F M Veracini

Fuga con quatro soggetti CM056

score £4.00

parts £1.00 each

(see Fugues for Strings)

Geminiani’s fine Concerto Grosso in D, op. 7 no. 1,  contains one of his great fugues which he (rather daringly) entitles 'L'Arte del Fuga'.  Veracini could not help but pour scorn on this movement in a treatise, calling it 'fuga mostruosa' (and a fugue to run away from!). He does however avoid mentioning names directly, using an anagram of Geminiani's name. He wrote his own fugue using Geminiani's themes to prove his point, and this is it!

Veracini fails to understand that Geminiani's fugues are never like anyone else's: we would call the 'mutilation of the fugue subject' gradual transformation of the material!

Details of Veracini's criticism can be found in Enrico Careri's book on Geminiani (OUP 1993)

sheet music by Veracini for string orchestra