Doris Howe replies to me:

>>There's a jeu d'esprit called the Geographical Fugue -- a killer fugue
>>based solely on spoken words and rhythms.
>
>I have a copy of this somewhere: is it for 8 voices? My music needs
>sorting out..ah well, one day.........  I'd love to have a go.  Is there
>a recording?

I've actually "sung" (or spoken) this piece, but I don't remember, since
it was close to forty years ago.  I recall it as four or five parts.  There
was a killer recording with the Abbey Singers (Jan De Gaetani, David Dodds,
Earnest Murphy, Arthur Burrows, and Marvin Hayes, all associated at one
time with early-music pioneer Noah Greenberg) on American Decca (DL
710073), but good luck finding it.

I note that Amazon lists a performance on Reference 61.  There are two
versions, both by the composer, of the fugue -- one in German, the other
in English.  This may be the German version.  There's also a performance
on the German label Thorofon 2044.  I haven't heard either one, but based
on my previous encounters with the label, I'd lean to the Thorofon.

Steve Schwartz