How to Compose a Simple Fugue in the Style of J.S. Bach

A step by step guide to writing a fugue in the style of J.S. Bach, using Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue as a model.
My analysis of the first contrapunctus for reference: • Learning the art of fu...
Intro: 00:00
The Exposition: 00:34
The Subject: 01:04
The Answer: 05:47
The Development: 14:01
The Recapitulation: 24:48
Coda: 27:45
The Complete Fugue: 29:30
BIBLIOGRAPHY/FURTHER READING AND WATCHING:
Bach, J.S. Handwritten score: ks.petruccimusiclibrary.org/fi...
Graeser, W. (1926) The Art of the Fugue. Bach Gesellschaft Augabe. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel: ks.imslp.net/files/imglnks/us...
Ijzerman, J. (2018) Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento: A New Method Inspired by Old Masters Oxford: OUP
Kimiko Ishizaka's website, with headshots, recordings and other information: kimiko-piano.com/home
OpenGoldberg - Wonderful channel that has public domain performances by Kimiko Ishizaka and the Stephen Malinowski animations: • J.S. Bach, Art of Fugu...
Photo of Ebenezer Prout: By James Russell (1809 - 1899) and Sons - Photograph printed in and scanned from article in The Musical Times April 1899, pp. 225-230, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Prout, E. (1892) Fugal Analysis: A Companion to Fugue; Being a Collection of Fugues of Various Styles Put into Score and Analyzed. London: Augener
Prout, E. (1891) Fugue. London: Augener
Tovey, D.F. (compiled 2013 from original 1931 OUP publications) Bach's The Art of Fugue & A Companion to The Art of Fugue. New York: Dover Publications

[@trocomposition4216]

If you’d like to watch the video in parts: Intro: 00:00 The Exposition: 00:34 The Subject: 01:04 The Answer: 05:47 The Development: 14:01 The Recapitulation: 24:48 Coda: 27:45 The Complete Fugue: 29:30

[@trialanderror9004]

Please, PLEASE, don't stop making these videos. They are unbelievable helpful.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you’re finding them helpful. Hopefully I will have time for more soon 👍

[@Whatismusic123]

Prout's textbooks(treatises) are an incredible, widely available, lost treasure.

[@christopherdew2355]

At least a semester of lessons in 30 minutes! I found myself having to teach fugue to 2nd year students about 35 year ago, so found this a wonderful (and quite taxing!) revision! Of course in those days we had to 'compose' in front of students on chalk boards!!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you, Christopher ☺️ Glad I’ve never had to do that! 😂

[@maxjohn6012]

I'm shocked by how much information you crammed into that - it was so compact, yet thorough and accessible. I had a few counterpoint lessons a couple of years ago, which fizzled out after I started writing a fugue - I'm feeling motivated to have a crack at it again, using the subject I'd written (which I think fits the criteria), and following the structure you've laid out here to follow Bach (contrapunctus 1 is one of my absolute favourites so that's only more motivation). Many thanks!

[@trocomposition4216]

Great to hear! Good luck with the fugue 😊👍

[@adamtullymusic]

Thank you! I took notes and I'm going to sit down and try and create one on my one using these guidelines.

[@trocomposition4216]

Fantastic! ☺️

[@lucaparacchini7610]

Hi Tom, I didn’t know your channel, I found it for your video about Liszt Sonata; then I watched the one about Wanderer and so on all the others: I confess I really loved them, I couldn’t help but be glued to the screen, mesmerised by your professional, deep and detailed analysis. Unfortunately I’m not a musicologist or even a composer, I’ve just been playing the piano for many years, but not in a conservatory, so I’m truly fascinated by music analysis and I’d love to learn more from you, I deeply esteem your passion and your works. Now, I know this could be a lot more complicated, but I’d love to watch your analysis of Rach 3, even of the first movement. I hope you keep making these videos, because they are really amazing!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks for the kind words ☺️ I love Rach 3, so maybe one day!

[@waiminkhant6022]

You have the best explanation to how to write a fugue without making it sounds difficult.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it 👍

[@dannuttle9005]

I understood fairly well at the start, then got lost in details. But I now know more about the fugue than I did before.

[@churnyeechong2427]

Big thanks for this channel! I've learned a lot as a beginner.

