What is a Fugue? (Music Appreciation)

[@UnderstandingMusic]

0:01 Introduction 0:14 Fugal Elements in a Pop Song 0:31 Why Composers Use Forms like the Fugue 0:42 Master of the Fugue: Johann Sebastian Bach 0:55 Counterpoint 1:07 Polyphonic Texture 1:22 Subject (Main theme in a fugue) 1:54 Melodic Lines and Vocal Registers (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) 2:33 Order that Melodic Lines Enter 2:40 Answer (Main theme of a fugue in a different key) 3:42 Exposition in a Fugue 3:53 Development Section in a Fugue 4:11 How Composers Present the Subject in New and Interesting Ways 4:38 Why it's called the "Little" Fugue in G Minor 5:00 Visualization of Bach's Little Fugue in G Minor 5:15 Answer in Alto Enters 5:32 Subject enters in Tenor 5:46 Answer enters in Bass (Pedal Keyboard Organist Plays with Feet) 5:59 Exposition Ends, Development Begins 8:13 Credits

[@johannsebastianbach9829]

Couldn't have said it better myself

[@PlayitonPan]

Johann Sebastian Bach thanks for composing this piece. Did you know that Mozart, Beethoven and many other child prodigies learned to play piano by studying your works 🔥🙌🏾✨ Gutentag😎

[@hanswolfgang416]

Bist du deutsch ?

[@ludwigvanbeethoven5176]

HELLO B A C H

[@jeremyheintz1479]

I play this fugue for my lady friends, they can't get enough. Basically open the floodgates. Bravo.

[@somethingpoetic2595]

Welcome, Bach, to the land of the living.

[@o.steinman3855]

This is stupidly awesome and complex, I seriously can't wrap my head around how someone could *improvise* one of these.

[@benidk3556]

Your stupidly awesome

[@vegahimsa3057]

He's also following his own harmonic rules and explores new ideas in composition. I think it's completely analogous to a jazz improvisation. It's only a matter of opinion whether the great jazz performers have matched or exceeded Bach's genius.

[@paulinocontreras8426]

There are a handful of people today that can do this. Gabriela Montero is a master of improv and can do stuff like this.

[@lennybuttz2162]

@@benidk3556 I think you mean you're stupidly awesome. Your denotes ownership while you're means you are which is what I think you are trying to say. I find it surprising that someone who is watching an instructional video doesn't know the difference between your and you're? I wonder if to, too and two is also a problem or what about there, their and they're? I bet your head is about ready to split.

[@joblo8748]

It's like 4 chords

[@winstonmisha]

Every bach piece feels like a riddle you have to solve. The more you listen to it the more things you discover, the more you see the structure.

[@luscao8444]

And that's why I love Bach music!

[@robotwolf]

Great Video! Absolutely Top Drawer! That fugue was a forgotten melody from my childhood! And I love how Bach ends this fugue very perfunctorily as though he got bored. He was such a show-off!

[@AlanDaNiao]

That is prbably because this performance was too rushed, and hurtled at full speed into the ending. A live performance would slow down and give a sense of completion and closure.

[@simon54]

I have never heard this so clearly, accurately and engagingly explained. I wish I'd known you when I was 8 years old!! thanks and well done.

[@lookalterno3591]

I can't tell one note from another, and your graphic representation is a BIG help for understanding what is all about. Thank!

[@bellowphone]

Very interesting and well explained. I've always loved the "Little Fugue."

[@kennethschechter352]

If u love it so much u should listen to carolina crown 2017 intro

[@joeisnothome]

@@kennethschechter352 yes

[@andrewgjennings]

Some people spend their whole lives trying to teach - or understand - something you have managed to explain in 8 minutes and 29 seconds. Well done - and thank you!

[@andrewsilver7048]

Woah, I was looking for the simple definition rather than the structure.. But this video is gold

[@octave11thpianist58]

*I m i t a t i o n*

[@benjaminjoseph3392]

The detail and complexity of what is being described in music composition is amazing.

