Bach-Busoni Chaconne: A Piano Transcription Analysis

In 1893 Ferruccio Busoni transcribed, for the piano, the famous Bach Chaconne for violin solo from the Partita No.2 in D minor. Numerous transcriptions of this piece for different various instruments exist; however Busoni's transcription stands above all others. The purpose of this study was to analyze what the famous, twentieth-century pianist did when he transcribed Bach's Chaconne. What information exists on the topic comes primarily from pianists who dared to learn this exceptionally difficult, beautiful composition. Busoni's accomplishments lie in the new concept, a conceptual transcription, which has two roots: understanding how, historically, we are connected to the music, and how once genres have a special meaning in the twentieth-century. Every generation of musicians brings their own specific point of view and interpretation. Busoni lived on the border of the two centuries and, in his transcription, reveled in several issues overlooked by the previous generation. With his keen understanding of the piece, Busoni highlighted many different genres present in the music, thus allowing recognition of the last movement of the Partita No. 2 in D minor as a Requiem for Bach's wife. By underscoring the genres, Busoni used them as strata. The idea of strata comes from the aesthetics of “play,” and from a different approach to the quality of sound on piano originally intended for a high string instrument. Busoni's arrangement of the texture added both orchestral quality and stereophonic perception. The strata add to a certain reading of Bach's original. Busoni promoted a dramatic approach opening the possibility of reading the chaconne as a multi-layered form. Through Busoni', we see the possibility not only of a tripartite, variation form, but also a composition, with the elements of a concerto, and a sonata. Who could imagine, that a composition written by a young composer at the fin de siecle, intended for practical use by pianists, would subtly influence so many contemporaries and generations, that they will find his findings and music inspiring. Adviser: Dr. Mark K. Clinton

A taxonomic review of the neotropical genus Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff, 1924 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae

The Neotropical genus Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff (1924), as classified here, comprises 38 species distributed among three subgenera (Megaphanaeus Olsoufieff, Metallophanaeus Olsoufieff, and Coprophanaeus s. str. ) and eight species groups. Keys presented help to identify supraspecific and species taxa, all of which are illustrated and diagnosed. Lectotypes are designated for Phanaeus ignecinctus Felsche and Phanaeus ohausi Felsche. Coprophanaeus corythus (Harold), formerly regarded as a subspecies of C. telamon (Erichson), assumes species status. Coprophanaeus magnoi Arnaud, described as a subspecies of C. milon (Blanchard), is raised to species status. New taxonomic interpretations result in 10 new subjective synonymies (junior synonym listed first): Phanaeus machadoi Pereira and d’Andretta = Coprophanaeus saphirinus (Perty); Phanaeus costatus Olsoufieff = Coprophanaeus cyanescens (Olsoufieff); Phanaeus worontzowi Pessôa and Lane = Coprophanaeus cyanescens (Olsoufieff); Coprophanaeus kohlmanni Arnaud = Coprophanaeus morenoi Arnaud; Coprophanaeus pluto nogueirai Arnaud = Coprophanaeus pluto (Harold); Coprophanaeus edmondsi Arnaud = Coprophanaeus conocephalus (Olsoufieff); Coprophanaeus uhleri Malý and Pokorný = Coprophanaeus chiriquensis (Olsoufieff); Coprophanaeus henryi Malý and Pokorný = Coprophanaeus gilli Arnaud; Phanaeus perseus Harold = Coprophanaeus corythus (Harold); Coprophanaeus telamon nevinsoni Arnaud and Gámez = Coprophanaeus corythus; and Coprophanaeus florenti Arnaud = Coprophanaeus ohausi (Felsche). The status of the following names remains unresolved: Phanaeus strandi Balthasar; Coprophanaeus rigoutorum Arnaud; C. terrali Arnaud; C. lichyi Arnaud; C. lecromi Arnaud; C. larseni Arnaud; and C. vazdemeloi Arnaud.