Geographical Fugue
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2 Construction 3 The Text |
Composer
The Geographical Fugue or Fuge aus der Geographie ismost famous piecespoken chorus by Ernst Toch. Toch wasprominent composer1920s Berlin,singlehandedly inventedidiom of"Spoken Chorus".The piece wassensation whenwas first performed,remains Toch's most-performed work, althoughcomposer himself has always dismissedas an unimportant diversion.
Construction
Itwrittenstrict fugal form,consistsfour voices, each enunciating various cites, countriesother geographical landmarkstrue contrapuntal fashion. It ends withclimactic finale usingword "Ratibor!" ("Trinidad"),first word ofsubject. Voices enter inorder of: soprano, alto, tenor, bass.The Text
Translation
Although written originallyGerman ("Ratibor! Und der Fluss Mississippi und der Stadt Honolulu und der See Titicaca..."),was later translated into Englishreceived wide aclaim.The full part textEnglishreproduced below.
Sopranos' text
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Yokohama, Yokohama.
- [pause]
- Rimini Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi
- Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi Brindisi,
- PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico Mexico Mexico.
- Nagasaki, Yo-ko-hama, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Honolulu
- Mississippi, Titicaca
- Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca Titicaca
- Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Titicaca, Titicaca, Yo-ko-hama, Naga-saki
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Canada Canada Malaga Malaga
- Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Canada Canada Malaga Malaga
- Malaga Malaga Malaga Malaga Malaga Malaga, Trinidad!
- Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- Mississippi Honolulu Titicaca Titicaca
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Trrrrrrrrinidad!
Altos' text
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Yokohama.
- Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Nagasaki, Nagasaki
- Canada Canada Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Malaga Malaga
- Canada Malaga Canada Malaga Canada Malaga Canada Malaga
- Tibet, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Yo-ko-hama
- Tibet, Yokohama, Honolulu, Mississippi, Titicaca
- Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Yo-ko-hama, Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu and:lake Titicaca,
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico,
- Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Canada Canada Malaga Malaga
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca
- Mississippi Honolulu Titicaca Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad!
Tenors' text
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Yokohama.
- Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet
- [pause]
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Yokohama, Honolulu, Mississippi, Titicaca
- Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Nagasaki, Yo-ko-hama, Tibet, Tibet
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Nagasaki, Nagasaki
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Canada Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Malaga Malaga
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca, :Titicaca.
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Canada Malaga Malaga Canada Canada Malaga Malaga
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca
- Mississippi Honolulu Titicaca Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi :Mississippi Mississippi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi, Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad! Trinidad!
Bass' text
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Na-gasaki, Naga-saki.
- [pause]
- Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Yokohama, Honolulu, Mississippi
- Titicaca, Titicaca, Titicaca, Titicaca, Titicaca, Titicaca
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- Titicaca, Titicaca, Nagasaki, Naga-saki!
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca.
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- the PopocateptlnotCanada, ratherMexico, Mexico, Mexico!
- Canada Canada Malaga Malaga
- Trinidad! Andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca,
- andbig Mississippi andtown Honolulu andlake Titicaca
- Mississippi Honolulu Titicaca Mississippi Mississippi
- Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi -sippi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi, Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi, Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi
- Canada Malaga Rimini Brindisi, Trinidad!
