"  1910 / On tour in the USA Busoni met Arnold Dolmetsch in Boston who
demonstrated  a harpsichord to him. Delighted by the instrument, he at
once  decided to use it in the opera [ Die Brautwahl ] for Albertine's
song in Act II part 2. "

[ Antony Beaumont, Busoni the Composer, London 1985, p.124 ]

Note  that  Beaumont reprints the photo as well [ no.16 ] and dates it
as follows: " Busoni playing his Dolmetsch harpsichord, c.1912 " - and
that  the  photo  is  clearly  taken  in  Busoni's  house  in  Berlin,
Viktoria-Luise-Platz, the library/music room. -

From  a  letter to his wife, dated Boston 12 april 1910, we learn that
Busoni  has  (then) visited Dolmetsch in Cambridge ( " he ... lives in
the  past,  and  within that only in instrument making. He is building
[  literal  quote/spelling: ] Claviere, Clavecins und Clavichorde. Das
Clavecin (das englische "Harpsychord") ist prachtvoll ... " ) and that
he has ordered one instrument to Berlin.

[ Ferruccio Busoni, Briefe an seine Frau, Zürich/Leipzig 1935 ]


--

scripsit
Marc
[ Dienstag, 16. Januar 2001 ]

" The world exists for the education of each man. " ( Emerson, History )