Fugal Composition: A Guide to the Study of Bach's '48' (Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance)

Eminently readable despite the complexity of its subject, Fugal Composition: A Guide to the Study of Bach's 48 guides the reader in studying the 48 fugues of the composer's Well-Tempered Clavier. Author Joseph Groocock analyzes each of the fugues individually, both verbally and diagrammatically, and includes such elements as overall structure, episodes, stretto, subsidiary subjects, and countersubjects. The appendices and index furnish a ready reference for the scholar or researcher seeking information or guidance on specific points. Meanwhile, the volume's editor supplies comparative analyses using current and previous scholarship on every fugue-illustrating where the author supports or challenges other viewpoints. In all, the analyses contained in Fugal Composition establish the extraordinary diversity of Bach's fugal style, in such a way that readers gain a new understanding of these significant and beautiful works of music. Contents Editorial Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Fugal Style 2. Answering a Fugue Subject 3. Countersubjects 4. The Exposition 5. A Classification of the "48" 6. Group 1: Fugues for Two Voices 7. Group 2: Fugues for Three Voices, without Stretto 8. Episodes (1) 9. Group 3: Fugues for Three Voices, with Stretto 10. Fugues for Four Voices (General) 11. Group 4: Fugues for Four Voices, without Stretto 12. Group 5: Fugues for Four Voices, with Stretto 13. Group 6: Fugues with Countersubjects Introduced after the Exposition 14. Group 7: Fugues with Subsidiary Subjects 15. Group 8: Fugues for Five Voices 16. Episodes (2) 17. Tonality in the "48" Conclusion Appendix A: Episodes Appendix B: Proportions Notes Annotated Bibliography Index Bach's '48' (Books I and II of the Well-Tempered Clavier) are categorized and analyzed as prime examples of Bach's methods of composing fugues. The author groups the 48 fugues according to their structures and then examines the use of subjects and countersubjects among the voices of the fugue. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Joseph Groocock ; Edited By Yo Tomita. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [221]-226) And Index.