three-part invention it now is Fugue becomes Three-part Invention.

Glenn Gould once famously inquired, "So you want to write a fugue?" Well, yes Glenn I did. So I developed a little subject - as fugue themes sometimes want to be - and off I went. After completing it, someone pointed out that it really wasn't all that fugue-ey, that it did'nt act like a real fugue, didn't feel like one either. Upon a bit of contemplation I had to agree with my friend, my first attempt at fugue-ing did not turn out as I had hoped. Oh, woe was me, with my little still-born, only fugue-ISH, creature. But then I fixed it with a mere twiddling of fingers in Sibelius. I re-christened it and turned it into a Three Part Invention, a transformation stunning in its simplicity and effective-ness and all since then has been right with its world. This is not to say that I or the non-fugue make any claims about its musical value but at least it doesn't need therapy now, there shall be no inferiority complex allowed with him/her.

I give you now a three part invention: 

https://youtu.be/KevrO_w2dGk

On 2/6/2021 at 6:52 PM, Advanced Blowhard said:

Glenn Gould once famously inquired, "So you want to write a fugue?" Well, yes Glenn I did. So I developed a little subject - as fugue themes sometimes want to be - and off I went. After completing it, someone pointed out that it really wasn't all that fugue-ey, that it did'nt act like a real fugue, didn't feel like one either. Upon a bit of contemplation I had to agree with my friend, my first attempt at fugue-ing did not turn out as I had hoped. Oh, woe was me, with my little still-born, only fugue-ISH, creature. But then I fixed it with a mere twiddling of fingers in Sibelius. I re-christened it and turned it into a Three Part Invention, a transformation stunning in its simplicity and effective-ness and all since then has been right with its world. This is not to say that I or the non-fugue make any claims about its musical value but at least it doesn't need therapy now, there shall be no inferiority complex allowed with him/her.

I give you now a three part invention: 

https://youtu.be/KevrO_w2dGk

 

 

PDF

• Student Fugue 1

Hey Chris, this is really good! I really like how you developed the subject and cycled through many different keys along the way, which made it interesting each time the subjects returned in a different mode/key. 

I'm no expert on Bach-style counterpoint or baroque music in general, but I think this fits the idiom quite well. If I'm not mistaken, inventions usually develop one subject, but I like how you took it to another level and gave it kind of an ABA form (having a first subject, developing it, then introducing a second subject, developing it, then returning to the first subject) I think having that second subject in there in the middle made it more satisfying when the first subject returned in the tonic key right before the end.

Thanks for sharing! Studying baroque music is always a fun logical exercise.

8 hours ago, gmm said:

Hey Chris, this is really good! I really like how you developed the subject and cycled through many different keys along the way, which made it interesting each time the subjects returned in a different mode/key. 

I'm no expert on Bach-style counterpoint or baroque music in general, but I think this fits the idiom quite well. If I'm not mistaken, inventions usually develop one subject, but I like how you took it to another level and gave it kind of an ABA form (having a first subject, developing it, then introducing a second subject, developing it, then returning to the first subject) I think having that second subject in there in the middle made it more satisfying when the first subject returned in the tonic key right before the end.

Thanks for sharing! Studying baroque music is always a fun logical exercise.

 

i approach the subject of my "Student Fugue" / "Three part invention" with some trepidation because I do not like to gush over my own pieces in public (only in private and very very often,  not really, just being at least a bit silly) but goddamitt i like the result of my first attempt at through "composing" a piece that i did not actually compose, as i think i have mentioned elsewhere in the YC stacks, but instead just figured out a fugue theme (that in the end did not fugue so well), followed standard fugue format for first three entries and then just notated down in Sibelius things I heard or at least thought i heard in my head and let things develop as they would and eventually did which brings me to the following questions:

1. "ABA form": in the famous words of Urkel, "did I do that??" wasn't planned, is ABA form inherent in my and/or everyone else's brain to at least a certain extent?

2. "then introducing a second subject": in the famous words of Urkel, "did I do that??", pray tell where and what you think that second subject is because I did not explicitly intend to do it and am curious what you mean.

3. cycled through many different keys: no Urkel quote here because i did do that even though exact modulations were not thought out in advance. I have sometimes thought about going back to this piece to find out exactly what i did harmonically but have never gotten around to it.

And yet, it works "musically" i do say so myself, no "if" required because I do say but a major reason for all of the above is to frame this question for all YCers: have you ever had the experience of producing something that you did not know you were? How did that work out for you? Related, have you ever or often gone back to previous works and noticed things in there that you had no idea or at least not much of an idea they existed?

am i gushing? if so, then so be it and then i think we should all gush more and similarly as i find it so interesting to know how anyone produces the things they do (hmmm...I suppose we do have some gushers here on YC. Good show, guys/gals! (((wait, any gals here???))).

gmm, thanks for kind words and most of all your analysis. in appreciation to you and to all who may or may not have read this far, I present the following Urkel clip - i wanted to do a "did i do that" one but found this one first, i love Urkel but had never seen this performance before, one in which i imagine Jaleel White  knew *everything* about, hence its masterful delivery and just doing a "did i do that" would have been way too obvious, pedantic whilst still being a fond remembrance  of mine - and your? early TV watching:

2 hours ago, AKAChristopher said:

1. "ABA form": in the famous words of Urkel, "did I do that??" wasn't planned, is ABA form inherent in my and/or everyone else's brain to at least a certain extent?

2. "then introducing a second subject": in the famous words of Urkel, "did I do that??", pray tell where and what you think that second subject is because I did not explicitly intend to do it and am curious what you mean.

I was referring to the theme in the first voice that starts at m.45. At least as a casual listener this seemed to have enough importance to be considered another subject, but it sounds like this happened subconsciously (though that's not a bad thing).

Very good job! Unfortunately, strict baroquian counterpoint is not my strong in composing (though, I love playing and hearing it), so I can't give any good input to this, if it needs.