Händel, Georg Friedrich : Fuga E-Dur HWV 612
Work Overview
Instrumentation:Piano Solo
Genre:fuga
Total Playing Time:2 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: November 18, 2024
[Open]
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
This is an optimistic fugue, but perhaps it is also a fugue that desires a sense of gravitas. This fugue has no particular peak points that stand out as such.
However, the tonality changes successively. The themes (subjects) for each key are as follows:
- Bar 1: E major
- Bar 6: B major
- Bar 10: E major
- Bar 17: C-sharp minor
- Bar 22: E major
- Bar 28: F-sharp minor
- Bar 32: E major
- Bar 39: E major (fragment)
- Bar 41: E major
It primarily proceeds in three voices. For this fugue as well, rather than imagining a harpsichord performance, one might envision an organ performance, picturing the sounds of thin pipes and thick pipes. Of course, regarding the themes, they should be clearly articulated. For themes like the one in bar 41, it's as if they could just as well be written an octave lower.
By the way, have you noticed that most of the listed themes appear in a low register? The theme appearing in bar 1 is in the highest position, and most subsequent themes are written in the bass clef. If performed on an organ, playing the themes with the pedals would make a very fast tempo impractical. Considering that scenario, it might be appropriate to proceed at a somewhat slower tempo, allowing for a certain degree of weight (grandeur).