Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, Fuga in d moll

Besides a composer, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg was a music theorist as well. One of his publications was “Treatise on the fugue, designed according to the principles and examples of the best German and foreign masters”. The work was published in 1753 in Berlin and soon enjoyed a high reputation. It was translated into several languages and was used well into the 19th century as a classic guide for learning counterpoint and especially the fugue technique. Ludwig von Beethoven used it in his teachings and Robert Schumann owned a copy of it. It is therefore probably safe to say: Marpurg knew how to write a fugue.

The Capriccio I published fa week ago already shows this, as do the fugues I published two week ago (here, here, here and here). This fugue in d minor proofs once and for all that Marpurg knew how to write a fugue.

It is a four part fugue where the four parts are strictly maintained in the course of the fugues. Even though there are small three part episodes, the entry of the fourth voice is never more than two bars away. The fugue features most of the classic characteristics of a fugue: the first exposition, devertimenti, a second exposition in the paralel major tonality, partial entries of the theme, stretti, etcetera, etcetera. A well written fugue that is too good not to play on an organ.

The recording was done with the Hauptwerk software and the sampleset, made by Sonus Paradisi, of the Janke organ in the Stadtkirche of Bückeburg (https://www.sonusparadisi.cz/en/organs/germany/buckeburg-janke-organ.html).

Score
Marpurg, Fuga, d moll

Performance

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