Kaii Lee had combined several piano/keyboard method books and her life long music learning books to create this sequential music theory study for this website. This page is about the understanding of the Fugue. Composers in the Baroque Period had made big discoveries of the keyboard instruments after the pipe organ, such as harpsichord, clavichord, and pianoforte. The independent voices of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass had led the way to new music form called Fugue. It was not only for the choral or vocal music, but for varieties of instrumental music as well. By clicking on the other colored links at the bottom of this page, the other music theory topics can be found easily.

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Prelude | Voices/Parts | Fugue | Ending

Fugue is a complex form of music presentation; therefore, many occasions, a Prelude would be the preamble for a little finger exercise. Sometimes, the Prelude becomes such a famous song and other composers create new melodies to match the Prelude. The most famous example would be Johann Sebastien Bach's Prelude in C Major, from Well-Tempered Klavier, Book 1, with Charles Gounod's "Ave Maria" melody. The following sample has been transcribed for chorus and organ in the key of D Major.

"Ave Maria" by Charles Gounod with JS Bach's Prelude in D Major, BWV 846

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Following the Prelude, a Fugue is usually written in the same key as the Prelude. Commonly, the Fugue could be either 3- or 4-voice in complexity. Imagine the above sample is written in the key of C Major, the following Fugue example could fit perfectly. This example has four parts. They can be divided as Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass, like a chorus.

JS Bach's Fugue in C Major, BWV 846, in Four Voices

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Depending on the entrances of each voice, the parts may have different definition. Using the same Fugue above, the "Exposition" has been marked at the beginning of the Fugue this time. The melody at the opening of the Fugue is always called the "Subject", while the entrance of the next voice is called the "Answer" and is usually an interval of a fifth apart. As the "Answer" continues, the "Subject" is now becoming a "Countersubject." This may happen frequently, especially in the three-part Fugues. However, when the "Countersubject" continues and more separate "Subject" and "Countersubject" continues, composers could write some new materials to fill in gaps of the music. The new music ideas are called the "Episode."

In the middle of a Fugue, there could be many modulations and/or transpositions. That section is called "Development" and is usually leading back into the original key or tonal center.

JS Bach's Fugue in C Major, BWV 846

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The ending of a Fugue is usually a combination of many Subject, Countersubject, and Answer. In the following sample, the Subject and Answers happened many times within such short period right before the final C major chord. Bach also provided the use of a Pedal Point for the last four measures.

The Ending of JS Bach's Fugue in C Major, BWV 846

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One more example of fugue here taken from Ludwig Van Beethoven's Symphony No.9, last movement (Ode To Joy). He used the famous melody as the subject in a 6/4 time signature with the Countersubject throughout this section. The following sample shows the choral score only.

Ludwig Van Beethoven's Symphony No.9, in D Minor, Last Movement, Op. 125

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The next topic in this Music Theory site is all about "Sonata Form." Thank you for reading!

 

Music Theory that every musician could use and should know
The Basics	Math in Music	More Math and Signs	Music Forms
Time Signatures	Intervals	Modulations	Homophonic Style
			Polyphonic Style
	Diatonic & Chromatic Steps	Transposition	Contrapuntal Techniques
Key Signatures	Triads & Inversions		Binary Form
	Primary Triads	Augmented Sixth Chords	Ternary Form
	Secondary Triads	Traditional Compositional Tools	Dance Suites
Scales	Seventh Chords	Contemporary Compositional Tools	Prelude & Fugue
	Secondary Dominant	Musical Signs	Sonata Form
	Cadences		Rondo Form
Modes	Chord Progressions	Musical Terms	Theme & Variations
	Figured Bass & Basso Continuo		Serialism

 

For more information, please contact Ms. Lee at: info@kafm.net

 

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