Märchen

Busoni's juvenilia are proving to be a real treasure trove, even when they are not necessarily first editions. While the Märchen (Fairy Tale), written in 1879, bears the indication "for violoncello and piano" in the manuscript, it was an arranged clarinet part that was written out separately. It is not known which fairy tale Busoni had in mind when he wrote the work. The agitated middle section of the piece does, however, resemble the "Cavern of Steenfoll", the third piece of the "Racconti fantastici" Op. 12 for piano, which was inspired by a fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff.