Fugue and Canon
One melody, sung against itself, and harmony appears out of nowhere. Sing Frère Jacques as a round, with voices entering two bars apart, and find out why nothing clashes: every bar outlines the same C major chord. That is counterpoint, and a canon is its stricter, composed form. Then follow a fugue built on our own short subject: an answer on G, a countersubject, a third entry, an episode through other keys and a tight stretto, the form Bach used in his 48 preludes and fugues.
In this lesson you'll
- Sing or play Frère Jacques in C as a round, with each voice entering two bars after the last, and hear thirds, fifths and octaves appear by themselves.
- Explain why a round works (every bar outlines or passes through C major, so any two bars stacked together agree) and tell a round, counterpoint and a canon apart.
- Follow a fugue voice by voice: the subject alone on C, the answer a fifth higher on G against the countersubject, a third entry, an episode through other keys and a stretto.
Music in this lesson
- Frère Jacquestraditional · French round, 18th century
- Row, Row, Row Your Boattraditional · American round, 19th century
- Sumer Is Icumen InEngland · 13th century (named only)
- Pachelbel's CanonPachelbel · link to lesson 11 (its falling bass, transposed to C)
- The Well-Tempered ClavierJ. S. Bach · two books of 24 preludes and fugues (named only)
- The Art of FugueJ. S. Bach · unfinished at his death, 1750 (named only)
- The Musical OfferingJ. S. Bach · 1747, on a theme by King Frederick the Great (named only)
Remember
In a round, everyone sings the same melody, entering one after another: Frère Jacques (French, 18th century), Row, Row, Row Your Boat (American, 19th century) and Sumer Is Icumen In (England, 13th century, the oldest known round in English).
Every bar of Frère Jacques outlines, or passes through, the same C major chord, so stacked bars agree. That is counterpoint, independent lines that sound good together, and a canon is the stricter, composed version (like Pachelbel's Canon).
A fugue grows a whole piece from one subject: the answer a fifth higher, a countersubject, more entries, episodes through other keys and a stretto near the end. Entries on the home key and the fifth establish the key, and imitation gives the piece unity (Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, The Art of Fugue, The Musical Offering).