My favorite fugues
Some of my favorite things are fugues. I find them exhilarating. Bach, of course, was the ultimate master. He did not invent the fugue, but he perfected and mastered its art. He learned it from the masters and became the master from whom future masters would learn. Fugues run through the history of Western classical music like, well, a fugal subject.
What’s a fugue?
a contrapuntal, polyphonic compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches), which recurs frequently throughout the course of the composition. (Wikipedia)
A fugue typically comprises three sections: an exposition, where the subjects are introduced, a development, where they are expanded, inverted, stacked, and twisted around, and a recapitulation (a return to the subject in the tonic key).
It’s a type of contrapuntal composition, specifically a kind of imitative counterpoint (which involves the repetition of an idea across vocal parts). The technique of counterpoint combines multiple melodic lines (or voices), a species of polyphony, the mere parallel occurrence of multiple voices. Counterpoint is the systematic art of combining independent thematic lines in a successfully unified tapestry of sound, and the fugue is its most complex and rule-governed form. The systematized art of counterpoint emerged from medieval polyphony during the Renaissance (Palestrina, Byrd, Josquin des Prez, Frescobaldi) and culminated during the Baroque era with Buxtehude, Handel, and Bach.
We hear fugues differently than they did in the Baroque era.1 Music was essentially polyphonic before the Baroque era, and even largely so until the classical era (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven), when it became more homophonic and organized around the articulation of melody with harmony. Contrapuntal music focuses on how different voices interact both vertically (harmonically) and horizontally (melodically). But classical-era music uses harmony in novel ways to create polyphony. And as we’ll see, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and others were very capable of writing fugues—in no small part something they learned from Handel and Bach. The main difference between truly contrapuntal music and classical harmonic music is the true independence and equality of the melodic lines in the former but not in the latter, where harmonies, typically chords, are there to support or accompany the melodic line, even if they can also be used to create dissonance or tension. Lines can also be rhythmically independent in counterpoint (part of what makes composing fugues technically challenging). Still, while classical harmony somewhat simplifies contrapuntal technique, it also integrates it.
In fugues, we have multiple independent voices, one voice introducing a theme or “subject” which is then imitated by the other voices entering in turn while the original subject is being developed. There can be multiple subjects as well, but even with one subject, fugues can become quite complex depending on how many voices they feature, typically two to four, but sometimes up to six. Each voice enters staggered, so the melodic lines do not unfold in unison. It can be difficult to keep track of the development of the main subject and the entrance of the answering voices at the same time. The different voices are often in different albeit related keys (e.g., tonic vs. dominant). During development, the subject can also shift to new keys and be inverted, stacked, or combined with new material. It can get pretty sophisticated, or unwieldy, and it thus takes a great master to make it sound aline rather than academic.
To me, the best fugues will give the listener a sense of ineluctability, as if there were no other way for the music to go. I like fast fugues better, but slower ones can be equally powerful. Despite the strict rules and very intentional crafting governing composition, fugues are often paired with a fantasia or a prelude, which have an improvisational character. In suites, orchestral, and choral works, they are often used at climactic points. A fugue can sound as natural as the structure of the world, a musical architecture expressing the pure essence of reality in eternity. Schopenhauer wrote in The World as Will and Representation that music is a “universal language” and “a copy of the whole will as the world itself”.
As I noted, Classical composers never abandoned the fugue. It continued its development in more subtle forms with the Romantics and even into the 20th century. I cannot really explain what makes them so satisfying. Instead, let me offer you a playlist of my favorite fugues and some discoveries I made researching this piece. In my next post, I will share some more surprises. For each, I recommend excellent recordings, but there are many more. Streaming platforms make discovery easy.
Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite fugues.
