Pianist Jack Crotty of the West Virginia University music faculty will present a lecture and recital on J.S. Bach Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Creative Arts Center.

The program, which is free to the public, begins at 8:15 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall and will be based on research Crotty conducted in 2005-06 while on sabbatical.

It will consist of all 15 of Bachs Inventions, performed in their original order, as found in a notebook owned by Bachs oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. The notebook is frequently referred to as theKlavierbchlein fr Wilhelm Friedemann.

Bach composed the works for his son, and the short masterpieces, including individual inventions and sinfonies, are considered a superb example of musical construction. Several of the pieces are also included in BachsWell-Tempered Clavier.

The original order reveals these pieces to be more than a mere pedagogical collection of keyboard exercises and model compositions,Crotty said.They form a full-fledged compositional treatise, designed to teach what Bach referred to as �€~musical thinking.

For this reason alone, this composition is a most rare example of an integrated, multi-movement instrumental work from the baroque,he added.An understanding of the compositional logic of this piece not only throws light on its pedagogical function, but immeasurably enhances the enjoyment of the set.

During the second half of the program, Crotty will apply the compositional principle uncovered in the Inventions to four fugues from the first book of BachsWell-Tempered Clavier.The fugues include the C major, the C-sharp major, the G major and the B minor.

The harpsichord performance will be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation showing graphic representations of the form of each fugue.

Crotty teaches music theory at WVU and has degrees from the University of Michigan and Eastman School of Music. He previously taught at Boston University, Florida A&M University and Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass.

For more information about the lecture-recital, call the College of Creative Arts at 304-293-4841 ext. 3108.