Fugue in A minor (Subject from Bach's BWV 863b - WTC 1 Fugue in G-sharp minor).

Here's another fugue I just finished today. To be fairly honest, the title says it all: I was once told by a fellow composer acquaintance, who was way more experienced than I even currently grasp, about the possibility of choosing subjects from other composers' fugues and having them repurposed as material for my own works. Finally, I have decided to undertake such endeavour with none other than Johann Sebastian Bach, thereby using the subject of his BWV863b (Fugue in G-sharp minor from Das Wohltemperierte Klavier 1).

And so, here is the result. For the everlasting glory and might of the tallest among the greatest titans in Western Classical Music, I bequeath this humble fugue of mine to the immortal spirit of Lord Sebastian, our one true mentor in music, the divine Meister Bach.

Enjoy!

YouTube video: 

Hi @Fugax Contrapunctus,

As always I like your fugal output! This is certainly harmonically more advanced than Bach's original work as you modulate early on, e.g. A major subject in b.23 and C minor subject in b.29. I like your stretti in b.39 and b.41 too.

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

59 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hi @Fugax Contrapunctus,

As always I like your fugal output! This is certainly harmonically more advanced than Bach's original work as you modulate early on, e.g. A major subject in b.23 and C minor subject in b.29. I like your stretti in b.39 and b.41 too.

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

Most times I listen to someone comparing me to Bach as a cheap compliment, it tends to take me quite aback. It's a bit of a taboo for me, to insinuate that the humble amateur composer I currently am and will surely remain as could ever be remotely close to His levels of magnificence, skill, craftsmanship, devotion and sheer tenacity.

Your arguments, however, are rational, nuanced, and well-informed, so I don't sense this being the case.

I sometimes wonder whether the kind of deifictional admiration I project onto Bach's art and soul ought to be considered pathological. But at the same time; I just cannot help it. If he truly were God (not just metaphorically, that is) and I were Abraham, I would destroy my work at his command and without hesitation, just as Isaac was to be sacrificed by his own father. If I were ever to forsake Bach's insurmountable legacy, I would eventually end up taking my own life to cleanse the world of such horrid sin of mine. I pray and wait for the day when I finally die to come, for then I will listen to St. Matthäus Passion for the last time as I am brought before his throne, with Tolkien and Hegel by His sides; my little pantheon will only then be conjoined to lay my soul to rest. The soul of a devoted admirer who would do anything for Him, His heavenly, eternal music, His magnificence, His genius.

Anyway, please ignore these crazy dogmatic ramblings from a 17-year-old Aspie haggard and keep pretending I'm somebody at all, if that's the way you feel most comfortable in treating those fortunate enough to receive your constructive criticism.

20 minutes ago, Fugax Contrapunctus said:

Most times I listen to someone comparing me to Bach as a cheap compliment, it tends to take me quite aback. It's a bit of a taboo for me, to insinuate that the humble amateur composer I currently am and will surely remain as could ever be remotely close to His levels of magnificence, skill, craftsmanship, devotion and sheer tenacity.

Your arguments, however, are rational, nuanced, and well-informed, so I don't sense this being the case.

Yeah because I immediately take my own copy of WTC I for a look and scan the difference between yours and Bach's piece. For me composers are never god, they are just human beings with excellence of skills and human understanding. If we treat them as god, we will undermine our own ability to reach at least a hunderdth of their level. But I also love your humbleness towards great composers which I share!

I don't think you are crazy though. When I was young I considered myself a disciple of Beethoven too and I tried to imitate him in every possible ways. However now I know we are different human beings and we can only do what we are capable of doing. What's in my thoughts is surely not in Beethoven since I am a Chinese and he's not. But there's L.C.M in our humanity (my adorable and loving professor of Philosophy's favourite term) too, thus we can achieve sameness of humanity and morality through difference of music and probably enrich it by providing different music to humanity.

You are this young and compose with this kind of skill and craft, and I admire you for all your works! Of course you can keep composing Baroque and fugal stuffs if you really want to chase the footstep of Bach, but I will also encourage you to try different styles as well if you want to be a different voice!

Btw I don't think Hegel's Absolute Idealism works without Chinese Confucianism. I prefer Kant's Moralistic Idealism more though.

Henry

7 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Yeah because I immediately take my own copy of WTC I for a look and scan the difference between yours and Bach's piece. For me composers are never god, they are just human beings with excellence of skills and human understanding. If we treat them as god, we will undermine our own ability to reach at least a hunderdth of their level. But I also love your humbleness towards great composers which I share!

I don't think you are crazy though. When I was young I considered myself a disciple of Beethoven too and I tried to imitate him in every possible ways. However now I know we are different human beings and we can only do what we are capable of doing. What's in my thoughts is surely not in Beethoven since I am a Chinese and he's not. But there's L.C.M in our humanity (my adorable and loving professor of Philosophy's favourite term) too, thus we can achieve sameness of humanity and morality through difference of music and probably enrich it by providing different music to humanity.

You are this young and compose with this kind of skill and craft, and I admire you for all your works! Of course you can keep composing Baroque and fugal stuffs if you really want to chase the footstep of Bach, but I will also encourage you to try different styles as well if you want to be a different voice!

Btw I don't think Hegel's Absolute Idealism works without Chinese Confucianism. I prefer Kant's Moralistic Idealism more though.

Henry

很感谢您因为好话同情，Henry。我仍然只是中文学生， 所以请帮我用正确的汉字或法律。

Regardless, you don't have to correct me if you don't feel like it, I don't want to waste your time with the fact that I'm still just in HSK3.

