Cat Fugue

Album: Complete Piano Sonatas (1739)
Play Video

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

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.