The Cat's Fugue

According to an eighteenth-century legend, Domenico Scarlatti was struck by inspiration after a cat tiptoed across the royal harpsichord at the Spanish Court. He composed a fugue, using as its theme the stumbling line of errant notes produced by the feline’s paws. This is my own fugue built on that very same theme—a joyous romp over the keys in which order eventually emerges (but not without a few gleeful detours along the way).

Writing a fugue is no small feat: the form demands complex contrapuntal procedures and rigorous attention to structure. As a result, fugues are often seen as dry, academic exercises. Yet they have surprising potential to reward listeners when several independent musical voices—in this case, four—coalesce to form something greater than the sum of their parts. Think of it like small gears coming together to drive a steam engine… or, perhaps, like mischievous kittens assembling into a flash mob.

— Greg Anderson

Included on the album Reimagine