Friday, April 30, 2010

Prelude & Fugue in D minor

Since the last one was well received, here is more from what my son Joseph recorded of my musical recreation on Monday, when the clergy try to have a day off. Of course priests are never off duty, like firmen, police officers, doctors, and Groucho Marx (he was never off duty). Jack Miller "accused" me of Lutheran leanings (tongue in cheek) after my last musical offering. This piece sounds even more so, for it shows the influence of J.S. Bach and comes from my having been a church organist way, way back before the turn of the century. The fugue subject is from the Christmas Carol "Here betwixt ass and oxen mild" number 38, the tune name being Gevaert, in the hymnal 1940. This kind of music really could not exist without the Incarnation, for it is the product of Christian culure. To play it on the piano, I adapted my own music from the organ, originally a piece that was written for Church.

(Click the picture for a link to the music. My son's video program has some interesting features.)

2 comments:

Jack Miller said...

Bravo! And to the glory of God...

Francis Shaeffer noted that Bach inscribed his scores with the initials of phrases like ‘With the help of Jesus and To God alone be the glory’. “…Bach consciously related both the form and the words of his music to biblical truth. Out of the biblical context came a rich combination of music and words…” Theology set to music.

Fr. Hart, following in that tradition you are in good company.

Canon Jerome Lloyd OSJV said...

Superb! Do you publish Father?