[@trocomposition4216]

Great to hear! ☺️

[@caterscarrots3407]

By the way, after hearing people talk about how the fugue has an exposition, development, and recapitulation, I can't help but think of it as kind of like a hybrid of the canon and the sonata, imitative like a canon, but with the modulations, development, and recapitulation of the sonata.

[@benlizon]

so funny that the day after i was rewatching a bunch of your older videos that you put out a new one. glad to see it!!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks, Benus! Hope you enjoy it 😊

[@paulwl3159]

A really great video packed with lots of practical information. Demystified a fascinating subject (no pun intended). But a “simple” fugue? I think not !

[@trocomposition4216]

😂 Thanks!

[@LeojTeduacHPiecesprorgue]

This is the best video on the subject!!!!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you for the kind words! 😊

[@carminedisa]

This is one of the best videos I've ever found on KZbin, and I love the fugue you wrote!

[@trocomposition4216]

Wow, that’s good to hear! Thanks ☺️

[@darb.musica]

Amazing! excellent explanation, and the fugue sounds very nice. Kudos

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks, Darío! ☺️

[@tuanpiccusgaming3555]

If someone played this, I would have thought Bach had written it. It is very well written. Ever since I was a teenager, I have loved the form of fugue in music and even attempted to compose a couple of fugues (terrible ones) myself. This video explains a lot about how they are stuck together. Should I pick up my pencil again?

[@trocomposition4216]

Yes! Time to get writing again! 👍

[@margaret6625]

Brilliant Tom. Loved it. So pleased to see a new video.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you, ‘Margaret’ 😆

[@zacharybjurstrom7132]

Love these videos! Hope you are able to continue making this content! It is very useful to composers trying to learn

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks, Zachary! Appreciate it. Glad you’re finding them useful 👍

[@albarylaibida1214]

I was eagerly awaiting this video. Bravissimo! 👏👏👏

[@trocomposition4216]

Glad you liked it! Hope you found it useful 👍

[@LeoHeath]

An excellent explanation and a beautiful fugue. Bravo!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks, Leo. Really enjoyed writing it!

[@pedrod.7576]

What a well thought out video. Thanks for sharing!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you!

[@raycasbierd]

Thank you for taking the time to make your videos really appreciate it, it was like watching you realise a Niedt version of the original fantastic!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks, Ray! I appreciate it 👍

[@user-nh3fn9mq1g]

It's so god damn amazing! You are the Greatest music teacher anyone could have!!❤❤

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you for the kind words! 😊

[@Lavaevocool]

This is great, thanks

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks! Hope you find it useful 👍

[@harmonicamick908]

Thank you for such an informative, brilliant video. As with other videos on music theory that I have found, I expect that yours will save many people a great deal of time when trying to understand the often dense and, in my view, overly verbose explanations given in so many text books. If one subject needs the kind of treatment given here, it surely must be the fugue.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thank you! Glad you found it helpful ☺️

[@vyrixxa]

Amazing! Thank you so much!

[@trocomposition4216]

You're very welcome! ☺️

[@athishayjain.m.k9257]

Lovely ❤❤❤

[@shawncharton9416]

Brilliant!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks! ☺️

[@passionyu1309]

Great!

[@Sr.Rakthai]

Thanks, it is very helpful. I would like to view your approach with a stretto setting.

[@davegmusicchannel]

love it

[@caterscarrots3407]

I haven't even watched it and I can tell it's going to be great. I've tried over a dozen times to write a fugue and I think I finally have an exposition I'm happy with. But then I run into the whole maze of "What am I going to do for the episodes?" and "What key do I want this next subject entry in?" And then of course, there's the matter of "Can I use stretto in this fugue at all?" I know stretto is getting outside of the definition of simple fugue, but still, I like to see if I can use stretto. That's why I'm currently writing a comprehensive Stretto Table for my fugue subject, countersubject, and their tonal versions. Basically what I'm doing here is I'm copying over the first melody of the stretto(let's say it's the subject). And then I select another melody(let's say it's the subject again cause I want to do a stretto at the octave(It just so happens that my subject does better with strettos like subject against subject than subject against answer)) and copy it over to wherever I see it can start with a consonance, with 2 little caveats, those being: 1) If just one note in both melodies overlaps, it doesn't count, I need a minimum of 2 notes overlapping(for my countersubject, that's 1 beat, for my subject, it's 2 beats) 2) Since I didn't design the melodies with close stretto in mind, I just don't bother with entries 1 beat apart or less. And I will do this for every possible permutation of subject, answer, countersubject, and tonal countersubject + variants like retrograde, augmented, inverted etc. for 2 voices. Then I'll take what works for 2 voices and repeat the process with a third voice. Then I'll take what works for 3 voices and repeat the process again with a fourth voice. After that, I figure anything that has worked thus far should work with even more melody entries. Then I'll take the working strettos and actually test them out on the piano to see if I can play them, since this is a keyboard fugue I'm writing. And then I should be good to go, I can use the countersubject strettos as episode material and the subject strettos for subject entries. Wish me luck on this fugue, hopefully I can actually finish this one instead of stopping at the exposition like what has happened with my previous fugue attempts.

