Bach Fugue 16 in G Minor, BWV 861 Analysis Essay

Johann Sebastian bachelors psychogenic psychogenic fugue 16 in G Minor is an example of a received fugue. What is interesting about this piece is that the body of the fugue is comprised of fragments of the subject and countersubject. The genuine within the episodes are a unique to this fugue. Also, inversions are found in key spots within the piece, and also create a proportion between the answer and countersubject.Within the first 3 measures, you find Bach brilliantly transcripts the first part of the answer and positions it at the stop over of the countersubject in an inversion. You also find that there is an inversion between the beginning of the countersubject and the end of the answer. Something similar, using this technique, arises at M. 24 in the alto and soprano section. The acclivity D, E-natural, F-sharp, and G sixteenth note figure is found in an inversion, a descending D, C, B-flat, and A figure, leading into an episode.Normally, episodes do not contain all subjec t matter, but Bach cleverly placed fragments of the subject and countersubject to instigate in modulating to the next closely related key. Measures 8-11, episode one, the fragment(s) are hear throughout every count in different voices, modulating to the relative major of B-flat. this, as well, occurs in episode two. Episode three, occurring in mm. 24-27, is, to some extent, unfitting to the rest of the piece. Here, tonicization back to the home key takes place, while the bass voice begins to mimic a kind of augmentation. The first note of every 8th two sixteenth figure, in order, outlines the subject of the fugue. Together, these two compositional techniques successfully modulated back to the home key of G Minor.In essence, whether it be the episodes modulating to a new key, or tonicizing back to G Minor, the entire fugue comes solely from the subject. Bach achieves this by using fragments of the subject, inversions, tonicization, and augmentation. With these techniques, J.S. Ba ch had successfully compose his Fugue 16 in G Minor.