We are, I hope, by now getting familiar with fugue-speak – ‘statements’, ‘answers’ (real or tonal), ‘episodes’, ‘inversions’, ‘strettos’ (or ‘i’ if you prefer) and so on, are all grist to our mill. So the time has come, I reckon, to examine that most recondite of fugues in that most recondite of keys, No. 8 in d-sharp. It’s a serious challenge (north face of the Eiger stuff!), but I’m pretty sure we’re up to it.

Course materials:

A (fairly heavily annotated) 3-part score of the fugue:

Fugue No. 8 in d#

Fugue subject:

…in inversion (upside down):

…in augmentation (twice as slow):

… and below (still!) is some general stuff – useful for intervals, key signatures, etc.

Keyboard

Cycle of 5ths

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