Fugue - what is in music theory?

There are many terms in music theory. The beginner listener may ask with amazement: fugue - what is it? And experts will say that this is one of the most developed musical polyphonic forms.

Origin of the genre

If you answer the question, what is fugue in music,the definition will briefly sound like this: it is a play based on the implementation of one theme in several voices. The term comes from the Italian word for "running". Fugue as a genre is born in the 15th century, then composers are searching in the field of musical form and strive to embody the theme in all the variety of shades. This becomes possible in polyphonic forms.

If there is a desire to give a more detailed answer toThe question is what is fugue in music, the definition will be this: it is a genre form, characteristic primarily for Baroque art, when the redundancy of form was the main artistic principle. The ancestor of the genre is Alexander Polietti, who created a form called today's fugue.

What is a genre in music? This is a well-established set of formal characteristics, a sharp form. And it was Poletti who justified all the parameters of the fugue, its main feature is polyphony. This form absorbed all the best that was invented in imitation-contrapuntal music. At the heart of the fugue is a thought. It is called a theme. It in the fugue is consistently developed and enriched in different voices, this leads to a rethinking of the topic, its development. The range of the theme is within one octave. Completion of the topic may not be pronounced. There are three composition parts, of which the fugue is cleaved.

What is a composition? This is a harmonious combination of elements in a specific form expressing the content. Fugue includes three such elements: exposition, development and conclusion. The exposition presents the theme in all voices, the development presents it in new tonalities using thematic transformations. The conclusion presents the topic in a key key, in conclusion all the voices merge together. In addition to the three-part fugue, one can also find a two-part fugue. In this case, development is combined with the conclusion.

Types of polyphonic fugues

In music theory, composers, reflecting onquestion: "Fugue - what is it?", came to the conclusion that there may be several variants of this genre. The most common fugue is four-voiced. In this form the theme begins in one of the voices, it is called the leader, then imitated in the second voice (satellite) in a higher tonality, then after the variations comes a third voice and repeats the leader, followed by the fourth, imitating the satellite.

Rarer are two-, three- and five-voiced fugues. These forms are also built on the leader and satellite, but there are variations in the repetitions of the theme.

In addition to the number of votes, the fugue may vary depending on the role of the accompaniment. He echoes the voice or develops his own theme.

Fugue in the Baroque Age

During this period the fugue becomes the central genre,its rich form meets the needs of the time. The well-known music theorist Johann Fuchs wrote the treatise "Steps to Parnassus," where he substantiated the form of the fugue and formulated a technique for teaching her technique. He explains the role of counterpoint, and this work will be fundamental for many years to come. So, Haydn once studied counterpoint on this work.

The most famous fugues, of course, arecompositions of I. Bach for the harpsichord, his "Well-Tempered Clavier" included 24 preludes and fugues in all possible keys. These works have become a model for a long time. Bach's influence on the subsequent generation of composers was so great that each of them even once turned to writing fugues.

Fugues of the era of classicism

The era of classicism pushed fugue from the forefrontpositions. This genre is becoming too traditional. But even the greatest composers, such as Beethoven and Mozart, write fugues, including them in various of their works. This is becoming a new stage. Fugue ceases to be an independent work and is part of larger works. This leads to a gradual decrease in the semantic force of its final part. For example, Mozart in the finale of "The Magic Flute" resorts to the form of a fugue.

Fugue in the 20th century

The era of romanticism in the face of Verdi, Wagner and Berliozreturns the proper popularity of fugue. In the 20th century, it again becomes an independent work, for example for an organ, and is included in larger forms. Bartok, Reger, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Shostakovich and many other innovative composers give a new life to the fugue, subjecting the work of Bach and Beethoven to a deep rethinking. Free and dissonant counterpoints become the basis for the music of modern times.

Modern music is experimenting withtraditional genres, and did not become an exception to the fugue. What is consistency in music? These are variations on eternal themes. Therefore, Fugue experiences new transformations, but does not die.