Aylesford Pieces No. 5 - Fugue

About this work

A dotted crotchet, a quaver and an octave leap within the quaver figure: the beginning of the Aylesford Fugue is recognisable through rhythm as well as pitch. Handel already gives the lower stave a line of its own. The music starts as a conversation on several levels, with more to follow than a tune over chords.

The subject moves through a G major texture in common time. Sing its opening notes before playing, then listen for their return in each register. A fresh entry is different from the surrounding quaver patterns: some lines carry the argument forward while another recalls the opening shape.

Ties present a practical challenge. One finger has to remain down as the others move, and a bar line gives no reason to release it. Try two lines together slowly, listening through to the end of the longer note. Add the inner sounds without making every new chord an accent.

The Moderato gives these overlapping durations room to speak. In the closing bars, the bass alternates quavers and crotchets under longer upper notes before the final chord and fermata. Let that bass motion remain steady so the last release follows naturally.

Downloads

Complete one-page PDF and MIDI; Mutopia, Bas Wassink. Declared public domain. Cited edition: Schott (1930). LesPartitions.info