Fugue in G minor for 4 trumpets

Fugue in G minor for 4 trumpets

Youtube Video

Fugue_trumpet.pdf

Hi @Nazariy,

I love how you use the head and tail of the subject for the episodes and fill ups which is great craft! I love how you use countersubjects here since I always find it easier to write with countersubjects anyways as I can just copy and paste if there aren't the errors by invertible counterpoints haha!

B.15 beat 3 to 4 btw Tpt.1 & 3 and b.17 btw. tpt. 2 and 4 beat 3 to 4 is very close to a parallel octave.

Nice stretto in b. 34. The stretto in b.49 doesn't seem very satisfying for me as there is a parallel fourth there in b.50. 

I hope in the episodes there are more different patterns. In many passages you have two voices double each other in thirds or sixths as it is in the tail of subject and countersubject but I think you can add more variety to that!

In b.46 the faxbourdon is a bit strange with A natural in tpt.2 right after the establishment of C minor with an Ab and I think you can add more passages for the modulation instead of having the A natural comes back in a rush. However I do like the ending!

I think one of the shortcoming of the piece is the choice of using the 4 trumpets. The difference of the register between the instruments is not apparent and you use dynamics to signify the entrance of the subject which is good, but sometimes the counterpoint mix up due to their close range and same timbre. The parts keep crossing each other especially that of the tail of the subject and countersubject which may sometimes cause confusion for the independence of voices. Maybe having a brass quartet will be better for the variety of timbre and independence of voice? Though some of them are not necessarily able to play the quick tempo and the timbre needed.

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

23 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I think one of the shortcoming of the piece is the choice of using the 4 trumpets. The difference of the register between the instruments is not apparent and you use dynamics to signify the entrance of the subject which is good, but sometimes the counterpoint mix up due to their close range and same timbre. The parts keep crossing each other especially that of the tail of the subject and countersubject which may sometimes cause confusion for the independence of voices. Maybe having a brass quartet will be better for the variety of timbre and independence of voice?

I must agree with everything Henry said here. While some passages are alright, some others are too "messed up" due to the little distance between voices we have here and the equality on timbre. Henry's suggestion and/or adding different mute indications for each voice.

As a suggestion outside of the musical aspect, I would paste the Youtube link directly here instead of what you did so users can directly listen to your piece without opening another tab. Welcome to the forum BTW!

Kind regards,
Daniel–Ømicrón.

H

I'd like to stand up for your choice of 4 trumpets. There's no doubt it would sound quite different with a brass quartet or something like that. But the 4 trumpets make it sound "ancient" and with an organ texture, which I like. Also, it helps the fact that rhythmic figures are not complicated and that at some points, some voices run in parallel motion.

The subject is jumpy and it took my attention.

some of the following echoes the above, i think. but...

perhaps passages where less than four voices appear would be effective. interludes such as this would give you the opportunity to explore the various themes of the work in more detail and extend it with variety and contrast.

the passage with three voices moving in fourths seems a bit iffy. 46-48

from 48 on, the subject is presented verbatim a number of times. maybe modulating to related keys or using fugal answers for each entry would work better?  except for the last one where the Picardy third might sound even more effective than it does right now. this would make for a very dramatic end to the work. still, as it stands now, it is very well constructed.