ANDERSON: The Cat's Fugue

• Watch a graphic representation of "The Cat's Fugue."

• Buy "Reimagine," the CD/DVD combo featuring this work!

• Read the opening chapter (all about "The Cat's Fugue!") to Greg's book-in-progress.

According to eighteenth-century legend, Domenico Scarlatti received a flash of inspiration after a cat tiptoed across the royal harpsichord at the Spanish Court. He composed a fugue, and for the fugue's theme he used the succession of discordant pitches produced by Miss Pussy’s paws. This is our own fugue -- a joyous romp over the keys -- using the very same theme.

It is no simple task to compose a fugue, after all, they tend to involve examples of incredibly complex contrapuntal procedures! As a result, fugues sometimes have the reputation of being stodgy, severe, and academic. However, it can be an amazing experience to listen to several (in this case, four) unique musical voices coalesce into something bigger. In The Cat's Fugue, all four voices maintain their independence and can be heard in dialogue with one another, but ultimately they are working together harmonically, melodically, and structurally to produce a complete musical picture.