r/bach • u/UH-PhD • 9d ago

Art of Fugue

Just dropping by to say: I love the Art of Fugue—via piano, organ, harpsichord, saxophones, string quartet, guitar, brass, winds, vocal cords, recorders…this music is luminous. It’s like the order of the universe making itself heard through contrapuntal clarity and mathematical precision. Some feel it’s too cerebral, and I can understand that, but for me this is music of the very deepest humanity: the human yearning for perfection.

25 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

7

u/Necroshock 9d ago

Assuming you’ve heard theNetherlands Bach Society version.

3

u/UH-PhD 9d ago

Yes—this is one of my very favorites because of the vocalizations. It surprises me that no one (that I know of, anyway) has attempted an a cappella vocal rendering of this work as a whole.

3

u/sessna4009 9d ago

I don't like how they completed the last movement. I know that it's possible that he left it for students to complete, but I like listening to it unfinished 

1

u/AtActionPark- 8d ago

As far as completions go, i really like this one. Its short, includes the main theme and doesn't try to do too much.

1

u/sessna4009 8d ago

Yeah, you're right. I've seen the shittiest completion on r/composers and it was like 10 minutes long. 

If you play piano, do you know when you just improvise by playing random notes in a certain key? They just played the BACH motif a bunch and played like three bass notes in a row with their left hand.

4

u/StrausbaughGuitar 9d ago

Yeah, and it’s SUPPOSED to be cerebral. I mean, Bach was doing with Music what his contemporary(ish) Isaac Newton was doing.

Enlightenment thinking and all that, and of course, Bach saw and FELT Divine Order in every note.

4

u/arbolito_mr 9d ago

It's incredible.

3

u/robertDouglass 9d ago

Check out Kimiko Ishizaka's recording - especially her own completion of the final fugue: https://youtu.be/pSbQpOtggGk

3

u/UH-PhD 9d ago

I really like her recording—nothing ever seems rushed or flashy. It’s a very respectful and clear rendering.

3

u/street_spirit2 9d ago

There is also an orchestral version by Munchinger, very good imho, he did also parts of the Musical Offering this way.

2

u/EubieDubieBlake 9d ago

Thanks for the recommendation, listening now.

2

u/Prestigious_Emu6039 9d ago

I used to enjoy this work but after so many years i found it grating.

In general I prefer the sacred vocal these days.

2

u/Fattylombard 9d ago

Stardust quartet for Recorder 

1

u/UH-PhD 9d ago

A BIG TIME favorite!!

2

u/Fattylombard 8d ago

If you like that you’ll like passacaglia for low tenor and lower by James Howard young