Fantasia Contrappuntistica

work by Busoni

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June 26, 2026

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Ferruccio Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica is a significant piano work that draws heavily from the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is a complex exploration of fugal techniques, a compositional method characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme in multiple melodic lines. Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica is an example of a fantasia, a musical composition that is free in form and inspiration. It is particularly noted for its contrapuntal nature, meaning it is marked by counterpoint, or polyphony. Busoni, a renowned pianist and composer, created this work as a summation of his lifelong engagement with Bach's music.1234

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Ferruccio Busoni
…musical thought; and the great Fantasia Contrappuntistica on an unfinished fugue by Bach (two versions, 1910; one version, 1912; fourth version for two pianos, 1922), which sums up his lifelong experience of Bach’s music.
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…musical thought; and the great Fantasia Contrappuntistica on an unfinished fugue by Bach (two versions, 1910; one version, 1912; fourth version for two pianos, 1922), which sums up his lifelong experience of Bach’s music.
Read More