1961 Beckerath organ at Église Immaculee Conception, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Bach may have considered this piece a theoretical study and not have intended The Art of Fugue to be performed at all, since he prepared it in open score and left the climax incomplete. On our next Pipedreams program, we give life to theory, as an international array of soloists leads us through Bach’s contrapuntal maze, this music which astounds the mind and delights the ear simultaneously. A fugue too many? Not to worry, we’ll provide a map to help you listen, and hand you all the keys necessary to open the doors of mystery. How does it end?

We pick up the contrapuntal thread from last week and continue with some additional adventures. Bach left Die Kunst der Fuge incomplete, perhaps by design, perhaps by oversight, perhaps due to ill health. Should one resist the temptation to imagine a conclusion? We don’t.

…in preparation for our spring tour in Province Québec, a sampler of 19th and 20th century instruments in Montréal, Trois Riviers, Québec City and points in between.

…highlight performances from Montréal by winners of the 2008 Concours International d’Orgue du Canada, with commentary from CIOC artistic director John Grew.

…prize-winners of the premiere North American contest for young talents perform in Montreal.

…enjoy a collection of classic and contemporary interpretations of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

…during his later Leipzig years, Bach revised and prepared a diverse collection of chorale preludes that were his final testament in this format.

…we feature Canadian composers and performers in anticipation of the upcoming Canadian International Organ Competition in Montreal.

…an international array of soloists leads us through the magical intricacies of The Art of Fugue/Die Kunst der Fuge (S. 1080) by Johann Sebastian Bach.

…equalizing any potential clergy/musician power struggle, our performers here all are men of the cloth.

…Preludes to the Christmas Festival....settings of Advent and Christmas melodies both old and new.

…a capsule survey of three centuries of music and instruments in Canada's Province Quebec.,

What better way to explore the composers’ and the organbuilders’ art than through some sets of variations?

Visit A Montréal Organ Book with the Organ Historical Society: Music and instruments from Provence Québec, featuring Canadian artists.