10 Fugue Structure

Fugues are not so much a form into which notes are poured as a process involving imitation,
nevertheless most fugues do share some common structural elements. This chapter will focus on
one of Bachs finest fugues as a lesson in how fugues are approached analytically. The
following fugue is a fourvoice fugue. !ost of Bachs fugues are in either three or four voices,
although some have five or even si" voices. #ne fugue in the $T% is in only two voices,
although this is &uite unusual. The first ma'or section of a fugue is called the e"position, (ecause
it presents the su('ect, answer and any countersu('ects in each voice in turn. )n Bachs fugue
the e"position is * measures long and starts with the su('ect in the alto voice. This su('ect has a
+head and tail, &uality, and the +tail, is e"tensively used independently throughout the fugue.
-". 101 Bach. Fugue /o 10 from the $T%, Boo1 ) -"position section
2fter the su('ect ends the answer is stated in the soprano voice. Since the su('ect (egan with
scale degree 3 this su('ect re&uires a tonal answer. The music that continues in the alto voice
(eneath the answer can (e called either a free counterpoint or a counter-subject. The difference
(eing that a counter-subject returns with subsequent statements of the subject or answer. )n (ar
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3 in the soprano the same passage returns in the 1ey of 5 minor, not 6 minor as in (ar 4. )t also
can (e found in the (ass voice in (ar *. Since this material returns in accompaniment to later
su('ects and answers it is termed a counter-subject and not a free counterpoint.
)n (ar 3 the third voice 7(ass8 enters with the su('ect in the 1ey of 5 minor again. The
countersu('ect is heard in the soprano and the alto is stating a free counterpoint. 2t the end of
(ar 0 the tenor voice enters with the answer, while the (ass states the countersu('ect and the alto
continues with a free counterpoint. )n a fourvoice fugue the voices enter with Su('ect 2nswer
Su('ect 2nswer. )n a threevoice fugue of course the last answer statement is omitted.
Sometimes in a threevoice fugue however there will (e an additional statement of the answer
which can ma1e it appear to (e a fourvoice fugue.
Bar 9 in this e"position is a passage called a bridge. 2 (ridge is a short section that
follows the answer and modulates from the dominant 1ey (ac1 to the original tonic. 2lthough
not every fugue has a (ridge many do. Since the answer is in the dominant and the su('ect which
follows must (e in the tonic 1ey, the connection is may (e too a(rupt. 2 (ridge passage will help
smooth over what would otherwise (e an aw1ward spot. )f, as in this fugue, the answer cadences
securely in the dominant 7at (eat 1 of (ar 98 a (ridge will usually (e re&uired. :armonically this
passage replaces the leading tone of 6 minor 7%;8 with % natural, which helps set up the return
to 5 minor in (ar 3. $hen analy<ing a bridge passage the source of the melodic material used in
the (ridge should (e listed. )n this case the higher voice in (ar 9 is clearly related to the +tail,
portion of the su('ect.
Fugues can start with any voice as the first voice (ut it is most typical for the last voice to
(e an outer voice, which ena(les the last statement to (e heard more easily. )n this fugue
however the fourth voice to enter is the tenor part. This e"position is a (it unusual in that at no
point do all four voices sound together. )n (ars 0 = * the soprano voice drops out. )t isnt until
(ars 131> that true fourvoice counterpoint occurs. This e(( and flow of voices is typical of
four and more voice fugues, it ma1es it easier on (oth the performer and listener to vary the
thic1ness of the te"ture.
The three ma'or sections in a fugue are called the exposition, middle section, and final
section. The middle section (egins at the end of the e"position and is not hard to locate as it is
also the last note of the answer. The end of the e"position is rarely mar1ed (y a significant
cadence. )n this fugue the cadence on the down(eat of (ar > is very wea1 indeed.
The middle section of a fugue 7sometimes called the development) usually starts with a
passage of music called an episode. The most salient point a(out an episode is that a complete
statement of the su('ect or answer is not present. )nstead fragments of the su('ect or counter
su('ect will (e heard, often in se&uential passages, that modulate to a closely related 1ey.
