Contrapunctus XIII – Jeffrey C. Hall

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Introduction
“Über dieser Fuge…”
Structure of The Art of Fugue
The “unfinished” fugue
About the realization
How to listen to The Art of Fugue
About the narratives

The Art of Fugue

Simple Fugues
Contrapunctus I
Contrapunctus II
Contrapunctus III
Contrapunctus IV

Canon alla Ottava

Stretto Fugues
Contrapunctus V
Contrapunctus VI
Contrapunctus VII

Canon alla Decima

Double and Triple Fugues
Contrapunctus VIII
Contrapunctus IX
Contrapunctus X
Contrapunctus XI

Canon alla Duodecima

Mirror Fugues
Contrapunctus XII + inversus
Contrapunctus XIII + inversus

Canon per Augmentationem

Quadruple Fugue
Contrapunctus XIV

Another celestial marvel of symmetry is the Cat Eye nebula. This is one of many examples in the cosmos of a so-called “planetary nebula,” the shell of gas and dust flung off by a dying star, just visible as the point of light at the very center of the nebula. The material of the star, shed in its death throes, expands in complex spheroidal shapes affected by the interstellar environment into which they expand. Image credit: Hubble Space Telescope.

Here’s the second of AOF’s mirror fugues, and if anything, this one is even bouncier and more fun to listen to than Contrapunctus XII. Again, you will hear the fugue at the start of the track, followed by its mirror, which begins at 2:10, exactly halfway through the track (surprise).

This mirror employs another complex variant of the main AOF subject with a dancing character reminiscent of the Canon alla ottava.