Steve Schwartz wrote:

>There's a jeu d'esprit called the Geographical Fugue -- a killer fugue
>based solely on spoken words and rhythms.

"Geographical Fugue" is the third movement of a group of 3 Toch wrote for
speaking chorus in the very early '30s.  Only two movements survive: the
first, a Waltz for double chorus (if memory serves), and the exciting Fugue
(for SATB).

Yes: SATB.  Tone color of the speaking voices has a lot to do with
the composer's design.  Place names -- with their individual rhythms,
inflections, 'music' -- form the core of the text.  (Just say out loud
"Lake Titicaca".) Since the fugue subject starts with "Trinidad", imagine
the thrill of soprano and bass trilling the first syllable on the letter
"R" in stretto!

What a piece!

Judith Lang Zaimont
Professor of Composition, School of Music - University of Minnesota
http://www.jzaimont.com:8000