Bidspirit auction | [MUSIC AUTOGRAPHS] - FERRUCCIO BUSONI

[MUSIC AUTOGRAPHS] - FERRUCCIO BUSONI (1866–1924) - Autograph letter signed - FERRUCCIO BUSONI (1866–1924) - Autograph letter signed, written at the beginning of Busoni’s Swiss exile, concerning his health, return from America and settlement in Zurich. 8 November 1915. Autograph letter signed, in German, to an unidentified correspondent. Zurich, 8 November 1915. Two pages on a single oblong leaf, in dark ink, signed with Busoni’s characteristic monogrammatic signature. A revealing autobiographical letter written shortly after Busoni’s return from America and at the very beginning of his wartime residence in neutral Switzerland. Busoni describes having suffered from severe seasickness during the crossing and continuing to feel unwell after reaching land. He reports, however, that following his return from America he had enjoyed four weeks of good health and now felt ready to embark on new work: “Nun geht es mir gottlob! recht gut u. ich fühle mich fähig Neues anzufangen.” (“Now, thank God, I am quite well and feel capable of beginning something new.”) On the verso, Busoni turns to his new circumstances in Zurich. He has received no news from Sobernheim, refers confidentially to a “Herr Andreas”, and describes the difficulties of finding accommodation. Particularly significant is his remark: “wir richten erst seit 3 Tagen eine Wohnung ein.” (“We have only been setting up our apartment for the last three days.”) He then gives his new address as Scheuchzerstrasse 36, the residence closely associated with his years of Swiss exile. Busoni settled in Zurich in the autumn of 1915 after returning from the United States. Remaining in neutral Switzerland during the war, he entered a period of intense intellectual and creative activity that would prove significant for his later career. The present letter captures the very beginning of this period, before his new residence had even been fully established. The letter thus documents a moment of transition in Busoni’s life: his return from America, recovery from illness, and establishment in Zurich against the background of the First World War. Written only three days after he had begun setting up his new home, it provides an unusually immediate record of the practical circumstances surrounding the beginning of an important period in his career.