Bach and the Fugue

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Bach and the Fugue

• Who was Bach?
• What is a fugue?
• Why should I care?

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Johann Sebastian Bach was a famous composer who
lived during the Baroque period. The Baroque
period was between 1600 and 1750. If you do your
math, that period began over 400 years ago!
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Here is what Bachs music looked like. Pretty
confusing, huh?
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Bach wrote music that is still played today, over
250 years after his death. His music must be
pretty good for people to still want to hear it
after such a long time. He wrote so much music
that it fills over 20 volumes!
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Now that we know a little bit about Bach, lets
look at what a fugue is. A fugue is a musical
form that Bach used a lot. In fact, he was so
good at writing fugues that no one has ever done
it better.
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A fugue is like a musical game of Follow the
Leader. You know how to play that game, dont
you? Your job is to follow whoever is in front
of you. Thats kind of like what a fugue does.
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A fugue is also like a round. Have you ever
sung, Row, Row, Row Your Boat? Row, Row Row
Your BoatOne person starts the song, then
others come in, singing the same tune, but not
together. Thats what a fugue is like.
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This is what a fugue would look like if it were a
picture. Do you see how the themes follow each
other, coming in on higher and lower pitches?
5th time
3rd time
2nd time
The theme enters
4th time
Click the speakers to hear the five parts of this
fugue.
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Fugues are much more complicated than simple
rounds. Each part continues to play new material
while other voices enter. The best way to
demonstrate this is to have you listen to the
five parts one more time before you hear them all
joined together.
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Bach starts his fugue with a simple theme on the
viola.
Viola
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Second Violin
Bach brings in the second violin. It plays the
same theme, but higher.
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Here is the theme played for the third time on
the first violins, even higher.
First Violin
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The cellos and string basses take the theme way
down low. How many times has the theme been
played so far?
Cello
String Bass
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Bach brings in the theme way up high in the
flutes. How many times have you heard it?
Flute
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If you guessed the theme played five times,
youre right! Can you name the instruments you ju
st heard?
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The instruments were1. Viola2. Second
Violin3. First Violin4. Cello5. String
Bass6. Flute
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Of course there are more instruments in an
orchestra than those we just heard. In the piece
you are about to hear there is an important
instrument called a harpsichord. This was one of
the most important instruments of Bachs day.
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Here is what a symphony orchestra look like. Can
you find the instruments in this picture?
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You are now going to hear the entire piece. It
is called Brandenburg Concerto in G Major. It
was written by Bach.
Johann Sebastian Bach1685-1750
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Listen for the themes as they make their entrance.
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Wow! That was quite a piece, but I got lost!
Thats the fun of Bachs tunes. Once you know a
little bit about how he builds his music, you can
sit back and enjoy the great sounds.You did a
great job! Congratulations!
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You are now ready to take your online test. Go
to FunBrain.com. When you arrive, enter your
username and secret word. Select the test Bach
and the Fugue. Good luck!