The Art of Fugue ― Bach Fugues for Keyboard, 1715-1750

"It is sweet and fitting that Joseph Kerman, who has given us such insight into William Byrd, one of music's inspiring octogenarians, should have celebrated his own eightieth birthday by completing this rich and constantly surprising study of Bach's fugues. As ever, Kerman's hearing is sharp, his thinking precise and original, and his prose elegant and sapid. Who would have thought that one could write about fugues with such warmth and love, and with such an exhilarating sense of joy?"--Michael Steinberg, author of The Symphony: A Listener's Guide

"Joseph Kerman's writings on Bach are astonishing, stimulating. . . they help the musician and listener to encounter the sometimes impenetrable music of Bach in a way which is marvelous and accessible."--Stephen Kovacevich

Joseph Kerman, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, is author of Concerto Conversations (1999), Write All These Down (California, 1994), and Opera as Drama (California, 1988), among other books. He was a founding editor of the journal 19th-Century Music and is a regular contributor to the New York Review.