A playlist
Johann Sebastian Bach
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, “The Great”, BWV 542
Instrument: Keyboard (organ)
Date: c. 1720
Structure: 4-voice fugue with double subject
Significance and character: one of Bach’s greatest organ fugues
Recommended Recording: Karl Richter (organ) (Deutsche Grammophon), Werner Jacob (organ) (Warner), Benjamin Alard (organ) (Harmonia Mundi), Francesco Piemontesi (piano) (Avanti), Stepan Simonian (Deutsche Grammophon)
Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
Keyboard (organ)
1708-1717
4-voice fugue
It is not uncommon to find the G minor and A minor together on recordings. This one also displays relentless energy and a thrilling finish.
Karl Richter (organ) (Deutsche Grammophon), Werner Jacob (organ) (Warner), Benjamin Alard (organ) (Harmonia Mundi), Lise de la Salle (naïve)
542 and 543 have excellent piano transcriptions by Franz Liszt
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
Keyboard (organ). I’ve heard remarkable transcriptions and arrangements for accordion, two pianos, and ensembles.
1706-1713
4-voice fugue following the passacaglia theme (continuous variations over a short, repeated bass line in triple meter)
To me, simply one of Bach’s most impressive organ works. The passacaglia builds up to a dramatic conclusion, but we’re only halfway through—then the fugue starts and, in good performances, all hell breaks loose.
Werner Jacob (organ) (Warner), Ton Koopman (organ) (Archiv). Just look for transcriptions for orchestra (Stokowski, Respighi), piano (Reger), and all sorts of string, brass, or multi-instrument ensembles. You can’t really go wrong with this one. Just make sure it’s not played too softly.
Toccata and Fugue in C minor, BWV 911
Harpsichord, piano
1707-1713
My favorite toccata, simply owing to the fugue, whose catchy, heady theme seems like the perfect excuse to have a lot of fun. Not the grandiose, mature Bach but a lot of wonderful youthful energy. It also shows Bach adapting organ techniques to the harpsichord.
Christophe Rousset (harpsichord) (Talens Lyriques), Glenn Gould (piano) (Sony), Martha Argerich (piano) (Deutsche Grammophon)
The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080
Unspecified instrumentation, usually keyboard, but as pure music, it lends itself to many different instrumentations.
1740s-1750 (unfinished at his death)
14 fugues and 4 canons. Increasingly complex variations on the same subject. A wide-ranging and unfortunately incomplete exploration of the space of contrapuntal possibilities. Contrapunctus 9 alla duo Decima is a favorite (and was the opening track to Kieran Setiya’s Five Questions podcast), but the entire cycle is a treasure trove.
Abstract and intellectual, at times dry, Bach’s final statement and summation of contrapuntal techniques
Christophe Rousset (harpsichord) (Aparté), Daniil Trifonov (piano) (Deutsche Grammophon), Glenn Gould (piano/organ), Emerson String Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon), Phantasm (viol ensemble) (Linn)
The Musical Offering, BWV 1079 - Ricercar a 6
Chamber music cycle, played with different instrumentations
1747
6-voice fugue on Frederick the Great’s “Royal Theme”
The whole offering is music like no other, transforming a dry little theme into music of sublime depth and complexity, one of Bach’s late summative achievements with The Art of the Fugue and the Mass in B minor.
Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan (BIS). Please do check out Anton Webern’s magnificent transcription for orchestra. Here’s Paavo Järvi with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Choral work
Conclusion of the Gloria: Cum sancto spiritu (five-part fugue)
Credo: Confiteor (five-part double fugue)
Kyrie I also includes extended fugal sections
1724-1749 (assembled over many years)
Magisterial choral fugues with orchestral accompaniment. Bach’s ultimate musical statement
Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan (BIS), Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion (Harmonia Mundi)
Well-Tempered Clavier Books I & II, BWV 846-893
Keyboard (if you ask me, works best on the piano, as if Bach had foreseen what it would have sounded like)
1722, c. 1740
48 preludes and fugues featuring all major and minor keys organized chromatically
Incredible variety in character. While Bach may have composed it as a book of exercises or experiments, it has become a bible for pianists and has been adapted into endless forms by composers across all genres from classical to jazz to pop, rock, and electronic.
