George Ritchie, Christoph Wolff, Ralph Richards, Bruce Fowkes. Filmed Sept. 2007 at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Scottsdale, Ariz. Each film originally produced in 2008. Accompanied by CDs. 2 sound discs : digital ; 4 3/4 in. George Ritchie, organ. Recorded at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Scottsdale, AZ, organ by Richards, Fowkes, & Co, Opus 14 (CD1, tracks 1-17) and CD2, tracks 1-3, 17) ; College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, organ by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders, Opus 9 (CD2, tracks 4-9) ; Cornerstone, Lincoln, NE, Bedient Pipie Organ Co. Opus 8 (CD2, track 10) ; Church of the Seventh-Day Adventists, Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN, John Brombaugh & Associates, Opus 26, The Anton Heiller Memorial Organ (CD2, tracks 11-16). Contents: CD1. The art of fugue. Contrapunctus 1-13 ; Canon alla ottava ; Canon alla decima in contrapunto alla terza -- CD2. Canon alla duodecima in contrapunto alla quinta ; Canon per augmentationem in contrario motu ; Contrapunctus 14, Fuga a 3 soggetti (incomplete). ; Additional late works. Vor deinen Thron tret' ich hiermit BWV 668 [and] Canonic variations on Von Himmel hoch, da komm ich her BWV 769a ; Ricercar a 6 (from Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1079) ; Six Schübler chorales (BWV 645-650) ; Contrapunctus 14, Fuga a 3 soggetti (completed by Helmut Walcha). The art of fugue : essays and notes by George Ritchie. Contents: Introduction -- Notes on the additional tracks -- An approach to the Art of fugue -- Definitions -- Organs and registrations -- George Ritchie's biography -- Credits and appreciation (23 p. : ill.) included. Fugue State Films: FSF-DVD-0001.
Contents:
Desert fugue (90:00). Introduction ; The music ; The instrument ; The legacy -- George Ritchie's introduction to the Art of fugue (111:00).
Summary:
In the first film, a documentary about the Art of fugue, historian Christoph Wolff and performer George Ritchie discuss Bach's Art of Fugue and how it fits into the broader tradition of western music. Organ builders Ralph Richards and Bruce Fowkes join the discussion when the subject turns to its suitability for the organ and the sort of instrument that Bach may have written his organ music for. The final section of the film is devoted to the Art of Fugue and Bach's legacy. In the second film, George Ritchie gives a detailed introduction to all twenty movements of the Art of Fugue, discussing fugal techniques and playing dozens of musical examples, all illustrated with the Peter's edition of the score, edited by Christoph Wolff.
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