Fugue, in music, a compositional procedure characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in
simultaneously sounding melodic lines
(counterpoint). The term fugue may also be used to describe a work or part of a work.
What is counterpoint a form of?
In music, counterpoint is the
relationship between two or more musical lines
(or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. … There are several different forms of counterpoint, including imitative counterpoint and free counterpoint.
What are fugal techniques?
In music, a fugue is
a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices
, built on a subject (theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and recurs frequently in the course of the composition.
What is a fugal subject?
(Fugal) Subject :
a short tune which forms the melodic basis of a fugue, recurring throughout
. … (Fugal) Exposition : The first part of a fugue, during which each of the voices enter with the subject or answer.
What is a fugal episode?
A section of a fugue where the subject is absent
. All fugues begin with the subject stated in turn by all voices (the exposition). The remainder of the fugue alternates between subject entries and subject-free episodes.
What are the rules of counterpoint?
- The interval between the given note and the note in your counter-melody should be consonant (major/minor 3rd or 6th, perfect unison, 5th, or octave, or a compound form).
- If the counter-melody is above the given melody, then the last note of the counter-melody should be in the tonic chord.
How do you write a fugal answer?
- The exposition begins the fugue and a single voice plays the subject establishing the tonic key. …
- The middle section consists of entries of subject and answer in keys other than the tonic separated by episodes. …
- The final section begins where the subject or answer returns in the tonic key.
What is the purpose of counterpoint?
Counterpoint is
the mediation of two or more musical lines into a meaningful and pleasing whole
. In first-species counterpoint, we not only write a smooth melody that has its own integrity of shape, variety, and goal-directed motion, but we also write a second melody that contains these traits.
Is counterpoint still used?
It is still used
, but not the way Bach used it. Bach used to compose the different voices to be harmonically interdependent but rhythmically independent. After a certain point (later 19th-early 20th century) the composers took counterpoint in a different direction.
How do you explain counterpoint?
Counterpoint is a style of musical writing which involves
intertwining two or more melodies
. Each individual melody (also called a “voice” or “part”) is an independent, musical idea, and the emphasis is on the separate strands of melody, on the horizontal axis, rather than on the harmony, or vertical axis.
What is invertible counterpoint?
:
musical counterpoint in which each part can be placed above or below any of the others
First his students wrote invertible counterpoint …, then turned to invertible canons, and finally applied their acquired contrapuntal skills to fugue writing.—
What is a Bach fugue?
What is a fugue? The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a fugue is:
a polyphonic composition in which a short melodic theme, the subject, is introduced by one part or voice, and successively taken up by the others and developed by their interweaving
.
What is a Countersubject in a fugue?
In a fugue, a countersubject is
“the continuation of counterpoint in the voice that began with the subject”, occurring against the answer
. It is not usually regarded as an essential feature of fugue, however.
How do I find Countersubject?
A Countersubject often
appears in the Exposition
(and also later in the fugue). A countersubject acts like an accompaniment to the Subject and Answer. So, the voice/part which has just played the Subject will go on to play the Countersubject whilst the next voice is playing the answer.
Is fugue a form?
A fugue is
a multi-voice musical form that hinges on counterpoint between voices
. Composers can write fugues for a single instrument (most notably a piano or other keyboard instrument), or they can write them for several individual players.
What does fugue mean in music?
Fugue, in music,
a compositional procedure characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme
(called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint).
