Produced by Brian Foley, Jana Srna and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) [ Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation; changes (corrections of spelling and punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file. ] Sketch of A New Esthetic of Music by FERRUCCIO BUSONI Translated from the German by Dr. TH. BAKER NEW YORK: G. SCHIRMER 1911 Copyright, 1907 By FERRUCCIO BUSONI Copyright, 1911 By G. SCHIRMER 22375 SKETCH OF A NEW ESTHETIC OF MUSIC "What seek you? Say! And what do you expect?"-- "I know not what; the Unknown I would have! What's known to me, is endless; I would go Beyond the end: The last word still is wanting." ["_Der mächtige Zauberer._"] LOOSELY joined together as regards literary form, the following notes are, in reality, the outcome of convictions long held and slowly matured. In them a problem of the first magnitude is formulated with apparent simplicity, without giving the key to its final solution; for the problem cannot be solved for generations--if at all. But it involves an innumerable series of lesser problems, which I present to the consideration of those whom they may concern. For it is a long time since any one has devoted himself to earnest musical research. It is true, that admirable works of genius arise in every period, and I have always taken my stand in the front rank of those who joyfully acclaimed the passing standard-bearers; and still it seems to me that of all these beautiful paths leading so far afield--none lead _upward_. _The spirit of an art-work, the measure of emotion, of humanity, that is in it--these remain unchanged in value through changing years; the form which these three assumed, the manner of their expression, and the flavor of the epoch which gave them birth, are transient, and age rapidly._ Spirit and emotion retain their essence, in the art-work as in man himself; we admire technical achievements, yet they are outstripped, or cloy the taste and are discarded.