"Fugue based on Mary Had A Little Lamb"

[beige_alert]

Things you don't expect to hear department: "A mischievous blending of tunes from here and there, including 'This Old Man,' 'Grandfather's Clock,' a fugue based on 'Mary Had A Little Lamb,' and a love theme from the film score by Nelson Riddle for 'The Great Gatsby,' all brought together by the incendiary wizardry of the young American virtuoso Cameron Carpenter." This description by Michael Barone (not to be confused with the conservative pundit by the same name) on Pipedreams, of an improvisation played on the show in September 2007. Program notes and link to on-line audio here. It was the last thing played, at about 73 minutes into the show if you want to listen to it in particular.

Comments

[tig-b.livejournal.com]

I would usually associate the word fugue with the psychological meaning:
* sudden, unexpected travel away from home or one's customary place of work, with inability to recall one's past

rather than the musical term, so was confused on reading the title as to why someone would disappear after encountering Mary's lamb - but then thought 'Ahhhh, filk ...'

[madfilkentist]

Mozart wrote variations on "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (known to him as "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman"), so why not?