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Essay: Bach Prelude And Fugue

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It was too cold a Spring morning in early November to be arriving at the venue of the Australian Musical Examinations Board, yet jubilant birds sang soothing tones high above in the tall trees, completely oblivious to the sense of impending misfortune that haunted the restive figure below them.

Every possibility of failure seemed to ravish the cheery ambience of the practice room inside the warm studio. The Associate Diploma was a serious exam, and very subconsciously, Anna knew that failing would mean a banishment- to go no further with her musical endeavors. It seemed more deadly than being sentenced to gaol. She stared at her own series of music books that she clutched- Bach, Haydn and other forms of weariness, and then launched into her first piece. After several miserable attempts to deliver a grand opening of a Bach Prelude and Fugue, she was being reluctantly dragged out of the practice room and into the examination room. This time, her surroundings morphed into something even more intimidating and even less …show more content…

It was a funeral piece- a piece of lament; so full of deep distress and existential angst. The melody was of blackest depression and melancholy, unraveling Rachmaninov’s brooding despair. Every fear, and every hesitation of his shuddering heart was disclosed within this piece of music. The piano evolved into a living entity, and its wail was the climax. She plunged into the fierce ‘appasionato’ of the piece as it poured despondent tears, pensive and grieving. Its heart spiraled into the fathomless deep abyss of anguish. She returned once again to the lamenting melody, shattering all the warmth and joy in the world. She claimed the sorrow as her own and embarked upon the piece’s coda. With the aura of grey becoming increasingly distinct, she rose into the climax, and ended the piece in grave despair and

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