[@virginiawilliams9998]

I'm a new to Baroque music and kept coming across references to the fugue. Watching this wonderfully clear explanation and illustration of the art form has helped me enormously to understand. Thank you! (Now I must listen to more of Bach to develop a well-tempered ear!)

[@richarddeleon3558]

Dude,,,even though you were a little fast on the jaw,,I understood everything you said,,it opened a portal for me,, I'll keep going over this,to help me write the guitar fugue I always wanted to write for classical guitar,,bless you.

[@sebastianzaczek]

1:43 "Of course, just playing a melody over and over would be rather boring [...]" Well, welcome to the world of minimalism...

[@slenderman4788]

Ravel, before the Bolero existed: "Hold my beer!"

[@kamilee4123]

Thanks for explaining this, I was basically told a fugue was a round but more complicated (which I guess it kind of is in a sense) and this was a much more clear and detailed explanation.

[@winterdesert1]

Exactly. It's a complex round. You got it.

[@janaatwell2998]

Thank you, Chris! This is very interesting. I think these composers must have been geniuses to put these pieces together. I liked the "dots" showing how the different parts look.

[@ros8737]

Love the visual presentation, you can almost see the diffrent colored points stretching the harmony between them.

[@jimmynyakora2537]

Truly amazing. good job you have done here. I just began my musical studies and Bach turns out to be quiet intriguing. thank you for sharing Chris

[@spiralhappiness]

I am here because I'm reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan and one of the first chapters in the book is called One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue. After reading the meaning of the word fugue, understood that I need a visual explanation. This was quite complex but I appreciated how detailed and visually accessible the explanation was. Thank you!

[@sallymj8957]

Well done! And fun to follow with the graphic. So interesting to “see” and hear music at the same time.

[@jimblack8027]

It's the graphic that "made" this for me.

[@malcolmabram2957]

Feel free to share with your class. A guy who wants to share for non financial gain. Bless you indeed. Now that is what life is all about. PS. Very well and intelligently put together. Thank you.

[@malcolmabram2957]

Chris Wright Sorry forgot to say. And enjoyable.

[@eseguerito2629]

I wish every song i listened to had that visualizer at the end of the video. I feel like that reached my visually inclined brain so easily. All the words you spoke prior to it suddenly clicked.

[@aidenjc114]

You should have way more subs bro, this is great

[@Rayschall1]

I know! Unfortunately not too many people are interested in classical music. SIGH...

[@shaularia6813]

like he said this is not only usefull for classical music!

[@meermattmusic]

Outstanding explanation. Bravo! I love the visual representation of the piece. It's way more exciting to watch than just an organist sitting at the organ. Again, wonderful video!

[@alenapham2875]

this was really helpful! i have to write my own fugue for school and this really helped my understanding. the animation at the end makes everything really easy to see. great video:)

[@ouberon916]

Wow, lucky you get to compose stuff, I'm seriously jealous of you. We only get to play/sing everything they tell us, so creativity isn't really a focus of development...

[@cmedalie]

Short, concise and, thanks to the animation, easy to comprehend, this short video shows how voices are layered to create the architecture of this gorgeous art form. The Little Fugue in Gm is a perfect example to convey this.

[@LisaB_12204]

Brilliant! Beautiful! Thank you for de-mystifying this wonderful music. I do wish you much success and hope you make a lot of $$$$$ for your work. The artwork of the dots showing us the different voices in the music.....genius!

[@LisaB_12204]

Well, may $$$$ find you anyway!! And I'm not sure how I'm going to do it just yet, but I teach English to immigrants and refugees and somehow I will figure out how to introduce them to your work.

