Music and Texts of GARY BACHLUND
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Rag and Fugue in G flat major - (2008)
for piano
This, in a series of rags and fugues, is simply meant to be fun. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz this form was originally termed "ragged time," later corrupted to "ragtime." The gestures in the right hand emphasize accents between rhythmic "beats." To that end, the right hand of this rag is a set of simple oppositions
on the black keys.
As the theme of the rag emphasizes the black notes of the G-flat scale, so then does the 6/8 fugue subject and its non-authentic answer. As the subject and answer tumble over one another, there comes a moment in the fugue wherein the subject and answer appear at the offset of the half-measure.
An MP3 demo is here,
, [ 1.92 MB, 2' 05" ]
The score for Rag and Fugue in G flat major is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano score.
