in all major and minor keys (Critical First Edition)
Many 19th century composers, among them, for example, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann, devoted much time to imaginative and creative work on the musical legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, and in particular on his fugues. Anselm Hüttenbrenner, too, took a deep interest in Bach, and especially in his Well-Tempered Clavier.
His 24 fugues in all major and minor keys from the year 1851, which appear here for the first time in print, bear compositional witness to this interest. Hüttenbrenner handled the form of the fugue and contrapuntal composition in a manner that was highly individual, and in some passages also very free. With this cycle, he created an entertaining work in the style of his times, one that is partially marked by a rousing virtuosity. In addition, his ingenious use of popular operatic melodies from Mozart’s Magic Flute and Don Giovanni, Rossini’s Tancredi, Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Nicolò Isouard’s Cendrillon (Cinderella) as themes for his fugues guaranteed good entertainment.
This first edition fulfils all the requirements of musicology and musical practice. It provides a clear musical text. along with a comprehensive preface and detailed critical remarks, both in German and English.