Fugue in G minor, "Little", BWV 578

Fugue in G minor, BWV 578, "Little", is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime around his years at Arnstadt (1703–1707). It is one of Bach's best known fugues and has been arranged for other voices, including an orchestral version made by Leopold Stokowski.^[1]

It is a common misconception that the Little fugue in G minor is so-called because it is unimportant. In fact, early editors of Bach's work attached this title to distinguish it from the later Great Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, which is longer in duration.

Score

The fugue's four-and-a-half measure subject is one of Bach's most recognizable tunes. The fugue is in four voices. During the episodes, Bach uses one of Arcangelo Corelli's most famous techniques: imitation between two voices on an eighth note upbeat figure that first leaps up a fourth and then falls back down one step at a time.^[2]

Appearances in media

• A version of this piece appears on Styx's 1973 album Styx II.
• The music is used and remixed as the theme music of Mega Man Juno, the final boss of the 1998 video game Mega Man Legends.
• The music is remixed as the theme song, Mission (FUGA), for the anime Area 88.
• The music is remixed as the theme song for the anime Nazca.
• The music is remixed as part of "Rumpel's Party Palace" in the 2010 movie Shrek Forever After.
• Yngwie Malmsteen uses an arrangement of this piece for two guitars on his album Unleash the Fury. The song is titled "Fuguetta".
• The X Japan song "Rose of Pain" on the Blue Blood album uses this as an intro.
• An a cappella version by The Swingle Singers is featured in the movie Thank You for Smoking.
• The main character in the 2008 drama Elegy plays this piece on the piano in a key scene of the movie.
• The theme is the basis of Chiptune/Gabber musician DJ Scotch Egg's song "Scotch Sundance".
• The fugue appears in G major (rather than G minor) as part of Japanese electronic musician Cornelius's piece "2010" from his 1997 album Fantasma.
• The music is featured in the movie The Paper Chase.
• The music is played in the introduction of the Apple II game Diamond Mine.
• A rock version of the fugue appears in the Catherine (video game) by Atlus.
• This piece is used as opening title in Ermanno Olmi's masterpiece L'albero degli zoccoli.

References

1. ^ Kimberly Marshall, Bach on the organ, Early Music (2008) 36 (4): 661-664. doi: 10.1093/em/can100
2. ^ Schnorr, K. (2001). Litanei und Ostinato in Bachs Passacaglia c-moll BWV 582.Anuario Musical, 0(56): 163-172, p. 167

External links

• Fugue in G minor, BWV 578: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• Free scores by J.S. Bach (of BWV 578) in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
• Free download of BWV 578, recorded by James Kibbie on the 1755 Gottfried Silbermann/Zacharias Hildebrandt organ in the Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden, Germany