Here's how Bach writes a Fugue

[@astrosandorbits5532]

You deserve a lot of credit for doing this, man. Bach is my favorite composer and fugues are perhaps my favorite things to play on piano. You break it down well for a lot of people who have no idea what a fugue even is. Nice and simple. Great video, man!

[@ryanabshier]

@@astrosandorbits5532 thanks a bunch! That's one of the big goals, introduce all the ideas and not need too much prior knowledge to understand. Glad you found it helpful!

[@moy9022]

Thanks!

[@moy9022]

☕🙏

[@ryanabshier]

Drinking some coffee right now. Little home-make cup 🙂

[@DMajor402]

Thanks for explaining

[@moy9022]

Thanks for explaining Bach's Fugue. He is my favorite composer. I listen to his pieses whenever available. I played some of them, it's a challenge, but they are keeping my brain alive.😅😅

[@ryanabshier]

You're very welcome! I knew you'd be interested in this big Bach video. It's true, the fugues really challenge the brain and make you work. They always seem so easy until you add that 3rd voice 🤣

[@graeme011]

Great video! But you didn't mention voice overlapping later in the fugues (i.e. "stretto"). How "normal" is it for that to happen?

[@ericrakestraw664]

The extra entry in the high voice of the B-flat major fugue is what's known as a redundant entry. One reason for this inclusion is to balance the subject entries in their respective ranges. In my string quartet composition, I began the final movement with a fugue. The four subject entries in the exposion went 2nd violin, 1st violin, cello, viola. Because the subject entry in the viola got buried by the outer voices, I decided to add a redundant entry in the first violin one octave higher to re-emphasize the end of the exposition.

Having a middle voice enter after outer voices is very common in beginner's fugues, but it's actually the most difficult order of voices to get right. It should probably be avoided. Middle voices before outer voices is much easier to get right. Middle voices are generally less audible than outer voices, and during the exposition, you want the voice singing the theme to be very prominent, so you want that voice to be the highest or the lowest, for the moment. ATSB, ATBS TASB, TABS, ASTB, SATB, BTAS are all great. But ASBT is poor, because it is difficult to squeeze the tenor between alto and bass. Likewise, STBA is poor, because alto is squeezed. SBAT is probably the worst order of voices.

[@DJKLProductions]

In the first fugue of the Art of Fugue, the tenor enters last, which is an inner voice at this point.

[@RhodesyYT]

How does chopin write a nocturne?

[@thisismoyukhsworld2022]

How does Bach wrote an Intermezzo?