Example of stretto fugue in a quotation from Fugue in C major by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer who died in 1746. The subject, including an eighth note rest, is seen in the alto voice, starting on beat 1 bar 1 and ending on beat 1 bar 3, which is where the answer would usually be expected to begin. The meaning of FUGUE is 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.

Understanding the Context

Fugue, in music, a compositional procedure characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint). If you’re in a fugue state, it's like you're fleeing from your own identity. Symptoms of this rare condition include amnesia and wandering, typically in an attempt to create a new identity. A fugue is music written for several imitative parts which, entering at staggered stages, join together to create a harmonic whole.

Key Insights

Since the Middle Ages, and the first flowering of notated music, composers have striven beyond simple tune-plus-accompaniment. The fugue: a guide to one of classical music's most dazzling effects A fugue is a type of compositional technique that makes use of imitative counterpoint. In these often highly intricate works, an initial theme is taken and then imitated and expanded upon throughout the fugue. What is a fugue in simple terms? A fugue is a piece of music where a theme is introduced and then developed by multiple voices in an overlapping and structured way.

Final Thoughts