[@paleogrognard5810]

I'm about to say something dumb, but, like Forest Gump, I am not a smart man. I don't get classical music. I didn't listen to Wagner in the womb; I wasn't raised on Rachmaninoff; Hayden was not my homeboy. But I am captivated in the last two or so years by this music! I don't know the lingo (except, they are not songs!) and lately, I've become acutely aware that I don't even know how to listen. I mean, I hear the music, but it's like I am only able to hear 70% of it. I CAN tell that there's more there than I am hearing, and it's frustrating to know that there is a whole level of understanding that I'm just not getting. It's like I can SEE the facade of the building. I know there's a wealth of architecture and design behind the obvious, but I have no idea what a door looks like, and no concept of how to begin to open it. So your stuff is incredibly helpful. I still can't tell where subject begins and answer ends - but the visual stuff really helped me start to see patterns. I still can't listen to more lines than one or maybe two with any degree of competence, so it's very helpful to watch your videos and at least start to know how to articulate exactly what it is I know I can hear. It's almost like this music is a foreign language: I can hear the sounds and know they are rich with meaning, but comprehending them is just not possible. Your videos are like a primer in grammar. Anyway, long story short, thanks for doing what you do. It's very helpful for people like me who are too dumb to really get what's going on, but not so dumb that they are oblivious to richer meaning available if only they could unlock it.

[@mikesowell1717]

"Hayden is not my homeboy." Pure gold.

[@juanferestrada]

I know this was a loong time ago, but I’ve been studying music for 1.5 years and have been submerged into the world of classical music for 6 months (once I got in I never went back to popular music) and so as a person who felt just like you did, I have to recommend you an amazing book that’s basically an introduction to music, wrote by Aaron Copland, one of the greatest american composers from the XXth century. It’s called *What to listen for in music* I really recommend it!!

[@goodgoyim9459]

Classical music is heavily correlated with intelligence, Chris Wright. Stick to music and let the scientists talk about science.

[@goodgoyim9459]

1. Racism isnt a fact or argument, dumbass. 2. classical music is one of the most g loaded activities. 3. no it doesnt just "intepret all equally" what a fucking dumb thing to say you want actual facts? You can tell what race someone is by looking at the shape of their brain (www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)00671-5) You are not only spouting false information but committing fraud when you propagate blatant lies about a topic you think is somehow a grey fog. So one again I will say, stick to music and let scientists talk about science moron.

[@goodgoyim9459]

not an argument.

[@copyleft2880]

I could never understand it if not for this video's explanation. You made a VERY good job, thank you.

[@jaryH3]

Oh, "On reflection" and "Little fugue" mentioned in one video? My favourite pieces! I must subscribe now!

[@shak124]

I love how the prelude and fugue I am studying was playing in the background

[@NorthernChev]

AMAZING explanation! Why this channel only has 6K subscribers is beyond me. These videos are among the best musical theory videos out there. Fantastic job Chris!

[@xylaardhiafiorina6844]

You are exactly the channel I've been looking for forever. Thank you for existing!

[@olleani]

Wow I did never thought I would be able to learn to appreciate a fugue. Thanks for this

[@adofonconi9753]

This is how youtube should be

[@planetyam6044]

you make your youtube

[@adorno_gang37]

This and "we are number one" memes

[@ian493]

Johan Delvare Don't forget "We are number one" in the style of a fugue. :)

[@TheXeeman]

No. just because you like something, doesn't mean you have to force it on to everyone else. the best thing about youtube is that it's NOT what people think it should be. it's that it is not dictated by what people think are good videos, but are videos where anyone can contribute anything. to declare youtube as a place just for your own interests and no one else's is a bit greedy and selfish don't you think? however, chris wright does make good informative videos, and i applaud his hard work.

[@runcibusarse-weasel964]

+jigglymabob ......and yet you feel perfectly entitled to declare to the rest of us what is the best thing about KZbin and what it should and shouldn't be. Pot, kettle, you know the rest.

[@theglitch2089]

I have to make a presentation on this topic, and this video is so helpful. Thanks for making this, you make it so easy to understand this fairly complex music genre.

[@theglitch2089]

Thanks!!!

[@michaelschmitt2427]

Nicely done - I learned some things! I like the visualization tool.

[@Priyadarshan_Nag]

This has to be the best video on fugue. Amazing job man! It felt like an astronomy class on music. Welcome to Bach’s world! Subscribed. 👍🏻

[@opcsstudio]

Brilliant presentation of 4 melodic lines!!

