The Art of the Fugue

Johann Sebastian Bach died before completing his monumental The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080, in D minor. According to Bach specialist Christoph Wolff, "The governing idea of the work was an exploration in depth of the contrapuntal possibilities inherent in a single musical subject." It may well be that The Art of the Fugue is the most profound piece of music ever written.

The work is not without controversy. It is not clear what instruments Bach intended for the work. In fact, some people have speculated that he intended the work to be an intellectual exercise, not for performance. It appears the majority opinion is that Bach composed The Art of the Fugue for keyboard, i.e., organ or harpsichord.

The following excerpts are from American Public Media's website Pipedreams (Celebrating the pipe organ, the King of Instruments).

"Bach’s contemporaries regarded The Art of the Fugue to be a practical work - one that would be both studied and played. C.P.E. Bach’s advertisement announcing the first edition in 1751 mentions that The Art of the Fugue had been “arranged for use at the harpsichord or organ.” Yet until recent decades it has been assumed that Bach intended The Art of the Fugue as a theoretical work only."

"Bach’s music - and with it the fugue - languished in obscurity for nearly a century. Even Mozart and Beethoven had to be introduced to the beauties of Bach’s fugues by an aficionado, Baron von Swieten, who played Bach’s fugues at his Sunday salons in Vienna; and both composers began to incorporate fugal elements into their compositions. It was only in the mid-19th century - thanks to a revival begun by Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann - that Bach’s keyboard works, cantatas, and instrumental music made their way back into concert programs. The Art of the Fugue, however, was still regarded as too abstruse."

"The notation system Bach used in composing The Art of the Fugue led many to believe that the work was merely theoretical. This “open scoring” notation, whereby each voice is written on a separate staff, seemed to imply an abstract work, as did the fact that Bach left no indication about instrumentation."

"The recently discovered advertisement of 1751, announcing that The Art of the Fugue was “arranged for use at the harpsichord or organ” appears to have solved this question. Yet even without this clue, several factors indicate a keyboard work."

"Curiously, whatever Bach’s intentions, The Art of the Fugue has been successfully arranged for all types of instruments and ensembles, from solo piano to string or saxophone quartet, mixed chamber ensembles, and small orchestras. The fugues have even been “jazzed” by the Swingle Singers, and given a colorful modern orchestration with many percussion instruments."

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) is one of humanity's greatest treasures. It is unsurpassed in its expression of profound reverence for life, and in its depth and diversity of ideas and feelings. It provides boundless joy to listeners and performers.