The master's thesis deal with the personality of Ferrucio Busoni. The first part is about his life, the second part is focused on his piano pieces and the third part centers in the analysis of the three main pieces - Ciaccona, Piano concerto and Klavierübung.

Although well-respected as a pianist, teacher, and theorist, Ferruccio Busoni is overlooked as a composer. His works are viewed as being old-fashioned and conservative, especially in light of his avant-garde ideas. However, his ideas and music, especially his operas, reflect early twentieth-century Modernist aesthetics. This thesis examines Busoni's objective approach, eclecticism, and anti-realist stance in his opera Turandot. Busoni's libretto and his use of the commedia dell'arte and exoticism encourage critical, active participation from the audience. The conscious theatricality in Turandot is remarkably similar to Bertolt Brecht's very Modernist idea of the Verfremdungseffekt. The parallels between Busoni and Brecht demonstrate that Busoni's Turandot mirrors contemporary interests, and even anticipates future developments.

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The purpose of this study is to analyze sets of variations on Paganini's theme by three twentieth-century composers: Ferruccio Busoni, Ignaz Friedman, and Robert Muczynski, in order to examine, identify, and trace different variation techniques and their applications. Chapter 1 presents the purpose and scope of this study. Chapter 2 provides background information on the musical form "theme and variations" and the theme of Paganini's Twenty-fourth Caprice, Op. 1. Chapter 2 also deals with the question of which elements have made this theme so popular. Chapters 3,4, and 5 examine each of the three sets of variations in detail using the following format: theme, structure of each variation, harmony and key, rhythm and meter, tempo and dynamics, motivic development, grouping of variations, and technical problems. Chapter 6 summarizes the findings from this study and attempts to compare those elements among the three variations. Special attention is given to the application of the motivic cells, which are drawn from the original Paganini theme, in the development of succeeding variations. This study shows how these motivic cells contribute to the construction of new motives and melodies in each variation. Additionally, this study attempts to examine each composer's efforts in expanding variation procedure to the areas of structures and tempo markings in succeeding variations.