About the “Unfinished Fugue” from The Art of Fugue
The reason why this historical piece of music remained unfinished is written in the original copperplate-printed score: “The composer died here, but his name is inscribed here as the theme.” This is believed to be an inscription by Emanuel Bach, but why didn’t he (Emanuel) complete this miraculous work of his father’s himself? Attempts to complete it only began in the 19th century, and continued throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Several recordings of the “finished version” of this “Unfinished Fugue” are available. While recordings by Helmut Walcha and David Moloney are well-known, I would like to introduce Zoltán Genz’s excellent “finished version.” It’s also helpful that the score is available here in the scrolling music score. With the addition of the basic theme (and its inversions), it has been completed as a perfect “quadruple fugue”. #baroque #bach #theartoffuque #unfinished #zoltángöncz #片山俊幸