Fugue en fa majeur sur un prélude de Jean-Paul

Time for the good Sterzing organ in Erfurt Büßleben from 1702, when the great Johann Sebastian was just 17 years old.

You guessed it - when this instrument is used in my compositions, we are once again dealing with a rhythmically very demanding piece, which I would strongly advise everyone not to play live, if the outer extremities are to remain intact.

Jean-Paul likes the 6/8 beat and so do I. In this prelude from his pen, which I really like, the special swinging of the 2nd and third quavers does not come into its own throughout. For the most part, I would perhaps have chosen a 3/4 time signature. Nevertheless, I emphasise these 2nd and 3rd quavers throughout.

From bar 36, I quote from Jean-Paul's original for 8 bars, which brings calm back into the music, before I then begin the dialogue of the two voices with the third voice and carry out the beautiful theme. "Quoting" is perhaps not quite right, since I transpose the original from F major to the parallel minor key. In bars 54-58, I run a sequence through the entire circle of fifths. The coda, beginning at bar 64, has it in sight, it starts quite harmlessly, but from bar 80 onwards, the action is dominated by 16el figures that surround the fugue theme running through in the alto. If the piece could perhaps have been played live up to that point, then from bar 80 onwards, the game is over, sorry!
The pedal comes in from bar 87 with the fugue theme in the dominant, surrounded by sixteenth figures and the chain of eighth notes. From bar 91 you hear an organ point, in the further course of which I play with the harmonic sequence C major / G minor. I love it when these two harmonies are strung together.

I must thank Jean-Paul for the beautiful themes and melodies, almost all of which are perfect for a fugue, and that speaks for the quality of his compositions!