Autograph letter signed from Ferruccio Busoni to Adolph Brodsky

Scope and Content

Busoni has received a letter from Brodsky and passed on the contents to his protege. Busoni has been working on Egon [Petri] and thinks that he ought to be destined to a better fate than that of a piano teacher in Manchester. At the age of 30 he ought to be making a decision and in this Busoni is giving him encouragement. In the course of the letter, Busoni reveals that Brodsky is considering settling in Berlin. Busoni expresses doubts about such a large project. On the previous day Busoni walked through the Jewish quarter: the Russian Jews are at least out of danger of persecution now, but what improvement is there for the Italians. They have no soul. In conclusion, Busoni thanks Brodsky for his good wishes for his opera: Busoni hopes that he has not been mistaken in his labour. Dated 20 Feb 1911.