fugue

Fugue is a form of musical composition in which a short melodic idea, or subject, is introduced by one voice and successively taken up by others in succession, overlapping to form a complex polyphonic texture. The term fugue originates from the Italian fuga ("flight"), from Latin fuga, a metaphor for voices that imitate or “flee” the initial theme.

Musically, a fugue typically consists of an exposition in which each voice enters with the subject (or an answer) in turn, often accompanied by a countersubject. After the exposition, the piece develops through episodes that modulate and explore keys while the subject recurs in various voices. The texture is contrapuntal and imitative; the subject may appear in different keys, and devices such as stretto, augmentation, and diminution may be used.

Fugues are a central form of Baroque music; Johann Sebastian Bach is among the most renowned masters. Well-known examples include Bach's The Art of Fugue and numerous fugues in The Well-Tempered Clavier. Later composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms wrote fugues and contributed to their late-Romantic and neo-classical revivals. Fugues can be stand-alone works or movements within larger pieces such as organ works, suites, or concertos.

Dissociative fugue, or psychogenic fugue, is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by sudden travel away from home, with an inability to recall one’s past and confusion about identity, sometimes with the assumption of a new identity. It is usually triggered by stress or trauma. Treatment involves psychotherapy and management of underlying conditions; many cases remit over time.