Description
Book SynopsisFew bodies of Western music are as widely respected, studied, and emulated as the fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite the esteem which Bach's contributions brought to the genre, however, the origin and early history of the fugue remain poorly understood. Theories of Fugue from the Age of Josquin to the Age of Bach addresses both the history and methodology of the pre-Bach fugue (from roughly 1500 to 1700), and, of greatest significance to the literature, it seeks to present a way out of the methodological dilemma of uncertainty which has plagued previous scholarly attempts by considering what musicians of the time had to say about the fugue: what it was, what it was not, how important it was, and where and how a composer should (or shouldn't) use it. Paul Mark Walker is director of the Early Music Ensemble at the University of Virginia and an expert on the history of the fugue.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2002 William H. Scheide Prize, from the American Bach Society, for a publication of exceptional merit on Bach or figures in his circle. * . *
Significant contribution to our better understanding of the history of fugues. * BACH BIBLIOGRAPHY *
An important addition to the literature on the history of musical forms. * CHOICE *
This is a fine and valuable book, encyclopaedic in its coverage of the subject, and the only treatment (in any language) of the entire field. It is an extraordinary achievement. * MUSIC & LETTERS *
Lucidly and engagingly written...this book is an outstanding contribution to scholarship and a definitive work, indispensable for the historical study of fugue. * THE AMERICAN ORGANIST *
Anyone interested in the fascinating topic of the emergence of the Baroque will find this book a wlecome addition to the overall picture of that important period of musical history. * AMERICAN RECORDER *
Table of ContentsFugue in the High Renaissance Fugue at the End of the Renaissance, Part I: Italy and the Netherlands Fugue at the End of the Renaissance, Part II: Germany German Theory During the Thirty Years War: Fugue in Latin School Music Texts Italian Influence on German Fugal Theory, 1640-1680 Instrumental Fugue and the Emergence of Fugal Structure in the Third Quarter of the Seventeenth Century Invertible Counterpoint and the Hamburg Circle of Theorists Fugal Theory, 1680-1710 Fugal Theory in German Lexicographic Texts Fugal Theory, 1710-1740; Mattheson and Fux
