Leaderboard

Upon coming across this ascending chromatic motif while improvising on the violin, I wondered just how well it would work as a fugal subject. Having now developed it into another one of my fugues, I thus present here the results. Enjoy! YouTube video link:

I don’t know if this counts, but I would bring the 24 preludes of Rachmaninov, each one of them depicts different feelings and has different moods, for example: the b flat Major, e Major and the d flat Major are full of energy and have triumphant mood; the E minor has some very interesting narrative feeling; the b minor and f sharp minor would describe the situation of being alone in a desert; the b flat minor and f Major could make me crazy with their repetitive rhythms; the bittersweet lyricism of the d Major and e flat Major; the lush harmonies of the a major, the a flat Major and middle section of the g minor; the spooky mood of the c minor, C sharp minor and e flat minor; the schizophrenic character of the f minor and g sharp minor; the tenderness of the B major, g Major, g flat Major, e flat Major and d Major… And I could be listing forever, it would be difficult to get bored in the desolation desert. I take this opportunity to say that the A Major is beautiful and quite underrated, it is worth listening. I also take this opportunity to note two interesting “coincidences” on the numbering of the preludes: The first prelude was the C sharp minor op 3 No 2, and the other two sets of preludes published were op 23 and 32, curiously with the same numbers being used. And the other “coincidence” is that the first prelude was the C sharp minor and the last one is the D flat Major, its parallel enharmonic Major, and they share thematic material.

As per our British programme "Desert Island Discs" I could easily choose 8 pieces but close to the top would be Honegger's "Pastorale d'été" and Barbers "Knoxville 1917". Inner peace.