flapper fugue
My friend Gerry is an evil genius. He's also the organist at the church I cantor at these days.
Yesterday morning at about 8:45, when we were in the organ loft preparing to start the 1st mass of the day, I saw a Godspell book laying around & said something about my long-ago experience with a kids' chorus doing that slutty flapper song Turn Back O Man. (Check it out, with that fabulous speakeasy feel and obnoxious "da da da da daaaa!") We joked about it for a minute or two. Then I went downstairs to take my place on the altar.
Partially just to amuse himself, and partially to fuck with me, Gerry then proceeded to make up a quiet, innocent-sounding prelude on the spot, using the "Turn Back O Man" melody in a textbook Bach-style fugue. Running counterpoint, episodes, figured bass, the whole 9 yards, but note-perfect to that melody and its implied harmony. It actually makes a nice fugue! But unless people were listening very carefully, they'd probly miss the reference.
Damn him, it made me crack up laughing right in front of the whole congregation at 9 in the morning. :-p
Yesterday morning at about 8:45, when we were in the organ loft preparing to start the 1st mass of the day, I saw a Godspell book laying around & said something about my long-ago experience with a kids' chorus doing that slutty flapper song Turn Back O Man. (Check it out, with that fabulous speakeasy feel and obnoxious "da da da da daaaa!") We joked about it for a minute or two. Then I went downstairs to take my place on the altar.
Partially just to amuse himself, and partially to fuck with me, Gerry then proceeded to make up a quiet, innocent-sounding prelude on the spot, using the "Turn Back O Man" melody in a textbook Bach-style fugue. Running counterpoint, episodes, figured bass, the whole 9 yards, but note-perfect to that melody and its implied harmony. It actually makes a nice fugue! But unless people were listening very carefully, they'd probly miss the reference.
Damn him, it made me crack up laughing right in front of the whole congregation at 9 in the morning. :-p