What's the hardest thing when writting a fugue?

What's the hardest thing when writting a fugue?

The most difficult aspect of writing a fugue is setting it up - writing a complete exposition that works, all the parts having entered with the subject in succession. If you can get that far without breaking the fundamental rules, you're almost home free, except that you have to be extra vigilant from that time on that you don't become careless.

Here is a little tutorial on fugue writing that may be helpful to you:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3412

Thanks for the information. A friend of mine was trying me to convince me that a fugue cannot be atonal, and the main reason he gave me is that if you know the most difficult part of writting a fugue then you would realize of that. I have no idea of what he ment... Thanks again

coming up with nice inventions and making them fit

oh yea, and developing the piece

so basically it seems none of it is too hard when u get a feel for it

maybe kind of like driving a car

getting paid...

You could certainly write an atonal fugue; it would have aspects to it that one might recognise as fugal - like voices or instruments making statements of a subject in succession, treated contrapuntally - but it wouldn't follow the established rules that define what a fugue is. Stuff like that gets done all the time. Before I tried something like that, I'd want to make sure I understood exactly what a fugue is from the inside out by writing some that followed the established rules and conventions. Then I'd branch out.

My friend told me that the most difficult thing in writting a fugue is to make a counter-subject that:

1.- works as a bass of the subject

2.- the subject work as a bass of that counter-subject

Successing with it following all the rules is what makes it so difficult.

Do you agree? Since I've never written a fugue I cannot tell.

Those aspects are part of the process of getting a full exposition to work, so yes, I agree, though I'd be more inclined to look at the bigger picture. Not every melody or motive will submit itself easily or successfully to fugal treatment.

What's the hardest thing when writting a fugue?

Imo - fitting counterpoint ideas into good,functional,interesting and pleasing harmony - while keeping a working structure overall.

My friend told me that the most difficult thing in writting a fugue is to make a counter-subject that:

1.- works as a bass of the subject

2.- the subject work as a bass of that counter-subject

Successing with it following all the rules is what makes it so difficult.

Do you agree? Since I've never written a fugue I cannot tell.

what your friend is refering to is invertible counterpoint. this is not absolutely required of fugue, but it helps to make the writing smoother. you could write a fugue without using any invertible counterpoint, likewise, you can write a fugue with no countersubject.

I'd say the most difficult thing in writing a fugue is getting the harmony to function smoothly and to not feel "block-ish". there's nothing worse than a fugue where one feels the harmony change on the beat, at every measure.

maybe before attacking a full-blown fugue you might consider doing some counterpoint exercises?

Thanks for all your posts. Actually I'm not interested at all in writting a fugue, I just wondered about the most difficult part of writting one. See you next time and thanks again !

Could you give me an example of a baroque fugue where there's no invertible counterpoint or there isn't counterpoint at all??? Thanks !

Thanks for all your posts. Actually I'm not interested at all in writting a fugue, I just wondered about the most difficult part of writting one. See you next time and thanks again !

Could you give me an example of a baroque fugue where there's no invertible counterpoint or there isn't counterpoint at all??? Thanks !

there can't really be a fugue without any counterpoint.

for fugues without invertible counterpoint, just examine some of the Bach ones that have no countersubject, I believe a few use little (as in "almost no") invertible counterpoint.

Personally, I think the hardest part of writing a fugue is learning how to write a good and versatile subject.

Thanks for the information. A friend of mine was trying me to convince me that a fugue cannot be atonal, and the main reason he gave me is that if you know the most difficult part of writting a fugue then you would realize of that. I have no idea of what he ment... Thanks again

I've been away from the forum for quite a while, busy with work... During the past summer, being inspired by the fugue challenge thread I tried a lot of fugal writing. I also tried an atonal fugue. It's actually serial, strictly using a tone row and it's permutations. Check it out, I believe it's fairly successful.

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3740