Bach's Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, left unfinished at his death, is a curious work: it was written out in open score, with no indication of instrumentation, almost as if it were an abstract set of exercises in writing fugues. Yet it is anything but pedagogical; there wasn't another human being alive who could have followed Bach into the arcane realms of counterpoint where he goes here. Various commentators have argued, probably correctly, that Bach had keyboard performance in mind, but there is no question of historical ...
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Bach's Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, left unfinished at his death, is a curious work: it was written out in open score, with no indication of instrumentation, almost as if it were an abstract set of exercises in writing fugues. Yet it is anything but pedagogical; there wasn't another human being alive who could have followed Bach into the arcane realms of counterpoint where he goes here. Various commentators have argued, probably correctly, that Bach had keyboard performance in mind, but there is no question of historical correctness, and the work has been played on everything from saxophones to synthesizers. Even so, this performance by Canada's Les Voix Humaines viol consort may be unique; other performances look forward into more contemporary worlds of instrumental sound, but this one looks backward. The players do not modify their basic sound too much from what they would apply to English viol music of the 17th century, which creates a sound that is hard to judge beyond saying that you're likely to love...
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Add this copy of Art of Fugue to cart. $24.89, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by ATMA Classique.
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