How a fugue builds up

In the picture

1. 1The subject: the short opening melody, heard alone in the first voice
2. 2The answer: the second voice comes in with the same melody, usually a fifth higher
3. 3The countersubject: the first voice carries on with a new line against the answer
4. 4The third entry: the subject returns in another voice while the first two keep weaving together

Examples

• Singing 'Frère Jacques' as a round with friends, each person starting the same tune a little later: a simpler cousin of the fugue
• The organ Toccata and Fugue in D minor, often heard in horror films, where the subject passes from voice to voice

Quiz: How a fugue builds up (Age 18)

1. 1

   In a fugue, what does the second voice do when it enters?

   • It plays a different melody while the first voice stops
   • It plays the same melody at exactly the same pitch, together with the first voice
   • It plays the same melody as the first voice, usually a fifth higher
2. 2

   When a new voice enters a fugue with the subject, what do the voices already playing do?

   • They play the subject again in unison with the new voice
   • They carry on with new melodic lines that fit around it
   • They fall silent until the new voice has finished the subject
3. 3

   How does a fugue begin?

   • All the voices play the subject together
   • Each voice starts at once with its own separate melody
   • One voice plays a short melody, the subject, on its own

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.