me of the organ fugues of Bach performed on a
really fine instrument. A few well-known fugues are herewith cited in
order to stimulate the student to some investigation of his own. In
all the Oratorios of Handel and in the choral works of Bach, such as
the B minor Mass, may be found magnificent fugues--as free and vital
in their rhythmic swing as the ocean itself. Particular attention
should be called to the fugue in the Messiah "And by His stripes we
were healed [Transcriber's Note: And with His stripes we are healed]."
One of the most impressive fugues in modern literature is the a
capella chorus _Urbs Syon Unica_ from H.W. Parker's _Hora Novissima_.
From among the organ works of Bach everyone should know the Fugues in
G minor, in A minor, in D major[38] and the Toccata and Fugue in D
minor. These have all been transcribed for the pianoforte by Liszt and
so are readily available; they are often played at pianoforte recitals
by Paderewski and other virtuosi. In hearing one of these masterpieces
no one can remain unmoved or can fail to reverence the constructive
genius which fashioned such cathedrals in tone. For orchestra we have
the Prelude to Puccini's opera _Madama Butterfly_, and the beginning
of the Prelude to the third act of Wagner's _Mastersingers_. There are
striking fugal passages in Beethoven's Symphonies, _e.g._, the first
movement of the _Heroic Symphony_ and the rollicking Trio of the
Scherzo in the _Fifth Symphony_. In more modern literature there is
the fugal Finale to Arthur Foote's _Suite for Orchestra_ and in
Chadwick's _Vagrom Ballad_ a humorous quotation of the theme from
Bach's _G minor Fugue_ for organ. One of the most superb fugues in
free style is the last movement of Cesar Franck's _Prelude, Choral and
Fugue in B minor_ for Pianoforte. This movement alone would refute
all charges of dullness or dryness brought against the fugue by the
unthinking or the unenlightened. A good fugue, in fact, is so full of
vitality and demands such _active_ comprehension[39] on the part of
the listener that it is not difficult to imagine where the dullness
and dryness are generally found.

[Footnote 38: Whenever Percy Grainger performs this fugue in his own
arrangement for pianoforte, he always electrifies an audience.]

[Footnote 39: It is worthy of observation that, for those who will
listen to them intelligently, fugues do not merely demand such a state
of mind but actually _generate_ it.]

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