Printed from the MusicK8.com Idea Bank

Creating Vocal Fugues

Submitted by Julia Matthews, Fulton, Missouri

Idea posted 2005-04-18

I have my students create vocal fugues. First we decide on a subject (i.e., Halloween). Next we create a sentence about the subject (i.e., Halloween is October 31st). Then I have four students come to the front of the class. Each student states the subject sentence in the fugue format for a four-voice fugue, which would be: subject, answer, subject, answer. (I don't deal with the key scheme and the difference between the subject and the answer at this time.) Then we talk about the countersubject, and how it is information that relates to the subject. The countersubject can be in sentence form, in phrases, or even just individual words about Halloween. Then we perform the fugue.

Student #1: subject - countersubject...

Student #2: answer - countersubject...

Student #3: subject - countersubject

Student #4: answer - countersubject

After Student #4 states the subject sentence, then all students talk randomly about the subject. Whenever I point to one of the students, they state the subject sentence, then go back to random phrases about the subject.

My students really enjoy this activity and seem to grasp the construction of the fugue. We listen to several examples of fugues after we create several vocal fugues.