There are many terms in music theory. A novice listener may be amazed to ask: Fugue - what is it? And experts will answer that this is one of the most developed musical polyphonic forms.
Origin of the genre
If you answer the question of what is fugue in music, the definition will briefly sound like this: this is a play built on the realization of one theme in several voices. The term comes from the Italian word for running. Fugue as a genre was born in the 15th century, then composers are searching in the field of musical form and strive to embody the theme in all its variety of shades. This becomes possible in polyphonic forms.
If there is a desire to give a more detailed answer to the question of what is fugue in music, the definition will be as follows: it is a genre form, characteristic primarily of the Baroque art, when redundancy of form was the main artistic principle. The founder of the genre is Alexander Poletti, who created the form called today the fugue.
What is a genre in music? This is an established set of formal attributes, a refined form. And it was Poletti who justified all the parameters of the fugue, its main feature is polyphony. This form incorporates all the best that was invented in imitation-counter-punctual music. At the heart of the fugue is any thought. It is called the theme. It in the fugue is consistently developing and enriching itself in different voices, this leads to a rethinking of the topic, its development. The range of themes thus falls within the limits of one octave. The completion of the topic may not be pronounced. There are three compositional parts from which the fugue is cleaved.
What is a composition? This is a harmonious combination of elements in a certain form that expresses the content. Fugue includes three such elements: exposure, development and conclusion. The exposition presents the theme in all voices, the development presents it in new keys using thematic transformations. The conclusion presents the theme in a key key, in the conclusion all the voices merge together. In addition to the three-part fugue, two-part can also be found. In this case, development is combined with conclusion.
Types of Polyphonic Fugue
In the theory of music, composers, reflecting on the question: “Fugue - what is it?”, Came to the conclusion that there may be several versions of this genre. The most common fugue is four-voice. In this form, the theme begins in one of the voices, it is called the leader, then it is imitated in the second voice (satellite) in a higher key, then after the variations the third voice comes in and repeats the leader, and then the fourth, imitating the satellite.
More rare are two-, three- and five-voice fugues. These forms are also built on the leader and satellite, but there are variations in the repetition of the theme.
In addition to the number of voices, the fugue may vary depending on the role of the accompaniment. He echoes his voice or develops his own theme.
Fugue in the Baroque era
During this period, the fugue becomes the central genre, its rich form meets the needs of the times. Well-known music theorist Johann Fuchs writes a treatise, “Steps to Parnassus,” where he substantiated the form of the fugue and formulated a methodology for teaching its technique. He clarifies the role of counterpoint, and this work will become fundamental for many years. So, Haydn once studied counterpoint on this work.
The most famous fugues, of course, are the works of I. Bach for harpsichord, his "Well-Tempered Clavier" included 24 preludes and fugues in all possible tones. These works became a model for a long time. Bach's influence on the next generation of composers was so great that each of them at least once turned to writing fugues.
Fugues of the era of classicism
The era of classicism pushed the fugue from the forefront. This genre is becoming too traditional. But even the greatest composers, such as Beethoven and Mozart, write fugues, including them in their various 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 power 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 person of Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz returns the fugue to its due popularity. 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 new life to the fugue, exposing a deep rethinking of the work of Bach and Beethoven. Free and dissonant counterpoints are becoming the basis for modern music.
Modern music is experimenting with traditional genres, and the fugue was no exception. What is constancy in music? These are variations on eternal themes. Therefore, the fugue is undergoing new transformations, but does not die.