Music Colloquium & Recital: ‘The Art of Fugue’: the culminating work of Bach’s final decade

Music Colloquium & Recital: ‘The Art of Fugue’: the culminating work of Bach’s final decade

The speaker and performer is Daniel Herscovitch
(Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney)

The Art of Fugue: the culminating work of Bach’s final decade

Lecture Theatre 1, School of Music

Chaired by Steve Muir


Colloquium Abstract

‘The Art of Fugue preserves the purest spirit of the highest form of baroque art. The work is a philosophical breviary, every measure of which invites reflection and thought.’
Paul Henry Lang

The Art of Fugue marks the conclusion of Bach’s compositional career. In this presentation, Associate Professor Daniel Herscovitch from The University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music discusses the work and its relationship to the other five major compositions of Bach’s final decade. He examines various issues raised by these works, including genre, the implications of their titles, the forms in which they have come down to us, and their place within the performance practice of the time. The presentation will challenge long-held assumptions about The Art of Fugue, and conclude by discussing the many and various issues to be addressed in preparing a performance of The Art of Fugue on the modern piano.


One of Australia’s foremost and best-known pianists, Daniel Herscovitch studied with Alexander Sverjensky at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music then, with the generous support of a German Government DAAD scholarship, under Professor Rosl Schmid in Munich. While based in Germany he performed extensively on the continent and in England, also touring Australia three times. He has appeared at several international festivals including the Berlin Festival, the Zagreb Biennale and the Saarbrücken Tage der Neuen Musik.. His repertoire ranges from the 17th to the 21st centuries and his CDs have been released on ABC Classics, CSM, Tall Poppies, Continuum and Toccata Classics labels.

His performances on four continents have included many world premieres, often of works specially composed for him. He has also given papers at national and international conferences on subjects ranging from Bach to Bartók, and he recently undertook his fourth visit to the United States, where he performed and lectured on The Art of Fugue. A number of his students at Sydney University have themselves successfully launched their own international careers.


Followed by a recital of J. .S. Bach’s The Art of Fugue, Friday 2 February 2018, The School of Music, University of Leeds
FUAM is pleased to support this performance of J. S. Bach’s The Art of Fugue given by Professor Daniel Herscovitch, Senior Lecturer in piano at the University of Sydney. Please do come along for a very rare opportunity to hear the work in full.

There will be no charge for the recital but donations for FUAM will be welcome.

The School of Music is proud to be an All-Steinway School. Professor Herscovitch will be performing on one of the new Steinway grand pianos recently acquired by the School.