German to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Music / Music history
German term or phrase:Ein einzelner Mensch kann hier etwas Vollständiges beherrschen
The same article about piano virtuosity in the 19th century, now referring to Ferruccio Busoni. Context:
"Was das Verhältnis zum Klavier angeht, ist Ferruccio Busoni ein unmittelbarer Nachfahre Liszts. Er schreibt 1910 in seinem kleinen Aufsatz „Man achte das Pianoforte“: „Ein einzelner Mensch kann hier etwas Vollständiges beherrschen; die Möglichkeit vom Leisesten und Lautesten in einem einzigen Register übertrifft alle Instrumente." I'm having problems finding an elegant way of expressing "etwas Vollständiges" (meaning the piano with all its expressive potential). TIA for all ideas!
Thank you for all your input, Bernhard! I've chosen your second idea and translated it thus: "With this instrument a single human being can master something that is in itself complete and perfect." Thanks to everyone for their help! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
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Stephen Sadie Germany Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 14
9 hrs confidence:
it lets you be in tune with the infinite
Explanation: To my non-native ears the German doesn't sound poetic.
Any direct translations are certainly going to sound clumsy in English.
I'm trying to pawn off "infinite" as a synonym for "complete" - it's a stretch via impossibility and everything.
The rest, I guess, is self-explanatory: "you" as a smooth equivalent for the clumsy "ein einzelner Mensch"; "tune" to weave the music theme into the phrase, etc...
Henry Schroeder United States Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 36
..here,one/an individual can achieve perfect mastery/control
Explanation: another suggestion:
here, an/one individual can master/control something (absolutely) perfectly
...can master/achieve something that is in itself perfect/complete/whole
the instrument is so complex, it enables the player to achieve something on a perfect/complete level
maybe also ...that is whole/perfect
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 20 hrs (2007-05-12 16:47:43 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
or, instead of here: with this/playing this musical instrument, an/one individual can achieve perfect mastery/control
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2007-05-12 18:44:26 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
or; ..one can achieve complete mastery/control (of it/something)
Bernhard Sulzer Austria Native speaker of: German PRO pts in category: 22
Note from asker to answerer
Thank you for all your input, Bernhard! I've chosen your second idea and translated it thus: "With this instrument a single human being can master something that is in itself complete and perfect." Thanks to everyone for their help!
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
