Prelude, Fughetta, and Allegro, Opus 1064

From the composer: "Prelude, Fughetta, and Allegro" is loosely inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude pour le Luth ò Cembal [Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro], BWV 998 -- a late composition seemingly intended for harpsichord, lute, or most especially lautenwerk (the "lute harpsichord" -- apparently a personal favorite instrument of Bach).

The opening triple-meter prelude in Eb major is sunny and bright in character, with its arpeggiated textures evoking plucked strings. The spirit of the early Irish harp composer Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) can be felt particularly in this movement. The fughetta begins in the relative minor (C), with a darker and more dissonantly chromatic character; however, it works through several keys to end in Eb major. The concluding allegro returns to joyous mood of the opening movement (though its middle section returns again to C minor).