Cat Fugue by Domenico Scarlatti

Album: Complete Piano Sonatas (1739)

License This Song

Songfacts®:

In English, this harpsichord solo in 6/8 time is rendered as "Fugue In G Major," "Fuga Del Gatto" or "Cat's Fugue." The Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti owned a cat named Pulcinella (as much as anyone can own a cat). His pet is said to have inspired this piece - if not to have actually composed it - by walking on the keyboard.

In The Reduced History Of Cats, Richard Pendleton writes:

"Far from being the kind of cat who would scamper up and down for five minutes and pass the resulting racket off as free-form jazz, Pulcinella almost seemed to be picking out tunes."
"Fuga Del Gatto" was published in 1739 as part of the collection 42 Pieces For The Harpsichord by the London publisher Roseingrave. Handel is thought to have "borrowed" from "Fuga Del Gatto" for his "Concerto Grossi Opus 6" which was published the same year.

Whether or not Pulcinella did actually contribute to it, "Cat Fugue" certainly has a stacatto feel. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 1

Heidi from TexasJust sharing that an "instrumental song" means a piece with a singer and instruments. Neither this Scarlatti piece nor the Tchaikovsky Overture found in the "more instrumental songs" link are songs of any ilk. For a piece to be a song, it must have a singer, that is the definition of a song. You can confirm this information with any music teacher or department of music. D. Scarlatti's "Cat Fugue" is a fugue but since Scarlatti also identified it as a sonata either classification is correct.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Money For NothingDire Straits

Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler got the idea for "Money For Nothing" after overhearing delivery men in a New York department store complain about their jobs while watching MTV.

PossessionSarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan's "Possession" contains passages from letters a stalker sent her. He sued her for using them but died by suicide before the trial.

Human NatureMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" was written by the keyboard player from Toto, who was working on the Thriller album.

Radar LoveGolden Earring

At the end of "Radar Love," the driver dies in a crash but maintains a psychic bond with the woman he was racing to see. The song's lyricist was inspired by stories of extrasensory perception (ESP).