Fugues: Fixedor Free?
Nicholas Richardson-Waldin
Fugues 1 , one of the most intellectual forms of musical composition, follow strict rules for structure and harmonization to assemble rich and complex arrangements of subjects and counter-subjects. They are described by ‘Inside the Score’ 2 as ‘ one of the most incredible exercises in musical logic, thought and development ’ . In this essay, I discuss whether fugues are fixed in terms of structure and development of musical ideas or if their composers employed more freedom. I compare the work of two baroque masters of fugues: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. The word ‘ Fugue ’ describes music ‘based on canonic imitation (i.e. one voice ‘chasing’ another; the Latin fuga is related to both fugere: ‘to flee’ and fugare: ‘to chase’)’ . 3 Fugal technique, in its modern form, did not appear until the 16 th century when composers such as Gioseffo Zarlino first made the distinction between fugues and canons (the two types of imitative counterpoint). 4 Fugues became popular in the Baroque period (1600- 1750), with composers such as J.S. Bach, Handel and Arcangelo Corelli all regularly including them in their works.
Bach
J.S. Bach (1685-1750) is seen today as one of the most influential composers in history. 5 Bach wrote over a thousand compositions (classified by the ‘BWV’ categorization system) of which over 100 are fugues. Having written the ‘Well Tempered Clavier’, containing 48 preludes and fugues, one for each
1 Anonymous, 2020. Fugue . [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugue#History> [Accessed 19 July 2020]; Lumen Learning, 2020. Fugue | Music 101 . [online] Courses.lumenlearning.com. Available at: <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-musicapp- medieval-modern/chapter/fugue/> [Accessed 19 July 2020]; Walker, P., 2001. Fugue . [online] Grove Music Online. Available at: <https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo- 9781561592630-e-0000051678?rskey=9fKUP2> [Accessed 21 July 2020]. 2 Inside the Score, 2018. How To Listen To Classical Music: Fugues . [online] YouTube. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG4SKgCpppE> [Accessed 19 July 2020]. 3 Anonymous, 2020. Fugue (n.1). 4 Walker, P., 2001 (n.1). 5 Anonymous, 2020. Johann Sebastian Bach . [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach> [Accessed 12 August 2020]; Lumen Learning, 2020. J. S. Bach: His Works | Music Appreciation . [online] Courses.lumenlearning.com. Available at: <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/musicappreciation_with_theory/chapter/j-s-bach-his-works/> [Accessed 21 July 2020].
14
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software