If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then imitating imitative counterpoint must be utter musical sycophancy.
Let’s just say that in the 90s I went through a Bach phase. I studied counterpoint, read through Riemenschneider’s 371 Bach Chorales collection, and pretty much every piece I wrote was an homage to the man. That’s not all bad, of course. For years, composers have studied the masters to hone their own craft. And in my case, studying Bach counterpoint blossomed into a series of inventions, rhythmic metamorphoses, and crossfades that I still like today.
But it all got started with some pieces imitating Bach’s inventions for piano. Here are my imitatively flattering Invention #1 (MP3, PDF) and Invention #3 (MP3, PDF).
