Prelude to Contrapunctus X from the Art of the Fugue
PROGRAM NOTES
While composing BACH-SHARDS I found myself gravitating, intuitively and gradually, toward a dual goal. First, although the tension and dissonance inherent in certain moments of Bach’s own maze-like contrapuntal structures could quite easily and naturally lead one into a pungent contemporary terrain, I opted not to stray outside the realm of Bach-like materials and harmonic language. Instead, it was my hope to alter their relationships and context in ways that add up to a something that’s slightly different than the anticipated sum of the parts. A mildly deconstructed Bach, if you will.
The other important challenge I set for myself was building up the latter, toccata-like portion of BACH-SHARDS in a way that would make the entry point of the fugue that it precedes, Bach’s Contrapunctus X, seem thoroughly natural. It was my intent to have the first fugal entrance feel like a huge and much welcomed release of the energy created by my Prelude’s penultimate stretch, with its bravura figurations elaborating on an insistent dominant pedal point.
—Shulamit Ran
The work should always be played as a Prelude to Contrapunctus X from the Art of the Fugue by Bach.
INFORMATION
Commissioned by the Brentano String Quartet as part of the “Art-of-the-Fugue Companion Pieces” project
First performance:
October 3, 2002
Dartmouth College
Brentano String Quartet
Duration: c. 4’
SHEET MUSIC
Available from your favorite sheet music seller, or directly from Theodore Presser.