Fugue

Fugue

This is an Advanced Higher Concept.

What is a Fugue?

A Fugue is a contrapuntal composition based on a theme.

It is usually written in 4 parts, we call these parts voices.

The theme that the fugue is based on is called a "Subject".

The Fugue will ALWAYS begin with the "Subject". This Subject is then repeated many times by all the voices throughout the fugue.

If you look at this piece you'll see the highlighted areas is when the Subject comes in in different voices:

You'll see that the notes aren't necessarily the same, but the pattern of notes are the same. This is how a fugue is built up - that Subject just repeats itself at various different starting pitches!

Now, where it gets a bit trickier is to remember that the Subject only actually happens once. The Subject is only called the Subject the first time it is played. Thereafter, it is actually called an "Answer".

Real Answer vs Tonal Answer

• There are 2 types of Answer
• A TONAL ANSWER and a REAL ANSWER
• A REAL ANSWER plays the SUBJECT using EXACTLY the same INTERVALS (spaces between notes eg a 5th between the 1st and 2nd note)
• A TONAL ANSWER plays the SUBJECT using SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT INTERVALS depending on the key/harmony at that time  -  for instance, if the Subject was in a major key but this answer version is in a minor key - that makes it a tonal answer.

Countersubject

The Countersubject is the name for the part that immediately follows the subject in Voice 1.

As the other voices enter with their answers (the same pattern as the subject) the first voice starts to play the "Countersubject".

Episode

an Episode in a fugue is a passage of music that is used simply to move things on and may facilitate a key change. It doesn't fall under subject, countersubject or answer.

Stretto

When the subject enters rapidly in one voice after the other, we call this "Stretto". Stretto passages sound really busy and frantic, and quite often are used to build to a climax just before the end of the Fugue.

See if you can spot each part as it comes in in this video of an Organ fugue: