J.S. Bach: Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080

Featuring

Matthias Maierhofer
Johann Sebastian Bach

Did you know?

1/7

Instruments

The Silbermann organ in the Hofkirche Dresden, where this recording was made, was begun by Gottfried Silbermann in 1750 and completed by his student Zacharias Hildebrandt and his son after Silbermann's death.

Compositional Technique

The early version of "The Art of Fugue" systematically increases in contrapuntal complexity, starting with simple fugues and progressing to techniques like theme inversion, varied speeds, and mirror fugues.

Instruments

Gottfried Silbermann's organs, including the one in the Hofkirche Dresden, are known for their strong principal stops, which have a wide labium and high wind pressure, creating a powerful and penetrating sound.

Composition History

J.S. Bach's son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, noted that his father died while composing the last, unfinished fugue of "The Art of Fugue," which included the name B A C H in its counter-subject.

Composition History

Recent research indicates that "The Art of Fugue" exists in two distinct versions from different periods: an earlier, completed 14-movement autograph from around 1742, and a later, expanded 16-movement version intended for publication.

Performer Biography

Matthias Maierhofer, the organist on this album, won the prestigious Pachelbel-Wettbewerb in Nuremberg in 2007 and has received awards at several other international organ competitions.

Composition History

The posthumously printed first edition of "The Art of Fugue" included an organ chorale, 'Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein,' added by the editors to mitigate the work's unfinished nature.