The Art of Fugue

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-art-of-fugue

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the musical work type?An unfinished collection of fourteen fugues and four canons exploring contrapuntal techniques
2. What is the composer?Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Why did Bach make The Art of Fugue?He wanted to explore all the ways a single melody can be mixed together, like a big experiment in music that shows how music can be built from one idea.
4. How many pieces are in The Art of Fugue?It has fourteen complex fugues and four special canons, all built from the same main tune.

Counterpoint: The art of combining two or more independent melodic lines simultaneously to create harmonic texture.
Fugue: A complex contrapuntal composition in which a short melodic idea (the subject) is introduced by one voice or instrument and then imitated by others.
Canon: A contrapuntal compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration.
Monothematicism: A compositional approach where a single musical theme serves as the basis for an entire work or significant portion thereof.