-pisodes alternate with middle entry statements in the middle section. 2 middle entry is a
restatement of the entire su('ect, usually in a closely related 1ey to the tonic. Sometimes it may
(e a single statement of the su('ect 7accompanied (y the countersu('ect if there was one8 in a
new 1ey, or it may (e two or more statements of su('ects and answers in this new 1ey. The
entire middle section will usually consist of a few alternations of episodes with middle entries.
The final section of a fugue is near the end, and must include one or more statements of
the su('ect in the original 1ey. This section is not usually hard to identify, (ut in some fugues
the original 1ey may reappear in the middle section of the fugue, which can confuse the issue. )f
the original 1ey returns somewhere near the end and no other modulations follow then it is
usually the final section. 2 final episode may occur in the final section as it does in this fugue.
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-". 10? Bach. Fugue /o 10 from the $T%, Boo1 ) !iddle section
The first episode in this fugues middle section lasts four measures and cadences in the relative
ma'or, B(. The lower voices of this episode are drawn from the tail of the fugue su('ect, while
the upper voice uses a three 10
th
note figure lin1ing a chain of suspensions together.
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-". 10? Bach. Fugue /o 10 from the $T%, Boo1 ) !iddle section 7continued8
)n measure 11 the (ass voice plays a figure that evo1es the +head, of the su('ect. But
since it doesnt state the entire su('ect it is called a +false entry., This false entry leads to a solid
perfect authentic cadence 7@2%8 in (ar 1?. The first middle entry passage (egins in (ar 1? in the
1ey of B( ma'or. This middle entry passage contains four statements of the su('ect, the middle
two of which are in F ma'or. )n (ar 1* the alto voice states an altered version of the su('ect
(efore the (ass voice has finished stating the su('ect. #verlapping statements of su('ects or
answers is called stretto and is a favorite device of fugue composers, (ut not all fugues contain
stretto. This first middle entry passage ends in a mild )2% on (eat 4 of (ar 1> and is followed (y
episode ?. -pisode ? is (rief, lasting only until (ar ?0 at which point the second middle entry
passage (egins. This episode modulates from B( to % minor (y introducing the note 2( and
later the leading tone of % minor, B natural.
!iddle entry ? contains three complete statements of the su('ect, two in % minor
and a third in 5 minor. 2s (efore the countersu('ect accompanies these statements of the
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su('ect. !iddle entry ? concludes with a @2% in 5 minor in measure ?9 and is followed (y
episode 4. Anli1e most fugal episodes, episode 4 doesnt actually modulate, it starts and ends in
5 minor. The melodic content of episode 4 again features the tail of the su('ect in the (ass staff,
(ut the upper voices toss (ac1 and forth the threenote figure first heard in episode 1. -pisode 4
is the (est e"ample in this fugue of the se&uential nature of many episodic passages. Starting at
(eat 4 of (ar ?9 the music in the ne"t four (eats is repeated a third lower at (eat 4 of (ar ?3, and
a third lower again at (eat 4 of (ar ?0. These four (eat long se&uential +legs, are seen most
clearly in the (ass voice of this threevoice te"ture, (ut the two upper voices are also se&uenced
in precisely the same way. The B) chord in 5 minor is reached at (eat 4 of (ar ?* which
(ecomes an )talian 0C at the end of the (ar leading to a very emphatic half cadence at the
down(eat of (ar ?>. The (0 to 3 motion in the (ass line used to approach this dominant chord is
the reason this type of cadence is sometimes called a +@hrygian halfcadence.,
The final section of this fugue commences immediately after this half cadence with a
powerful statement of the su('ect, once again in 5 minor, in three way stretto.