[@Mahlercougar]

I have been a FUGUE FANATIC ever since my piano teacher introduced the WTC Book 1 and 2 when I was in my single digits. It stayed with me Forever.. I studied classical composition at MSM and USC and I use counterpoint in my pieces a LOT.. Its my foundation :)

[@MrRajainrush]

This is an awesome video. A classical musician friend of mine, once tried to explain fugues and the brilliance of Bach in words and as a dilettante I wasn't able to grasp it, but I always yearned to. Thank you!

[@denisdavidoff624]

Such a brilliant channel! Thanks for sharing something worthy and interesting.

[@Jantsenpr777]

Hello, there, Chris. Very good stuff. I am an aspiring composer and just finished composing a fugue for string quartet. It's very refreshing to see your simple way of explaining this most intricate and complex musical technique. You won a follower. Keep up the good work.

[@Jantsenpr777]

Chris Wright Thank you, very much.

[@Jantsenpr777]

Chris Wright By the way, what do you think of Beethoven's developments on the fugue? In my very personal opinion, he took the liberty of transforming the episodes into full-fledged developmental sections, as in a sonata-form piece. He sometimes feels like using a hybrid "sonata-fugue". What do you think?

[@bingo1232]

Chris -- THANKS sooooo much for a BIG pile of CLARITY!!!

[@jonstewart464]

Thanks for creating this, explained with great clarity and as the man himself says, a perfect use of his brilliant work.

[@sifridbassoon]

I have always used the chorus "He trusted in God" from Messiah to teach homophonic vs polyphonic. I think it's a little easier for students to identify a theme even when it's being modified if there are words to listen to.

[@HumbleNewMusic]

Thank you UM! Fugues are such a natural musical expression to me; they're supposedly constructed under strict rules but always sound so natural... I guess when done well everything is... 👊🙂

[@LowReedExpert1]

You've earned a sub, and maybe convinced me to look into a music appreciation class

[@CleisonRodriguesComposer]

This video was fantastic! I'm self-taught, and I've written some compositions. I'll learn a lot here on this channel. I love Bach. Thank you!

[@ketereissmore3967]

Same there,except I don't compose.I would like to compose some in the future,tho The first time I composed music was in 9th grade,which ended up in total failure.At that time I basically ignored all those music theories,composing by random mashups.And then blamed the failure for not being talented enough.

[@pb9548]

Gazing into the mind of a genius - J.S. Bach. thanks for sharing!

[@ahmaddeedatibrahim6631]

Omg, do this kind of videos again! Maybe more elementary stuffs like counterpoint? The motivation behind the idea, and how it was refined, what makes a counterpoint 'good' and how it eventually impacts the listener and why the idea lasts to this modern days in composition.

[@windmill9998]

thank u so much, i finally understood this properly after watching SEVERAL long videos and just _not quite_ getting it :Þ

[@UnderstandingMusic]

So glad to hear that! It is quite challenging to make these videos do justice to the material yet keep them pithy. Thank you so much for commenting, and be sure to subscribe to stay notified of new content. Feel free to suggest new topics to cover as well :)

[@danieljakubik3428]

Interesting and useful visual presentation of the fugue style of music.

[@domaversano764]

Great video! I love the visualisation :)

[@NeedsEvidence]

Beautifully explained! Thank you.

[@jorgequeiroz7184]

Great video! This deserves more views. Let's spread the word!

[@michaelwatson113]

Well, I truly learned something new today. And I will never hear a fugue in the same old way anymore. Thank you.

[@deenibeeniable]

Fantastic presentation. And THANK YOU for knowing the difference between "its" and "it's."

[@r.bernonensis5772]

this is a great explanation of the fugue. I've gotta tell ya, it was driving me nuts at the beginning when you kept talking about the G minor fugue with the C minor was playing in the background, but with the help of some rum and ginger I got over it.

[@DominicAirola]

Nice that Gently Giant is mentioned! Haven’t listened to them in years.

[@mrsjackofall7]

Good explanation, thank you for sharing!

[@denii311]

Wow, great video! Nice job!

[@westingtyler1]

i'd include the name of the fugue (Little Fugue) in the description, too. for those who want to look it up after the video is over. other than that, great stuff.

