Gerhard Meyer-Sichting Collection

Gerhard Meyer-Sichting met the musician Ferruccio Busoni in Berlin and later befriended his son, Rafaello Busoni.

The violinist and writer Gerhard Meyer-Sichting was born in December 1902 in Bremen, Germany. He studied music and philosophy in Cologne and performed with orchestras and concert productions, such as the Berliner Staatsoper, and an ensemble with his wife, the singer and pianist Elisabeth Meyer-Sichting. He also worked as a writer and journalist and published the books “Vier Versuche über Hellas”, “Hofmannsthals Turm”, “Grillpaerzers dramatisches Spaetwerk”, and others. His writing was mainly concerned with critiques or discussions of artistic works and literature. Furthermore, Meyer-Sichting worked as a music teacher, e.g., in Breslau, Lübeck, and as director of the academy of sound art in Darmstadt. - Gerhard Meyer-Sichting died in 1980 in Germany.

Rafaello (called Lello) Busoni was born on February 1st, 1900, in Berlin, Germany as the son of the Italian musician and composer Ferruccio Busoni and Gerda Sjöstrand, the daughter of a Swedish sculptor. Rafaello Busoni was a graphic artist, illustrator, painter and illustrator of theater and opera literature, and author of several books.

After his art training in Switzerland, Rafaello (Lello) Busoni worked in Paris and Berlin, where he earned his reputation as an illustrator. He got married to Japanese Hide Busoni, and their daughter Kiki was born in 1927. Hide died in 1930 of tuberculosis after treatment in Switzerland was unsuccessful. In the same year, Rafaello (Lello) Busoni married Hannah Busoni, daughter of the renowned lawyer Dr. Alfred Apfel. Hannah had been a piano student of Hide.

In January of 1935, the newlywed couple, accompanied by Kiki Busoni, took the steam ship Arlanza to Madeira and lived there until the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936; they then went back to Berlin. In November of 1938, Hannah and Rafaello's son Mario was born. Knowing they could not stay in Germany, Rafaello decided to move the family to Sweden, his mother's home country. However, after only six months, the Busonis were forced to leave again, given the choice to return to Germany or go to Italy. Choosing neither, the Busonis boarded a ship in October of 1939 in Norway that brought them to New York. On October 15, 1939, the Busonis arrived at Ellis Island.

The three Busonis proceeded to live with Eva Feilchenfeld, a close friend of Hannah's, in Mount Vernon, New York, for a few months before moving to New York City. There they settled into an apartment in Midtown. Hannah started a framing business, while Rafaello continued painting and earning a living as an illustrator. On March 17th, 1962, Rafaello passed away.