[@trocomposition4216]

Good luck with it! 👍

[@jcr3500]

Thanks!

[@harryk4840]

Un tema demasiado interesante

[@churnyeechong2427]

Useful video. But would be more helpful if you teach us HOW to construct countersubjects, episodes and transitions after the subject; WHY and HOW they need to be written in certain ways or intervals to conserve the harmonies of all the voices.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks! Maybe a good subject for another video 👍

[@SillyWillyFan47]

Wow. Wish I could have seen this as a student at school.

[@trocomposition4216]

It’s never too late! 👍

[@ros8737]

Great comment and reply!

[@hugoclarke3284]

After modelling a few more simple fugues on Bach in this manner, the trick then is to get creative and let your mind take you where it will. That's the only way to truly write a Bach fugue.

[@waszil]

Great video! Really nice to be able to follow the whole process! One small thing, that you let the music go on while explaining, it is a bit bothering (for me). Maybe silence would be better :) Thanks anyways, really good video!

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks for the useful feedback! 😊👍

[@schrysafis]

Is it possible to write a fugue with a similar theme I came up with based on Contrapunctus XI of The Art of Fugue ? The harmony is a bit hard I did 2 solutions right after the theme introduction. I would like to know if you could have some genius ideas.

[@trocomposition4216]

Hi! Contrapunctus XI? You obviously enjoy a challenge! 😳😆 I won’t have time for that sadly but I wish you the best of luck with it 💪👍

[@aeroslothy]

Subscribed! Would you please cover an analysis on Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto? Thanks!

[@trocomposition4216]

Will put it on the list! 👍

[@gevenliu1931]

Ich bin so lang nicht bei dir g’west!))

[@trocomposition4216]

Genau! Mein Tagesjob ist leider beschäftigt…🙄

[@Whatismusic123]

21:59 that's not a compound melody, that's a two voice counterpoint within the tenor

[@Whatismusic123]

Also the tierce de picardie at the end puts too much emphasis on G minor, and it honestly seems to have just ended on a half cadence.

[@AaronAndrewHunt]