-". 104 Bach. Fugue /o 10 from the $T%, Boo1 ) Final section
3*
Following this e"citing stretto passage a fourth episode ensues, which li1e the others, uses the
+tail, of the su('ect as its melodic (asis. Since it is in the final section this episode doesnt
modulate, (ut does tonici<e the su(dominant chord 7% minor8 at the start of (ar 41. This leads to
another statement of the su('ect in the alto, with the countersu('ect in accompaniment in the (ass
in (ar 4?. )n this analysis the last two measures are la(eled as a coda, which some fugues have,
(ut not all. The tenor states the su('ect one final time, (ut to add to the sense of finality Bach
thic1ens the harmony with additional voices in the tre(le staff as well as surrounding the su('ect
with a descending eighth note line in parallel tenths in the outer voices. The fugue concludes
with a very satisfying @2% complete with a @icardy third with the +tail, of the su('ect leading
very neatly to the ma'or third of the final chord.
#ther Fugal @ossi(ilities
The Bach 5 minor fugue 'ust discussed is held up as a particularly +scholastic, fugue,
meaning one which has all the traditional features in the usual order. Some other possi(ilities
that are found in fugues include a counter-exposition. This is a passage that follows the opening
e"position and once again has each voice stating the fugue su('ect and answer in the tonic and
dominant 1eys. The only difference is that the first voice in the countere"position will normally
have some sort of accompaniment in one or more other voices rather than having the other voices
drop out. The fugue in F !a'or from the $T% Boo1 ) has a countere"position.
Some fugues start with an accompaniment to the su('ect, usually in the (ass voice. This
is true of most of Bachs Three Part nventions, which are in fact three voice fugues with an
accompaniment under the initial statement of the su('ect and answer. -"ample 109 shows
Bachs Three@art )nvention /o. 4 which has an accompaniment to the su('ect and answer. The
fugue su('ect is a nice e"ample of compound melody, and also this su('ect includes a lin! at the
end of the su('ect. The (ass accompaniment continues throughout the answer and connects
smoothly to the statement of the su('ect in the (ass voice in (ar 0.
-". 109 Bach. Three @art )nvention, /o. 4
Some fugues ma1e use of the canonic devices discussed in the chapter on canons,
including contrary motion, augmentation and diminution. $hen these occur in a fugue they are
usually found in the middle section. The % minor fugue from the $T% Boo1 )) impressively
com(ines an augmented form of the su('ect with the su('ect as well as the answer in contrary
motion in the middle section. This is seen in -". 103(. -"ample 103a shows the entire
e"position of this 4 voice fugue, once again with a tonal answer and a (ridge lin1ing the end of
the answer with the (eginning the restatement of the su('ect in the (ass. The (ridge consists of a
chain of ?4 suspensions modulating from 5 minor (ac1 to the B chord in % minor.
3>
-". 103( Bach. Fugue /o. ? in % minor from $T% Boo1 ? -"position
-". 103( Bach. Fugue /o. ? in % minor from $T% Boo1 ? !iddle Section, (ars 1913
6ou(le Fugues
2 dou(le fugue is a fugue with two su('ects. )n the clearest e"amples of dou(le fugues
one will find an e"position on a first su('ect, followed (y episodes and so forth. 2t some point
another e"position will interrupt the fugue (ased on a new su('ect, which may in turn (e
followed (y its own middle section. The 1ey ingredient though is a passage in which the two
independent fugue su('ects are com(ined and heard at the same time. 6ou(le fugues following
this design include Bachs Fugue 1> from the $T% Boo1 1, and Fugue 9 from the $T% Boo1 ?.
Two important ?0
th
century compositions are also fine e"amples of dou(le fugues following this
design, @aul :indemiths "ymphony in #b for #and, !ovement 4 as well as the second
movement of )gor Stravins1ys "ymphony of Psalms.
2nother type of dou(le fugue is one in which the two su('ects are anything (ut
independent. )n this sort of dou(le fugue the two su('ects are announced together at the outset of
the fugue and are heard in tandem until the end. -"amples of this include the fugue from
:andels $essiah +2nd with his Stripes,, the Dyrie from !o<arts %equiem, and the third
movement of the &erman %equiem (y Eohannes Brahms.
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