I can’t choose a specific fugue that I like best, but here are some highlights: Book I, Fugues in C-sharp minor and in E-flat minor; Book II, Fugue in B minor.
It still has sentimental value to me, and while not all interpretations speak to me the way they used to, I still cherish it: Glenn Gould (Sony). Sviatoslav Richter (alto) is also great.
Bonus
Like much of Bach’s work that was composed for organ or harpsichord, these pieces are suitable with all sorts of keyboards and ensemble arrangements.
“Little” Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578, one of Bach’s best-known fugues. Lots of fun, and only “little” in contrast with “the great.”
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
Prelude and fugue in A minor, BWV 895
Prelude and Fughetta in E minor, BWV 900
Prelude and Fughetta in G major, BWV 902
The opening sinfonia of the keyboard Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826, ends with a remarkable fugal section
Sonata for Violin solo, No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, II: Fuga
Oh, I don’t know if you’ve heard this one…
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
the later, very famous one
original for the organ, Busoni transcription for piano, or accordion
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 70 in D major, Hob. 1/70, IV: Finale
1779
triple two-part fugue in D minor ending in D major
Two oratorios, one sacred, the other secular, both wonderful
The Creation, Hob. XXI.2, Part 1, No. 10: Fugue, “Denn et hat Himmel” (1797-8)
The Seasons, Hob. XXI.3, Spring, No. 6, “Uns spriessest Überfluss” (1801)
String quartets, Op. 20
1772
Three of the six quartets end with a fugue:
String quartet in C major, Op. 20, No. 4, IV: Fuga a quatro Sogetti
String quartet in F minor, Op. 20, No. 5, IV: Fuga a due Sogetti
String quartet in A major, Op. 20, No. 6, IV: Fuga a tre Sogetti
Haydn formalized the classical string quartet and was a major influence on Mozart and later Beethoven. Here, he used fugal finales to depart from the more traditional galant style and lean into the Sturm und Drang
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Like many things, Mozart learned to write fugues fairly young, as an academic rite of passage. He was able to improvise fugues as well. The imposed framework didn’t always lead to the most inspired results. Technical prowess was not necessarily what drove him. This didn’t prevent him from composing some stunning fugues, including what is to me one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. And we sometimes forget that Mozart learned directly from one of Bach’s sons, Johann Christian, and indirectly from Handel and Bach himself. He carefully studied their scores, was fascinated by contrapuntal technique (which, I think, transpires not just in his choral work but in his piano concertos), and he transcribed some preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier for string trio and quartet.
Fantasia and Fugue No. 1 in C major, K. 394
Solo piano
1782
Mozart wrote this relatively unknown piece on his wife Constanze’s request, who implored him to write a fugue in the baroque style. Mozart was grappling with the imposing figures of polyphony, Bach and Handel, and wanted to try his hand at this (he came to terms with their legacy in many other ways, including his sacred works such as the Great Mass in C minor, K. 427 or the criminally underrated, if ‘old-style’, Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339).
The prelude is somewhat unconventional, and the fugue occasionally mechanical, but it’s dazzling and at times intensely dramatic.
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
String quartet/orchestra
1788
Mozart entered it into his own catalogue as “A short Adagio for two violins, viola and bass, for a fugue which I wrote some time ago for two Pianos” (Ferguson/Wikipedia). The fugue is based on the two-piano version, also in C minor, K. 426, written in 1783.
Mozart wrote relatively rarely in minor keys. His writing in both C minor and G minor is dark, dramatic, and sometimes tragic; it often features chromaticism and foreshadows Romanticism. Mozart may not have been introspective and lyrical like the Romantics perceived him; he often wrote the most joyous music in difficult times or to express sorrow and the most tragic music in easy times. This piece is no exception. It sounds tragic, but that may well be it: sound.
