When searching
for an example of a fugue
for my performance,
in an obvious way
I started among
organ pieces…
However,
in the musical heritage
of Johann Sebastian Bach
there is a special piece,
classified among
“Die Kunst der Fuge,”
the last series,“
which the ailing
and blinded
Master
dictated
like
a spiritual testament.
The composition,
referred to as
“Fuga a 3 Soggetti,”
but also:
“Contrapunctus 14,”
“Contrapunctus 18,”
“Contrapunctus XIX,”
will continue to be for me
“Unfinished Fugue,”
which cuts off abruptly
at the 239th bar.
In this place,
on the autograph of the sheet music
there is an annotation
handwritten by his son,
Carl Philipp Emanuel,
which sounds agonizingly:
“When the motif B-A-C-H
appears in the countermelody,
the composer has died.”
And although researchers
are casting doubt on it…
For me
it is a Sign,
a Symbol,
a Relic
– His Last Fugue,
made even more credible,
in the final moment of his life,
with a musical signature
embedded inside it.
It is like
a falling cascade of sounds,
swollen with drama,
which, in the final part,
suddenly collapses
like a tedious life
into a deathly silence,
a soundless void.
It is impossible
not to take advantage
of the importance of this piece,
or not to incorporate its energy
into my “Last Fugue,”
showing, after all,
the mechanism
that puts an end
to human life.
The two elements,
two potencies,
seem to
complement one another
– as if created
with each other in mind.
Fortunately,
the Master
did not indicate
specific instrumentation
for the entire cycle,
hence the choice of organ
seems to be
highly legitimate.
To confirm the
relations linking
the piece described above
with the abovementioned painting by
the author of “The Disasters of War”
– I found more
hidden connections.
“Unfinished Fugue”
is listed in the catalogue
of all
Bach’s compositions (BWV),
as “Die Kunst der Fuge,”
with number 1080.
Meanwhile, 1808
is the year in which,
on May 3,
the insurgents
were executed,
which is immortalized
in Francisco Goya’s painting.
BWV 1080 – 1808 Madrid.
Moving on,
in this image
the barrels of the platoon’s rifles
are arranged
in a metallic stave,
in line with the number and direction.
You will ask:
is this predestined?
No, it’s a coincidence.
Just a curiosity of its kind…