A student of mine directed me to your video, asking my opinion, so I've taken a look, and if you don't mind, I'd like to give you some constructive feedback. Firstly, making a video as you've done takes a very long time and represents a huge amount of work. Your presentation is mostly quite clear, so in that regard, well done! The title of your video might be better "How *I composed* a work ..." as your method obviously isn't the only option, but I understand you want to attract as many viewers as possible. In terms of your composition being "in the style of Bach", you've done well to model your piece after his, but there are some obvious issues, mostly to do with playability, but also in the counterpoint itself, which keep your work from being stylistically on target. Bach avoids hand stretches larger than a 9th, allows minor 10ths only very occasionally. You've written not only many awkward 10ths in each hand, but also entirely unplayable passages (measures 36 and 38). Bach doesn't require the hands to leap awkwardly as you've written in measure 30. There are other clumsy moments here and there throughout, mostly to do with doublings and suspensions. Otherwise it's not bad. If you'd like to try to better approach Bach's style, I've made a list of things you will want to improve: m.7 LH 10ths m.9 root pos. dim. with an accented tritone m.13 alto enters on a unison (the D is already sounding in the tenor) m.15 awkward bass leap on the 8th to a doubled LT, bare tritone m.18 RH 10ths, ornamented 4th on the tenor when the same note is sustained in the bass m.20 doubled 3rd, m6 suspended against root position triad (5th normally wouldn't be there) m.30 RH 10ths, awkward leaping hands, awkward leap to root position diminished triad on beat 4 m.31 suspended 4th over resolved 3rd, beat 2 clumsy 8th (simply add a 16th) m.32 same clumsy 8th m.35 beat 3 harmony unclear (too much is suspended) m.36 is unplayable m.37 A and Eb would not both suspend here; either Eb resolves to D or A resolves to G, this measure is nearly unplayable (extremely awkward) m.38 another suspended 4th over resolved 3rd, then 10ths in both hands, beat 3 is unplayable m.40 RH 10th m.41 LH 10th m.43 clumsy 16ths rhythm, 10ths in both hands m.44 unnecessary rest on 4 in tenor m.45 the major arrival is too clean (Bach usually used an augmented harmony), the alto wouldn't repeat the LT m.46 soprano shouldn't step up to a bare 5th on beat 3 There are other issues in your video: 4:43 similar motion to a 5th in two parts in the first bar, implied similar motion to an octave in the second bar 1:13 Your claim that the AoF "was intended as a pedagogical aid" is pure speculation; ... 1:25 likewise your ideas about "what Bach is telling us" with the first fugue of the AoF. The bit about the subject not needing to work in stretto or be invertible with a countersubject seems from one angle logical enough, but is a bit ironic given that the AoF subject does all those things better than any other fugue subject in history. 7:20 Regarding the tonal answer: other cases are more complex, this one is simpler than you've presented it: the dominant note in the subject changes to the tonic note in the answer. That's all! I could go on, but the remaining points are minor. In any case, I'm happy to see you making the effort to do something like this, and I hope you'll consider addressing the above issues! Best Regards, AAH

[@trocomposition4216]

Hi Aaron. Thanks for taking the time to bring your expertise to this! I really appreciate it. Looking forward to going through all these points in detail after the holidays ☺️👍

[@ros8737]

Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with the title. The composition is a list of examples of important components and is audibly pleasant enough. Any remarks on playability are wasted as a fugue could be written for a quartet even if a simple piano sound is chosen for a clean demonstration purpose. AAH excessive input displays the very reason for why few people even bother with the fugue, while this video is inspiring and will have me start right away. Well done!

[@konst1887]

It might not be playable on harpsichord but I would like to give it a try on the organ. I will send you the audio if I can manage to do so :)

[@donaldaxel]

This is how lectures at Music Theory at university and Music-Schools should be presented, clear, easy, keep it simple. I need to read the subtitles [cc] along with watching and listening, and it is sadly obvious how unclear pronunciation results in unbearable errors in the transcript. It is possible to correct transcript, and perhaps a student would help doing that at some time. The video is too valuable to suffer from such minor inconveniences.

[@trocomposition4216]

Thanks for the feedback! I need to start giving more attention to subtitles 👍

[@pabloziffer]

link to video of analysis 1 is not working what happened? thanks

[@trocomposition4216]

Hi! I’ve made the analysis of Contrapunctus I private as I want to make a couple of edits, but as I haven’t had time yet I’ll make it public again for a while 👍

[@jamesmitchell6925]

10:22 measure 4 “IV dorian” doesn’t have a major third (F#). I think you mean mixolydian.

[@jamesmitchell6925]

Mix flat six?

[@trocomposition4216]

Hi James. Thanks for watching! Remember the Answer is schematised in A minor here, so the F# is the 6th in A Dorian and chord IV is Major (derived from A Dorian) rather than the more common minor iv (derived from harmonic minor). There are plenty of other ways of schematising it, but this section of the video was focusing on the contrast in key between Subject and Answer, so this analysis focuses on that element.

[@Souls_p_]

Is that Pianoteq?

[@trocomposition4216]

It is! 👍

[@hz3701]

Your background has a slight flicker that triggers seizures, but the content is great

[@blacksky492]

#confused

[@lucianomichelle2517]

𝕡𝐫ｏ𝕄ｏ𝔰𝓶 🙂

[@canman5060]

Simple is not simple at all !

[@trocomposition4216]

Very true! 😆

[@eduardvanvliet]

this fugue is not correct though

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

Why?

[@canman5060]

This is not 'simple' at all !

[@trocomposition4216]

😂 ‘Simple’ in the technical sense, but no fugue is easy, sadly!