More Fugues

9 June 2025

I have three more prelude and fugues that I really like, and that I would like to share with all of you.

Shostakovich, Prelude and Fugue in D-flat major from 24 Preludes and Fugues

This is what I like to call the “we wish you a Merry Chri- dammit” piece. Of course, the prelude is interesting in its own right, but the fugue subject itself uses 11 tones out of the 12 available ones, making it sound almost serial (and atonal), but through careful manipulation of the material, it ends very triumphantly in the home key D-flat major.

Godowsky, Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H for the left hand

Honestly, just an impressive little fugue, given that it is written for a single hand, which you might not even notice if you were not told.

Franck, Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue

Instead of a normal prelude and fugue, Franck inserts a chorale in between the two, making it the emotional center of the piece. Of particular note is the cyclic structure of the piece, where the composer brings back the chorale at the end of the fugue.

Instead of fully describing this specific piece, I will attempt to describe the style of writing and soundscape that Franck possesses. As a composer, Franck is famous for his choral and keyboard works, written mainly for the piano and the organ; however, his organ works are often described by organists as too pianistic, and his piano works are often described as highly influenced by organistic harmony. Moreover, most of Franck’s music employs what is known as “cyclic form”, which is the use of not just motifs, but of whole ideas and passages across different movements, most notably at the beginning and at the end.