonis Welte-Mignon-Einspielungen in New York gehört; rühmt Busonis Doppelbegabung als Komponist und Pianist; hofft auf leichtere Spielbarkeit des neuen Werks.

Editors in charge
Christian Schaper Ullrich Scheideler
prepared by
in collaboration with
Revision
May 2, 2023: unfinished (currently being prepared (transcription, coding))
Direct context
Preceding Following
Near in this edition