Counterpoint and Fugal Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real BM or BMus Bachelor of Music practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Counterpoint and Fugal Analysis flashcards as text
Which of the following describes 'melodic inversion' as applied to a fugue subject?
Answer: Every ascending interval becomes a descending interval of the same size, and vice versa
Melodic inversion (also called contrary motion) flips all intervals around a central pitch so that rising motion becomes falling motion and vice versa.
In fifth species (florid) counterpoint, what distinguishes it from the other four species?
Answer: It freely combines note values and ornamental figures from all previous species
Fifth species combines half notes, quarter notes, ties, and ornamental figures from species 1–4, producing a flowing, decorative melodic line.
A fugue subject that contains a leap from scale degree 1 to scale degree 5 most commonly requires a tonal answer because:
Answer: Answering the leap literally would emphasize the dominant of the dominant, destabilizing the home key
A leap from 1 to 5 answered literally at the fifth (5 to 2) would imply a modulation, so the answer modifies 5-to-2 as 5-to-1, keeping the tonal center stable.
Which Baroque composer is most closely associated with the systematic demonstration of fugal technique in 'The Well-Tempered Clavier'?
Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach
J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (Books I and II) presents 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys, serving as a cornerstone of fugal study.
In strict counterpoint, which type of motion is always permitted between any two voices regardless of the resulting interval?
Answer: Oblique motion
Oblique motion, where one voice remains stationary while the other moves, is always permitted because it creates no risk of parallel perfect intervals.
The 'countersubject' in a fugue is characterized by which property that makes it useful throughout the work?
Answer: It is designed for invertible counterpoint so it works above or below the subject
A well-designed countersubject employs invertible counterpoint (usually at the octave) so it can accompany the subject in any voice without producing forbidden parallels.
When analyzing a fugue, a 'middle entry' differs from the exposition entries primarily because:
Answer: They occur in related keys other than the original tonic and dominant
Middle entries typically explore related keys (relative major/minor, subdominant, mediant) to provide tonal variety between the exposition and final section.