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A contrapuntal composition in which a subject is introduced in one voice and then imitated by subsequent voices at the fifth or octave, followed by episodes and further entries.
Writing a fugue is the ultimate test of contrapuntal skill. The subject must be strong enough to sustain the entire piece. Plan your answer (the response at the dominant), countersubject (if any), and the overall key scheme. The art lies in maintaining interest through episodes, stretto, inversion, augmentation, and modulation.
Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" — 48 fugues in every major and minor key, the definitive textbook of fugal technique.
Fugue is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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