Yo-Yo Ma, Kim Kashkashian, Daniel Phillips, & Gidon Kremer (CBS/Sony), Itzhak Perlman with Berlin Philharmonic (Warner), András Schiff and Peter Serkin (ECM) for the two-piano version of the fugue K. 426, or Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot on the harpsichord (Challenge Classics)
Requiem in D minor, K. 621 - “Kyrie Eleison”
Sacred choral work (second movement)
1791 (Mozart’s final year)
Double fugue with two contrasting subjects - “Kyrie eleison” and “Christe eleison”. A poignant if terrifying plea for mercy, tension building throughout.
Bracketing the complicated history of Franz Xaver Süssmayr’s completion of the manuscript, this is Mozart at his peak, incorporating what he learned from the greats in his own voice(s), displaying the essential features of a fugue: independence and unity.
John Eliot Gardiner with Monteverdi Choir (Archiv), Herbert von Karajan with Berlin Philharmonic (DG)
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”)
Final movement
1788
This is the pinnacle of classical symphonic writing. As such, Mozart was not writing fugues as movements. Rather, what we have here is a classical sonata form movement with fugal development, based on the simple “Jupiter” motif (C-D-F-E). In the development section, Mozart takes multiple themes, twists them around, and stacks them upon each other for the rest of the movement with dazzling virtuosity. We reach peak insanity in the coda, where Mozart combines all five themes simultaneously (a massive “stretto”) in a climactic finale.2
Olympian, triumphant, euphoric, the pinnacle of Classical composition, the ultimate synthesis of contrapuntal technique and galant style, Mozart shows the world and eternity, “look what I can do, look what we, over centuries refining this art, have achieved”. This remains one of my very favorite pieces of music ever written. I want to listen to it just before I die.
Leonard Bernstein with Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon), Sir Charles Mackerras with Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Linn)
Ludwig van Beethoven
If Bach’s fugues are like cathedrals building themselves, Beethoven’s are like intricate fireworks. The irony is that one of the most famous discussions of Beethoven’s fugues concerned his inferior skills in Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus.
Mann worked closely with Adorno while writing his novel. The ideas expressed by musicologist Wendell Kretzschmar and his pupil, the budding composer Adrian Leverkühn (who, like Schoenberg, invents, in the novel, a twelve-tone system) reflect Adorno’s own. In fascinating, if at times infuriating, passages, the men lament the homophony of Classical era composition, nostalgic about Renaissance polyphony. Beethoven does not evade their criticisms. His forceful treatment of the form, obsessive rhythmic writing, and his capitulation to harmony, to them, betray a profound misunderstanding of the polyphonic ideal that ruled from the Renaissance to Bach.
Like much of Adorno’s writing about music (he railed against Sibelius and hated jazz, for instance), I’m not sure the Kretzschmar-Leverkühn take has aged well. If anything, it is a sign of its time and echoes Schoenberg’s impatience with tonal music and attempt to reclaim Bach’s polyphony—all of them integrated elements from Bach or transcribed some of his works. But the take misunderstands what Beethoven was doing. The Hammerklavier fugue, the Grosse Fuge, and the Missa Solemnis break from the norms and traditions of his time. They are no longer purely classical, nor are they emulations of Bach-style counterpoint. They are Beethoven at his peak, reinventing what a fugue can be. Even before then, the Eroica finale, far from a botched attempt, shows Beethoven’s mastery of the technique. Granted, Beethoven’s fugues are not pure expressions of the structure of the world like Bach’s counterpoint; they carry dramatic meaning and a narrative sense of development alien even to Mozart or Haydn. But the space of possibilities is large, and larger still since Beethoven’s expansion. It is in this spirit of innovation that we should approach Beethoven’s fugues.
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 (“Eroica”)
Final movement
1803-1804
Fugal development section
Heroic and transformative, a revolution in music
Claudio Abbado and Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon), Leonard Bernstein and New York Philharmonic (Sony)
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”)
Final movement
1817-1818
Massive 3-voice fugue, one of Beethoven’s foremost achievements on the keyboard, unforgiving and visibly demanding for all performers. If you thought fugues were an antiquated, academic form, you haven’t listened to Beethoven. Beethoven wields technique like no other to dramatic effect like no other, pushing forms to their breaking point like no other. This might simply be one of the greatest fugues ever written, including Bach.
