Improvising Fugue

Mortensen has done it again! As in The Pianist's Guide to Historical Improvisation, he wryly de-mystifies the process of historically informed musical creation, and provides a richly informed, yet practical and step-by-step guide to understanding and improvising music, this time confronting the apex of musical forms: the fugue. Full of examples from the repertoire, and inventive, practical, progressive exercises and helpful explanations, this is a perfect present-day guide for students, teachers, and musicians who want to roll up their sleeves and get inside the art and craft of fugal creation. * Yi-heng Yang, Faculty of Keyboard Studies and Improvisation, The Juilliard School * Improvising music is one thing. Improvising a fugue is quite another, so remarkable as to be thought of as being possible only by such musical gods as J. S. Bach, even in his own day. And yet, musicians of the past aspired towards it through study and exercise, knowing that the insights and abilities thus gained would be invaluable—and many, more than we know, were actually able to do it. John Mortensen has shown a path in Improvising Fugue that makes this pinnacle visible and even reachable. This book will be your constant companion in this ultimate endeavor. * Peter Sykes, Faculty, Boston University, University of Michigan, The Juilliard School * It's a well-known fact. Many old masters, such as J.S. Bach, Händel, Mozart, Haydn, Durante, Beethoven, or Liszt, all learned and taught keyboard improvisation. Dr. John Mortensen's Improvising Fugue: A Method for Keyboard Artists will greatly contribute to the revival of these skills, once so essential to the art of piano playing. * Peter van Tour, author of Counterpoint and Partimento *