Ludus Tonalis [SEP] instrumentation
Ludus Tonalis
Ludus Tonalis ("Play of Tones", "Tonal Game", or "Tonal Primary School" after the Latin "Ludus Litterarius" ), subtitled "Kontrapunktische, tonale, und Klaviertechnische Übungen" ("Counterpoint, tonal and technical studies for the piano"), is a piano work by Paul Hindemith that was composed in 1942 during his stay in the United States. It was first performed in 1943 in Chicago by Willard MacGregor. The piece explores, "matters of technique, theory, inspiration
different tonality very close to that). The tonalities of the fugues follow the order of his Serie 1 and use the keynote C (see "The Craft of Musical Composition").
"Ludus Tonalis" was intended to be the twentieth-century equivalent to J.S. Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier". Unlike Bach's work, though, the non-fugal pieces in "Ludus Tonalis" frequently repeat the work's main theme.
"Ludus Tonalis" can be thought of as the most direct