Maurizio Pollini (Deutsche Grammophon), Marc-André Hamelin (Hypérion)
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
Final movement
1821-1822
Arioso dolente alternating with fugue, culminating in inverted fugue subject
Profound, transcendent, running the gamut of human emotions
Extremely modern, Beethoven’s waving goodbye to classical forms. To me, it sounds like Beethoven is giving us incomprehensible but sublime material, telling us, “deal with it”, as he did with his late quartets
Maurizio Pollini (Deutsche Grammophon)
Piano Variations and Fugue in E-flat major, Op. 35 (“Eroica variations”)
1802, composed one year before the Symphony No. 3 Eroica, the finale of which features other variations on the opening bass line section
The last movement, the fugue, is a splendid conclusion and foreshadows Beethoven’s late style, exemplified in the sonatas Nos. 29 and 31.
Demonstrates his early mastery of combining variation technique with contrapuntal development, paving the way for the Eroica Symphony’s finale
Rudolf Serkin (Sony), Alfred Brendel (Philips)
Piano Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120
1819-1823
The penultimate variation, No. 32, is another stormy and massive fugue, the climax of the piece, which transitions into a quiet and tender concluding minuet, reminiscent in its quiet character of the variations in the last movement of his last piano sonata, Op. 111 as well as of Bach’s aria concluding the Goldberg Variations. Variation 32 is not the only fugue; variation 24 is a (relatively gentle) fughetta. But variation 32 is a monumental triple fugue driven by a palpable dramatic urge. Beethoven, again, shows off his total mastery of fugal writing.
Alfred Brendel (Philips) or Maurizio Pollini (DG)
Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123
Several fugal sections, but especially the closing fugue of the Credo on “Et vitam venturi saeculi”, which, according to Wikipedia, “includes one of the most difficult passages in the choral repertoire, when the subject returns at doubled tempo for a stirring conclusion.”
1819-1823
The Missa Solemnis is one of Beethoven’s crowning achievements in his late period. Beethoven’s choral works are uneven, but Beethoven kept some of his most complex writing (and perhaps his more spiritual late years) for this one.
Leonard Bernstein with New York Philharmonic and Westminster Choir (Sony), Otto Klemperer with New York Philharmonia and Chorus (Warner)
Note that the Missa Solemnis, the A-flat major sonata, and the Diabelli variations were composed around the same time.
Grosse Fuge in B-flat major, Op. 133
String quartet (originally the finale of Op. 130, later published separately)
1825-1826
Massive, incredibly complex double fugue. Characteristic of Beethoven’s late style in its forward-looking originality, complexity, and sublime intensity, uncharacteristically lacking in tenderness and Apollinian beauty despite some lyrical moments. This is not really one of my favorite fugues, but it is nonetheless monumental and significant.
One of Beethoven’s most radical and prophetic works, initially thought to be an unplayable monstrosity. Allegedly very challenging to play, and yet a modernist masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire.3
Alban Berg Quartet (EMI), Danish String Quartet (ECM)
Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102, No. 2, III: Allegro - Allegro fugato
For cello and piano
1815
Concluding fugue, characteristic of the daring exploratory style of Beethoven’s “late” period
Yo-Yo Ma [c] and Emmanuel Ax [p] (Sony), Mischa Maisky [c] and Martha Argerich [p] (DG)
Other nice fugues for string quartet
No. 9, Op. 59, No. 3, in C major, Finale
No. 14, Op. 131, in C-sharp minor, opens with a contemplative fugue
Felix Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn is one of my favorite composers and, in my opinion, still underrated. He was instrumental in the Bach revival among Romantics. Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion had basically been forgotten until Mendelssohn rediscovered it. Bach’s influence is palpable throughout his work, some of which can be seen as derivative études or exercises infused with Romanticism. But some of it is genuine, original contrapuntal writing.