I really have no words thankful enough for your sincere kindness and open admiration for me humble amateurish works. It fills me with joy to a degree that cannot be conveyed through a screen in an online forum.

Worry not, I already have and will keep trying different styles, such as in my Ballade in B minor (not sure if it's published here, but it sure is on my YouTube channel). However, my devotion towards Bach's spirit still burns bright and sound within me; even if a bit too obsessive at times. Still, that doesn't hinder my ability to diverge from my most recurrent style, intendedly akin to his. After all, if I submitted to the Pope's demands over profane music like Palestrina once did, most of my work would have to be destroyed on a book-burning spree, since I'm agnostic. And that's a fate I intend my works never to suffer, as I have sworn myself never to "pull a Brahms" on that regard. 😉

In regards to philosophy, I forgot to mention that Kant sits as well within my little personal pantheon, next to Hegel. Most of his work, and especially Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, have thoroughly influenced my own thought and philosophical conceptions about existence to a degree that can only really be matched by Hegel and his Phänomenologie des Geistes. As you can probably notice, my sheer admiration for everything German from the 18th and 19th centuries knows no bounds, even as a Spaniard, which brings some of my acquaintances to suspect some strange connections regarding certain totalitarian regimes and the like, totally unfounded and basing themselves on mere prejudice. It pains me to see people still hate an entire country just because its inhabitants were brainwashed into believing conspiracy theories by a single horrendous madman and his government of terror. But perhaps I tend to adhere to Hannah Arendt's banality of evil too much. Who knows.

Kind regards,

Pablo

5 hours ago, Fugax Contrapunctus said:

很感谢您因为好话同情，Henry。我仍然只是中文学生， 所以请帮我用正确的汉字或法律。

What I get from this is:

很感謝您的鼓勵，Henry。我現在仍然在學習漢語，所以請幫我用正確的漢字和文法。

Btw I use traditional Chinese since I live in Hong Kong!

6 hours ago, Fugax Contrapunctus said:

really have no words thankful enough for your sincere kindness and open admiration for me humble amateurish works. It fills me with joy to a degree that cannot be conveyed through a screen in an online forum.

YC is really a great forum for us to meet and share our thoughts!

6 hours ago, Fugax Contrapunctus said:

Worry not, I already have and will keep trying different styles, such as in my Ballade in B minor (not sure if it's published here, but it sure is on my YouTube channel). However, my devotion towards Bach's spirit still burns bright and sound within me; even if a bit too obsessive at times. Still, that doesn't hinder my ability to diverge from my most recurrent style, intendedly akin to his

That's good to hear and hopefully you will share more of your works here!

6 hours ago, Fugax Contrapunctus said:

And that's a fate I intend my works never to suffer, as I have sworn myself never to "pull a Brahms" on that regard. 😉

Haha what does "pull a Brahms" here means?

Haha it seems off topic but I am really interested in philosophy. I am really lucky to be born in Hong Kong to be influenced by the New Confucianism as it is a trend to combine Confucianism with German Idealism including Kant and Hegel as well as Fichte. German Idealism is really one of the height of Western Philosophy. My favourite Kant is Kritik der reinen Vernunft since it greatly influences my way of thinking and his Trascendental Idealism is so amazing. Kritik der praktischen Vernunft is great as well though not as great comparing to the Confucianism when morality is the main trend for thousand years. I know some basics of Hegel but yet to read his works since I don't even begin on Fichte and Schelling.

That dictator, however how evil he is, is still a human being. That's what the most horrible thing at all. As Goebbels said in the film Der Untergang people voted that dictator to be on the top. But this is mainly caused by the anti-Enlightenment and anti-Idealism, not caused by them, so why should we chase for the bullsxxt and throw the jewels away? Some even hates Beethoven and Wagner since the Nazis played them in the camps. But what's evil is definitely not in Bee and Wagner at all!

Henry

On 3/19/2023 at 3:16 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

What I get from this is:

很感謝您的鼓勵，Henry。我現在仍然在學習漢語，所以請幫我用正確的漢字和文法。

Thank you for your correction. My teacher is from Fujian, so she taught me Simplified Hanzi. I really don't want to meddle into what territories belong and don't belong to Beijing, since I intend to work as a Spanish teacher somewhere in China in a few years time. Thus, I'll sadly have to remain a-political on this regard, both for the sake of the forum's rules and my own professional carreer, just in case. Still, I wish you and all you hold dear the best.

On 3/19/2023 at 3:16 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Haha what does "pull a Brahms" here means?

In his youth, Brahms decided to burn most (if not all) of his early works and then start over, for he deemed said compositions not to be serious enough. So, to "pull a Brahms" in this context would really mean just that. Quite literally. In my case, that would mean throwing away my computer or deleting all my composition folders, and I used to consider it at one point. Or more than once even.

However, no matter how terrible my very first compositions were (I still cannot stand to look back at them), I think they serve as a testimony of my compositional path, and thus I have decided to keep them in a safe place. (Well, if you can call my Trash folder "safe" enough to avert one's eyes at, that is).

As you may have noticed, conversing about the nature of autocratic governments isn't either my forte nor something I feel too comfortable casually chatting about, specially since what I say about Xi's China here could influence my ability to get my desired future job. I'm sorry not to be able to tell you my own thoughts on that regard, but considering the fluidity of the Internet and the speed at which information and data travel nowadays, I shall better be careful.

Best wishes,

Pablo