Composer

:

Maurice Duruflé

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Keyboard

Compose Date

:

1928

Average_duration

:

4:51

Maurice Duruflé's Fugue in C minor on a theme by Henri Rabaud is a masterpiece of the organ repertoire. It was composed in 1928 and premiered on May 22, 1929, at the Église Saint-Sulpice in Paris, where Duruflé was the assistant organist. The piece is divided into three movements: the theme, the fugue, and the coda. The first movement, the theme, is a simple and elegant melody in C minor. It is played in unison by the manuals and the pedals, and it is followed by a short interlude that leads to the second movement, the fugue. The fugue is based on the theme by Henri Rabaud, a French composer and conductor who was a friend of Duruflé. The theme is presented in the pedals, and then it is taken up by the manuals in a series of imitative entries. The fugue is characterized by its contrapuntal complexity, with multiple voices weaving in and out of each other in a complex web of sound. The third movement, the coda, is a brilliant and virtuosic display of organ technique. It begins with a series of rapid arpeggios in the pedals, followed by a series of cascading chords in the manuals. The music builds to a climax, with the full power of the organ unleashed in a thunderous finale. Duruflé's Fugue in C minor on a theme by Henri Rabaud is a masterpiece of the organ repertoire, showcasing the composer's mastery of counterpoint and his virtuosic technique on the instrument. It is a challenging piece to perform, requiring great skill and precision from the organist, but it is also a deeply rewarding work, full of beauty, complexity, and power.

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