Six Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35
Piano cycle
1836-1837
I especially like Fugues No. 1 in E minor and No. 3 in B minor
Michael Brown, piano (First Hand Records)
Organ Sonata No. 6 in D minor, Op. 65, II. Fugue
1845
A masterful late Romantic organ fugue, combining the structural clarity of Baroque counterpoint with Romantic harmonic depth and lyricism.
Peter Hurford (Decca)
Also see Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op. 37, No. 1
String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 - IV. Presto
1825 (Mendelssohn was only 16!)
Not a proper fugue but a fugal finale where the motif is bounced off the eight instruments
The octet is one of the most joyful pieces of classical music, a true masterpiece by a teenage prodigy (Mendelssohn wrote better music at 16 than Mozart did at the same age)
Emerson String Quartet enhanced with members of various quartets (Deutsche Grammophon)
Four Pieces for String, Op. 81, No. 4: Fugue in E-flat major
String quartet
1827, published posthumously as “Op. 81”
Charming, sorrowful, and tender. Mozartian
Johannes Brahms
Brahms is one of my favorite composers. He was the best at innovating within traditional forms.
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24
Piano
1861
Increasingly innovative variations on a charming but simple tune. Sweeping architecture, pure music rivaling Beethoven’s greatest variations for virtuosic piano writing.
Murray Perahia (Sony), Emmanuel Ax (Sony)
Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift (A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures), Op. 45
Choral work
1865-1868
Multiple fugues throughout (e.g., climax of the second, third, and sixth movements)
Classical in structure. Pastoral and peaceful. Intricate contrapuntal texture.
What are these fugues expressions of?
“temporal expressions of eternity but also of the completion of creation and experience” (John Hencken, LA Philharmonic)
“a symbol of eternal life with the transformation of the text, the key, and the texture” (Ryo Hasegawa)
Otto Klemperer with Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra (Warner), John Eliot Gardiner with Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre révolutionnaire et romantique (Philips)
Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. 38
Fugal finale
1865
Very Brahmsian: intimate, autumnal yet full of driving force. Excellent example of Romantic era fugal development, combining technical form with emotional expression.
Yo-Yo Ma [c] and Emanuel Ax [p] (Sony), Alisa Weilerstein [c] and Inon Barnatan [p] (Pentatone)
Misc
Dieterich Buxtehude, Praeludium und Fuge, E minor, BuxWV 142
Organ
North German Baroque, one of the early masters of the genre, a major inspiration for Bach. Often improvisatory, shifting from fantasy to strict counterpoint
Domenico Scarlatti, Sonata in D minor, K. 417
Harpsichord
Scarlatti wrote 555 solo keyboard sonatas, most of them no longer than a few minutes but nonetheless delightful. This is one of his few actual fugues.
George Frideric Handel, Keyboard Suite in E minor, HWV 429, I: Fuga
Harpsichord, piano
1738
Opening movement of the suite. I am not well-versed in Handel’s work, but his keyboard suites are very nice and are enjoying an apparent revival with many fine recent recordings. They work very well on the piano, but of course, terrific on the harpsichord.
Pierre Hantaï (harpsichord) (Mirare), Francesco Corti (harpsichord) (Arcana), Daria van den Bercken (piano, does not include the E minor suite) (Sony)
Clara Schumann, Three Preludes and Fugues for piano, Op. 16
1847
Skillful study in counterpoint infused with a Romantic sensibility
Clara composed in the shadows of her husband, Robert, and her friend (and Platonic lover) Brahms, but was one of the most accomplished and acclaimed pianists of her time, one of the first to perform without scores.
