Composing a Fugue

[Kevin]

Has anyone ever written a successful fugue? If you have would you like to guide the members through the way to do it?

[Deleted]

Nov 3, 2009 20:13:33 GMT Kevin said:

Has anyone ever written a successful fugue? If you have would you like to guide the members through the way to do it?

Nope, but it's on my wish-list as Bach is one of my all-time favorite composers (and sometimes this shows in my writing...)

I just feel I'm not ready for it yet (need to study to ready understand the form / rules of a good fugue... but don't know where to find the time or energy so far)

[steve]

Nope, but the more I read and study - it seems like an elusive dream. Apparently, like true sonata form, there never really was a historical precedent for hard and fast rules governing a "proper" fugue. There have been generalizations afterwords etc, but it seems no actual "formula" that one could follow to create a "proper" fugue. Successful? I guess the ear is the judge [?]. At any rate, love them and will one day write some that my ear deems succesful - it's just a matter of time!

[steve]

If you have scorch installed, here's a good one by self proclaimed Old Geezer Freddy Zinos:

sibeliusmusic.com/index.php?sm=home.score&scoreID=87040

[Kevin]

Borrowed from another composers forum.

How to write a Fugue

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A Fugue is a "movement of continuity" and normally all grows out of the one original germ, the "subject," possibly with te aid of its ally and couterpart the "countersubject." A fugue, at least according to academic theory, has three main divisions, the Exposition (or Enunciation), the Middle (or Modulating Section) and the Final Section (The use of the term "Recapitulation" for the Final Section is not desirable; this term should be reserved for sonata form and its derivatives). Despute the three divisions, a fugue should not be thought of as in ternary form, since the middle section is not an episode in the ternary sense. In fact, fugue is not a form at all, in the usual sense of the term, since its ground plan is infinitely variable. This can easily be proved by comparing and two or three of Bach's "48". Fugue is a texture, a style rather than a form.

The Subject is a single melody which, if properly constructed, is capable of use and development in a variety of ways. It may or may not contain modulations. If it does, the most probable is to the dominant. Oter incidental modulations may occur but are of not particular importance.

The Answer is, essentially, the subject transposed up a perfect 5th or down a perfect 4th into the dominant key. If the transposition is exact throughout, the answer is called "real". But there are circumstances which require that the transposition shall not be exact (one or more intervals changed). In this case the answer is "tonal".

The Countersubject is the melody which the first voice to enter sings/plays against the second when it comes in with the answer. If the countersubject is used consistently against each successive entry of a subject or nswer at least throughtout the Exposistion it is called "Regular". If not it is "not regular". (A countersubject is never known as "irregular"). In the case of a subject requiring a tonal answer, the countersubject will also need modification according to wether it is accompanying subject or answer.

The Exposistion is bassically confined to tonic and dominant keys only (any other incidental modulations are immaterial) and usually consists of entries of subject and answer alternatley. It begins with the statement of the subject in a single voice. This is followed by the answer in another voice, in the dominant, the intial voice meanwhile continuing with the countersubject, The another voice enters with the subject, second voice continuing with the countersubject and so on until all voices have entered with either subject or answer. The number of voices may vary from two to as many as eight (or even more); three or four are the most usual.

The Middle Section consists of enteries of subject and answer in keys oter than the tonic, separated by episodes (A definition of a fugal episode is: "Episodes serve as modulating links between entries of subject and answer to give a relief from continual reiteration of the subject). An episode in a fugue differs from one in a ternay or rondo form in that stritly speaking it is not constrasted with the matter on either side of it. It is generally based on some figure taken from subject or countersubject, o possibly the codetta and is most often built up by imitative treatment of such a figure. Frequently one or more of the voices will have rests so as to give relief from uniterrupted writing for the full uninterrupted writing for the full number of parts.

The Final Section begins (again according to academic tradition) where the subject or answer returns in the tonic key. This final section will contain at least one entry of the sibkect in the tonic (even Bach does not vary this) and will usually end with a coda of which the length may vary from a few notes to a few bars. It is not easy to give any definite ruleas as to "spotting" the beginning of a coda, much depends on the "feel" of the music; but it is generally safe enough to take it as starting from the end of thelast complete entry of subject answer.

During the Middle and Final sections, various "fugal devices" may appear. (Bach of course used them at times in the exposistion). They are:
Stretto,
Augmentation of the subject,
Diminution of the subject.
Inverse movement,
Stretto occurs when entries of subject and answer overlap each other, the seoncd beginning befor the first is finished.

A close stretto is one in which the overlapping is considerable.

A stretto Maestrable or "Maesterly Stretto" is one which all the voice take part, each having the subject or answer complete and unmodified.

Augmentation of the subject means statement of it in notes of greater value, usually double.

Diminution of the subject means statement of it in notes of smaller value, usually half.

Inverse movement means statement of the subject upside-down, upward intervalls become downwards ones and vice cersa. This is somtimes called "Inversion" but "Inverse Movement" is a perferable term since it avoids any possible confusio with inversion of subject and countersubject.


This does not cover all aspects of fugue, but provides an elementary understanding. I hope this hopes this helps.

[Deleted]

That is really useful and comprehensible information. Thank you! Now I feel like trying my hand at writing one.