Johann Sebastian Bach

Fugue a 6

From arranger Jon Nelson: “I had been studying the Pierre Boulez recording of Anton Webern’s arrangement of Bach’s 6 Part Fugue for close to ten years before deciding to arrange it for brass. I was fascinated by how Webern (through Boulez) could make old music sound new. In my arrangement, I adapted Webern’s basic concept - passing fragments of the materials around the ensemble - in an effort to capture Webern’s rapidly flowing yet subtle changes in tone color. While I did not use serial techniques, I did attempt to prevent instruments from repeating themselves before passing like materials on to other players. I added the use of a variety of mutes to increase the range of tone colors. The piece is set in the original key.” Meridian Arts Ensemble recorded this arrangement on the “Alchemy” album. This publication was made possible with support from The University at Buffalo Department of Music.