Suzanne Grützmann (Profil)
Franz Liszt, Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178, III: Allegro energico
1853
Liszt’s massive single movement sonata (his only one), terrifying, enigmatic. Liszt, as in much of his transcriptions and original piano works, pays homage to the great masters
Martha Argerich (DG), Emil Gilels (RC3), Igor Levit (Sony), Yuja Wang (DG)
Gustav Mahler, Symphonies No. 5 in C-sharp minor and No. 8 in E-flat major
Fugues were considered old-fashioned at the time. Still, some doubted that Mahler had the chops to write one. He clearly proved them wrong. Mahler’s music is exquisitely and dauntingly complex, imposing, and deeply spiritual; it can be overwhelming, and it took me years to warm up to it. Allow me not to comment much on it and simply refer you to two instances. Both are impressive examples of modern symphonic writing incorporating fugues in large-scale forms.
Multiple fugal sections in the rondo finale of Symphony No. 5 (1902)
Large double fugue in Part 1 of Symphony No. 8 (1906)
At the premiere of the Eighth Symphony, listeners were overwhelmed by the climax of part I. The heroic key of E-flat major and march-like rhythm with the choruses singing together fire one’s senses. Then, as love pours into one’s heart, the choruses break into a spectacle of intricate exchanges (a double fugue):
Accende lumen sensibus [Our senses with thy light inflame]
Infunde amorem cordibus [our hearts to heavenly love reclaim]
(trans. Robert Bridges) (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Lots of great recordings by Leonard Berstein, Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, Simon Rattle, and many others
Federico Busoni, Fantasia contrappuntistica, BV 256
1910
Several versions exist for solo piano and one for two pianos, as well as arrangements for organ or orchestra
The piece is a homage to Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge. Busoni transcribed a lot of other composers’ work, but especially Bach. His piano works are infamously difficult.
Igor Levit (Sony). For other Busoni works, I recommend Marc-André Hamelin
Amy Beach, Prelude and Fugue for piano, Op. 81
1917
An American composer and pianist I only recently discovered
Late Romantic style, here reminiscent of Liszt but standing on its own. I like her chamber music a lot
Martina Frezzotti (Brilliant Classics)
Edward Elgar, Fantasie and Fugue in C minor, Op. 86 (after Bach, BWV 537)
Orchestral arrangement (from organ)
1922
You may know Elgar from the Enigma Variations, his Cello concerto (especially if you’ve seen the movie Tar), or his Pomp and Circumstances Marches (if you’ve ever attended a graduation). His work is still relatively underrated. I didn’t know this arrangement until recently, and it’s lovely.
Maurice Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin, II: Fugue
Suite for solo piano (the fugue does not appear in the orchestral version)
1914-1917
Another homage, a memorial (“tombeau”), to a great, in the neoclassical/modernist style.
Slow, beautiful fugue
Anne Queffelec (Erato), Bertrand Chamayou (Erato), Alexandre Tharaud (Harmonia Mundi), Philippe Thuriot (accordion) (Warner)
Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87
Piano cycle
1950-1951
A 20th-century response to Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Unlike in Bach’s chromatic/tempered progression, the pieces proceed in relative major/minor pairs around the circle of fifths.
I’ll be honest: I have not often listened to the cycle. But almost every time I have listened to Shostakovich, the string quartets, the symphonies, or the piano works, I have ranked it among my favorite 20th-century “classical” music.
The whole cycle has a neo-classical vibe, as fascinating as the composer’s life and character, and is filled with raw emotions and formal experimentation.
Igor Levit (Sony), Keith Jarrett (ECM)
Next time: some contrapuntal surprises. Stay tuned!
At the same time, it is intriguing how many Baroque composers mostly eschewed the form (Rameau, Vivaldi; Domenico Scarlatti wrote a few).
Mozart borrows a lot for this symphony, especially from Michael Haydn (Joseph’s brother), but no one had combined classical forms with contrapuntal writing like he does here until then.
“Unplayable” is a theme with many variations in the contemporaneous reception of Beethoven’s works. The finale of the Hammerklavier, parts of the Razumovsky (Op. 59) quartets, and some singing parts of the Ode to Joy all faced similar opposition.