Fugue << fyoog >> is a musical composition in which several voices or instruments repeat a number of melodies with slight variations. A fugue is based on counterpoint, a composing technique in which two or more melodies are combined. The fugue as an independent composition began in the 1600’s. German composer Johann Sebastian Bach was noted for his fugues.
A fugue begins with a section called the exposition, in which the melodies are first stated. The basic melody is called the subject. It is followed by a melody called the answer. The answer resembles the subject but it is performed in a different but related key. A third melody, called the countersubject, accompanies the answer. The other melodies then enter in sequence. After all the performers state the subject, the exposition is complete. The term fugue comes from the Latin word fuga, meaning flight. The subject seems to be “fleeing” from the other melodies that chase it.
Loading the player...Toccata and Fugue in D minor
After the exposition, the subject is repeated in different but related keys. In most fugues, brief passages called episodes link the entrances of the subject. Fugues generally end in stretto, in which the subject and answer are performed closer together than in the exposition.
