St. Anne Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552

Instrumentation: B-flat clarinet 1 B-flat clarinet 2 B-flat clarinet 3 Alto clarinet/Basset Horn/B-flat clarinet 4 Bass clarinet (low C, with 8va ossia) opt. E-flat contra-alto clarinet B-flat contrabass clarinet Length: 6-8 minutes Difficulty: Intermediate Notes: Johann Sebastian Bach's five-voice triple fugue in E-flat major from BWV 552 became known as the "St. Anne" fugue due to its similarity to the hymn of the same name by William Croft. It is presented here for five clarinets. Richard originally arranged this fugue with four B-flat clarinets, however this necessitated some octave transpositions from Bach's original composition, so it has been rescored for alto clarinet or basset horn, but if one is not available the original fourth clarinet part has also been included. The bass clarinet uses the extended low C range, but an 8va ossia is provided if an instrument with this range is not available. The arrangement can also be played as a larger clarinet ensemble or choir with the additional contra-alto and contrabass clarinet parts. The contra-alto part follows the bass clarinet part, but the contrabass follows the pedal line of the original organ part. When adding contra clarinets, the bass clarinet should play the 8va ossia. The added ornamentations have been chosen by studying the performances of prominent organists.