Fugue: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in classical music to describe a composition where a short melody or phrase is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.

• Bach's 'The Art of Fugue' is a renowned work showcasing intricate counterpoint.
• The composer wrote a complex fugue for the orchestra.

Used to describe the technique of combining distinct melodic lines in a musical composition. It emphasizes the relationship between these lines.

• The counterpoint in this symphony is particularly striking.
• Students studied the rules of counterpoint to learn how to write music with multiple independent lines.

Refers to a piece of music where a melody is played and then imitated by another part starting at a different point. It can also mean a body of works accepted as official or recognized.

• Pachelbel's Canon in D is one of the most famous pieces in Western classical music.
• The novel quickly became part of the literary canon.

In music, this describes the repetition of a melody in a polyphonic texture shortly after its first appearance in a different voice. More generally, it can mean copying or mimicking someone or something.

• Imitation is a common technique in Baroque music.
• The child's imitation of the actor was spot on and very funny.