What is a fugue in simple terms?
Definition of fugue 1a : a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices and contrapuntally developed in a continuous interweaving of the voice parts The organist played a four-voiced fugue.
What is fugue technique?
In music, a fugue (/fjuːɡ/) is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition.
How did Bach improvise?
Bach improvised a six-voice fugue on a theme of his own, but on his return to Leipzig wrote out a six-voice fugue on the royal theme. He had it printed with a number of other works all based on the same theme, and sent it to Frederick as ”a musical offering. ”
What is classical improvisation?
• ‘Improvisation’ is generally seen as the creation and performance of a piece simultaneously in the moment, and suggests spontaneous play.
Is fugue instrumental or vocal?
A fugue is the most complex polyphonic musical form, involving imitation among the parts (called “voices” whether they are vocal or instrumental). The word fugue comes from fuga, meaning to chase since each voice “chases” the previous one.
What is an example of fugue music?
In Mozart’s Fugue in G Minor, K 401, for piano four hands (1782), the two subjects are melodic inversions of each other. Two excellent examples of triple fugue (i.e., having three subjects) are Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, No. 4, and his Fugue in E-flat Major for organ, BWV 552, called the St.
What does fugue mean in psychology?
The word fugue comes from the Latin word for “flight.” People with dissociative fugue temporarily lose their sense of personal identity and impulsively wander or travel away from their homes or places of work. They often become confused about who they are and might even create new identities.
What is a real answer in a fugue?
IN FUGAL writing, the ”answer” is the presentation of the fugue sub. ject by the second voice to enter. The answer is “real” if this pre sentation is an exact transposition of the statement by the open ing voice (every note a fifth upward or a fourth downward from the original), “tonal” if not exact.
What are the main elements of a fugue?
In some fugues, the subject is always present in one part or another; in most, statements of the subject are often separated by connective melodic passages called episodes. The way the fugue unfolds and how long it lasts are determined by the composer’s wish to include a variety of possible treatments of the subject.
What is the meaning of the word fugue?
Fugue. For other uses, see Fugue (disambiguation). In music, a fugue ( / fjuːɡ /) is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition.
What is the exposition of a fugue in music?
Exposition. A fugue begins with the exposition of its subject in one of the voices alone in the tonic key. After the statement of the subject, a second voice enters and states the subject with the subject transposed to another key (usually the dominant or subdominant ), which is known as the answer.
What is a false entry in a fugue?
At any point in the fugue there may be “false entries” of the subject, which include the start of the subject but are not completed. False entries are often abbreviated to the head of the subject, and anticipate the “true” entry of the subject, heightening the impact of the subject proper.
What happens at the end of a fugue?
In some fugues, the exposition will end with a redundant entry, or an extra presentation of the theme. Furthermore, in some fugues the entry of one of the voices may be reserved until later, for example in the pedals of an organ fugue (see J.S. Bach’s Fugue in C major for Organ, BWV 547).