[@CASHVAI7]

The video is very interesting, and very comprehensible. Although, at least for me, without any musical formation, is very difficult associate all this concepts without samples of the music you’re talking about. But in general, excellent video. Thanks.

[@paleontologi485]

Wow, the baroque era was much more interesting than I thought! Very well made video, thank you for making this!

[@UnderstandingMusic]

Thank you for.commenting!

[@kaloyaaan]

great video so helpful!!! would love to see more

[@galactus51]

Bravo! Bravissimo! Great lesson!

[@lkmkevinful]

love this one. super helpful for someone who knows basically nothing about music!

[@kaleighfost]

thank you so much this helped a lot for a struggling music theory student!

[@mgzag]

What a cool visual representation, I could watch it all day

[@Gitfiddle]

What a beautiful piece of music. So complicated yet so catchy and hooky.

[@mikecimerian6913]

Thank you, I think I will have to watch a few times. This video is a key to mystery.

[@Miowmio]

Amazing and Awesome content! Appreciated your hardwork. Thank you very much! LOVE IT.

[@Sumarbrander]

Woooooooow that insanely impressive! I will also create a fuge now!

[@alptekin6299]

This video fullfilled its purpose. The piece of Bach which is used in this video changed my perspective of J.S. Bach. Thanks a lot, fugues are marvelous

[@friendoftheoyster3906]

This definitely deepened my appreciation for classical music

[@MrTPF1]

Wow! Great analysis and use of visuals.

[@Dreamscape195]

Thank you for this video xD I was trying to explain why I liked "little" fugue in g minor so much to a friend earlier but utterly lacked the terminology to do so. The closest I could come was likening it to a musical round. I'll have to just send them this video haha

[@eg8718]

great explanations !! The simulation you create to demonstrate the voices is genius ! Best in the web.

[@markus_knoedel]

Thank you for this wonderful video.

[@russellk631]

The visual representations of the music structure helps a lot. Thank you.

[@wademullis7377]

I've seen the word fugue but I never knew what it meant until today. From what I gather it's basically a concept of expressing or sounding multiple melodies simultaneously. Thanks for the example.

[@eu0bservando]

I couldn't praise you more! this was awesome!

[@El_Cacto]

This is a great video, loved the graphical explanation. Thanks a lot for your hard work.

[@FirstLast-fr4hb]

I love the visual illustration of the live song.

[@kentlofgren]

So much knowledge... thx for sharing.

[@franzurjisorabliszt]

If Bach was not well-tempered, we could hear him say "Fugue you!" All the time

[@mihordeadana2368]

=)))

[@Very_Rando_person]

Well tempered clavier ehh?

[@celestialsounds88]

I see what you did there 😂😂

[@michellejacob5190]

Wow - I've never enjoyed Bach before - thanks for a great explanation!

[@CediBeMe]

What a fantastic video (and one I look forward to sharing with my kid)--subscribing.

[@hiulamkatherinechan5733]

Thanks for making this video, it easy to understand, and it's not boring!

[@kelvinluk27]

I like how you have a fugue as background music.

[@bigfuss4135]

I wish you take this positively. The Pain of watching the beginning of this video turns into Joy at the last couple of minutes. I Love Bach music. So I guess, Thank you 😀...

[@SmallBizGeekUK]

I'm fascinated with the visual midi player. I've gone and downloaded and I'm planning to use it for my own music compositions.

[@mariocolon2189]

HI Chris. Im a philosophy Ph.D student. Im currently working about Nietzsche on music and hearing and he mentions a couple of times Bach's fugues. I didnt know the nature and details of this kind of composition and this video helps me a lot. Thank you very much.

[@whitejelly6106]

Fugue is my favorite foxian lady ❤❤

[@j8577798yt]

Wow !! Extraordinary explanation ! Very good !! A must to any musician out there !!

[@OlOIOlOlO]

Incredibly well explained. Please keep doing what you are doing!

[@jimblack8027]

Wow. I know *nothing* about music and found this fascinating. Well done. Thank you.

[@Edward-bm7vw]

Fascinating! Very nicely explained

[@jamescrue]

Chris, great video! Thank you.