Better Late Than Never: Re-encountering Bach’s “Little” Fugue —遲到好過冇到：重遇巴赫《小賦格》

🎶 JS Bach Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 “The Little Fugue”

(Cantonese Version follows English below - 廣東話版喺英文之後)

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Introduction: Late Is Still Better Than Never

Some pieces aren’t love at first sight, but they stay around like an old friend — always present, never demanding. For me, Bach’s Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 (“The Little Fugue”), is exactly that. It has been in my life for years, yet never fully “completed” until recently. Finally sitting down to work on it taught me not just about music, but about patience, discipline, and the way I relate to myself.

First Encounter: The CD Ritual

My first encounter with this piece wasn’t at the piano 🎹, but through a CD 💿. Back in my very first job, I had little idea what I was doing, and time felt unbearably slow ⏳. To give myself something to look forward to, I created a small ritual: every month I’d go to the mall downstairs and buy a new CD. It was a way to break the monotony, something to carry me through the days at my desk.

One of those CDs was an album of Bach’s organ works. I remember being struck by the grandeur of the organ sound — overwhelming, almost cosmic. The Little Fugue was on that disc, and it soon became part of the background of my life.

Driving Years: Familiar Yet Not Always Loved

That same CD went on to accompany me for over a decade 🚗. I’d play it endlessly on long drives — sometimes mesmerised ✨ by the interweaving voices, sometimes letting it just wash over me.

Not everyone shared my taste 🙈. Friends and family often found the organ sound too intrusive. More than once, I was asked to skip the disc altogether. But for me, it became steady company 🤝 — not a great passion, but a familiar voice that never left.

Brio Days: A Playful Adaptation

Later, when I joined Brio (a small group of alumni from the Hong Kong Children’s Choir) 🎤, the fugue reappeared in an unexpected way. We performed a quirky three-part mixed choir adaptation — with me at the piano and even some light choreography 💃. The lyrics, amusingly, were about catching a cold 🤧. Not exactly the most socially desirable theme to recall after COVID, but at the time it brought humour 😄 and playfulness to a work usually treated with strict formality.

👉 Here’s a version of that adaptation (without choreography).

Returning to the Piano: Challenge and Calm

When I returned to piano practice more seriously in recent years, Bach became a natural choice. His works sharpen technique, clarify structure, and steady the mind. The Little Fugue is not my favourite piece, but it fits me perfectly: not too simple to be boring, not too hard to be unachievable.

Playing a fugue is like meditation 🧘. Each voice takes its own path, yet they must align. A moment’s distraction and the whole thing unravels. It demands focus, but at the same time, it brings calm.

A Reflection of Myself

Working on this fugue, I realised it mirrors something of my own character. I like systems and structure, but I resist rigidity. I value uniqueness, but not when it comes out of thin air. Bach offers that balance: the freedom to say something personal, in a language everyone recognises — music.

Conclusion: Better Late Than Never

After years of circling around it, I finally sat down and played it properly — and recorded it 🎥. Technology helps us preserve progress, but the real achievement lies in persistence and patience.

For me, The Little Fugue is an old friend and a quiet reminder: in music, life, and work, better late than never.

🎶 Full performance: https://youtu.be/HCqupd5nYLM

前言：遲咗唔緊要

有啲歌唔係聽第一下就「嘩，正呀！」，但係佢可以好似老死咁，成日喺你身邊兜嚟兜去。巴赫呢首《小賦格》（BWV 578）對我嚟講就係咁嘅存在。唔算特別鍾意，但係熟口熟面，仲要陪咗我好多年。

初相識：CD 年代嘅小習慣

第一次遇到呢首曲，唔係彈琴 🎹，而係喺一隻 CD 💿 度。嗰陣啱啱做第一份工，成日唔知自己做緊乜，時間真係慢到出汁 ⏳。為咗有啲嘢期待下，我自己 set 咗個習慣：每個月去樓下商場行一轉，買隻新 CD。返到 office，播住做嘢，當係精神支撐。

結果有一隻巴赫管風琴碟，就咁樣入咗我生活。第一次聽，覺得個聲好「霸氣」，有啲壓場感。《小賦格》就係其中一 track，之後慢慢聽到熟晒。

駕車歲月：又愛又厭

之後嗰十幾年 🚗，呢隻碟幾乎成日 loop。自己揸車嗰陣，聽到層層聲部交錯，好 mesmerising ✨；有時又懶理，當背景聲咁算。

但唔係個個啱聽 🙈。有朋友同家人一上車就投訴：「你播咩呀？好嘈呀！」結果我有時要即刻 skip 成隻碟。對我嚟講，佢唔係最愛，但係穩陣嘅陪伴 🤝。

Brio 時光：玩味嘅改編

去到後來我參加 Brio（香港兒童合唱團舊生小組）🎤，呢首 fugue 又再出現。我哋唱咗個三部合唱搞笑版，由我伴奏，仲加咗少少「甩繩仔」嘅編舞 💃。歌詞仲要係講「傷風感冒」 🤧 — — 依家疫情之後再回想，真係有啲唔太啱，但嗰陣大家覺得好搞笑 😄。嚴肅嘅賦格，突然多咗一份玩味。

👉 呢度有個冇編舞嘅版本

重返琴鍵：挑戰又平靜

近年返嚟認真彈琴，巴赫成日都係指定動作。無論練技術、調心境，定係睇結構，佢啲曲都幫到手。《小賦格》唔係至愛，但對我啱啱好：唔會太簡單悶親，又唔至於高攀唔到。

彈 fugue 真係好似打坐 🧘。每條聲線自己行自己路，但又要互相夾。少少分心就亂晒。要專注，但又帶嚟平靜。

自己嘅影子

我發覺，處理呢首曲，某程度好似睇緊自己。我鍾意有系統、有結構，但唔想死板；我鍾意有特色，但唔係憑空作。巴赫俾到我自由，用大家都聽得明嘅音樂語言，講自己嘅版本。

總結：遲咗都好過冇

兜兜轉轉咁多年，終於肯落手去學，錄低佢 🎥。科技可以幫我留低呢一刻，但真正嘅得著係嗰份堅持。

對我嚟講，《小賦格》係老朋友，亦係一個提醒：無論音樂、人生定事業，「遲咗都好過冇。」

🎶 完整演奏：https://youtu.be/HCqupd5nYLM