Write a formal analysis paper comparing the two fugues listed below. Remember that this is a comparative paper, and your goal is to study how these two composers apply fugal technique. You should notice many similarities, as well as obvious differences. The two fugues are:
Your paper should compare the two pieces you select, rather than present a 3-4 page paper on each piece. The following topics should be addressed in detail: (1) formal organization (including patterns of entries, use of bridges, episodes, and so on), (2) tonal plan (including a description of how changes of key are effected or how tonal areas are emphasized), (3) treatment and use of the primary thematic material, and (4) contrapuntal devices employed (stretto, invertible counterpoint, inversion, etc.). Other compositional elements such as texture and rhythm may also be discussed as relevant. Try to extend yourself with this assignment, studying aspects of these pieces that we've perhaps not touched on in class.
Include a detailed formal diagram (either a line diagram or in a table format) for each piece showing formal divisions, tonal plan, special devices such as stretto, and so on.
In order to receive an optimal grade for your work, the following deadlines must be met. Failure to meet any or all of these deadlines will result in deductions from the papers overall grade.
You should write in formal English, with careful attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammatical construction. I strongly encourage you to complete your paper a day or two in advance so you have a chance to read through the text carefully for good sentence flow, proper phrasing, and the like. Reading a text aloud can be very enlightening! Improper grammar, and misspelled words detract from the quality of your work, and will have an effect on the final grade. I would encourage you to consult the writing center on campus before submitting your final copy.
Your paper should be organized in a top-down fashion. You should clearly state the premise of your paper, present material to support your main points (including the use of examples), and close with conclusions arrived at during the course of your analysis. In general, avoid the use of the first person (such as "I"), and avoid giving a blow-by-blow description of each piece. Remember, general statements such as "This motive is used in all episodes" must be supported by specific references in the music (a printed example of the motive would also be helpful).
Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of others without giving proper reference. You are welcome to use ideas from outside reading to support your work, but credit must be given to the author. Substantial academic penalty may result from falsely representing ideas as your own! Any material, aside from purely factual information (such as biographical data), obtained from other sources and included in your paper must be properly documented. This usually takes the form of an endnote or footnote giving the author's name, title of source, location of source (if from a journal or encyclopedia), and publishing information (if the source is a book), plus the page number or numbers from which the information came (Consult Wingell, Writing about Music, for appropriate citation format). For this paper, there is no need to use outside references. If you do, however, please observe these cautions.
Unit 1