Interpreted by CLAUD BIGGS
Toccata and Fugue in C Minor ; Prelude and Fugue in A Minor
THE Toccata and Fugue fall into sections. as follows: (a) A short, quick, rushing Movement of the brilliant toccata style, but with bits of imitation-one part starting a motif and another catching up the idea.
(b) A four-voice ' woven ' slow section, a sermon on a text given out in the treble of the-first two bars, and afterwards taken up by the other voices.
(c) A pretty three-voice Fugue upon a rhythmic, dancing subject. After a time, « few bars reminiscent of the style of the opening Movement .intervene, and then the Fugue begin-again, now, however, become a double Fugue, for t he old subject is given out with a new one as companion, and the two run in double harness henceforth (a good long ' henceforth ' it is, too). closed finally by a few effective bars in the character of the opening Movement.
THE Fugue of the second piece is a capital
J- example of Bach's art in keeping a piece going without a pause and without allowing the impulse or the interest to flag for an instant. There is here a rapid stream of continuously running short notes, flowing unchecked from beginning to end of the piece, and carrying us buoyantly along in the pleasantest fashion possible.