Born: April 1, 1886, Empoli, Italy

Died: July 27, 1924, Berlin, Germany

"There is nothing properly modern - only things which have come into being earlier or later; longer in bloom or sooner withered. The modern and the old have always been."

A prodigy pianist of the highest order, FERRUCCIO BUSONI had a peripatetic touring and teaching career before settling in Berlin in 1894. Composers he taught or helped in various ways include Sibelius, Schoenberg, Bartók, Varèse, and Weill. His popular success as a performer - particularly noted for Bach, Mozart, and Liszt - worked in some measure against him as a composer; his Bach transcriptions were more admired than his original compositions by many of his contemporaries. Yet his interests were broad, ranging from American Indian music and Gregorian chant to microtonal scales, and he composed powerful pieces in virtually all genres, including opera, concertos, sonatas, and songs.