The Great Fugues of Music — What Makes a Fugue So Powerful?
What is a fugue — and why do so many composers return to it as the ultimate test of musical mastery?
Join us for a thrilling deep dive into the world of fugues — from Bach to Beethoven, Shostakovich to Barber — as we explore what makes this form so intricate, expressive, and endlessly compelling. We’ll break down how fugues are built, why they matter, and listen to examples that push the boundaries of musical architecture and emotional power. Bring your questions, and prepare to hear the fugue in a whole new way.
What fugue are you working on or listening to right now? Let us know in the discussion!
5 replies
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I typically avoid fugues, to the detriment of my overall musicianship...! But I'm interested in expanding my horizons and considering working on Franck's Prelude Chorale et Fugue next year. Last year I struggled to learn Beethoven's Op. 110 fugue sections of the 3rd movement, sadly since it's such a wonderful sonata.
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What am I listening to? Bach and more Bach, can't get enough. Fugues will be a facinating subject to many I think.
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I haven’t played nearly as many fugues as I should have because I often find them difficult to understand and arduous to conquer. The most amazing fugue I have ever studied is the one in C sharp minor from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1, a triple fugue in five voices. One of the biggest challenges in learning it was to keep the individual voices distinct and clear as the piece is gradually building up in ever richer sonorities; at that point, it’s easy to get carried away by the beauty of the harmonies and slide into a quasi-homophony.
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Not quite a fugue, I'm working on Bach's Invention Number 14 in B flat and teaching it to one of my pupils. I know the notes, but I want to learn how to bring more colour to the music in a stylistic way. I'm hoping to pick up some clues from the talk. I may join late as I'm teaching right up to the start time.