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Goodridge -
First, bravo on your first foray. I listened to it a few times and you have an excellent ear and instinct. I myself have not approached the fugue though I have studied counterpoint. Just feel I need to get some more basics of 3 and 4 part counterpoint and imitation before I embark on fugue. Also as Lee said you are starting a little big -- even at university (undergrad level) they start up off with one year of two and three part counterpoint before emvarking on fugue.
So, the good things about what you have -
a) a subject which suggests diminished and dominant harmonies and the the chromatic g g flat (not f #) f provides a very good source of exploration
b) Some nice voice motion - that is voices moves in opposite motion while another is in parallel.
c) despite breaking many rules of 16th and 18th century counterpoint, it "worked" often as you avoided most of the time obvious parallel 5th and octave motion
Now the bad news (some of which has been covered by Lee) -
a) What you wrote is a canon with one episode of truly 3 part contrapuntal movement. The counterpoint is mostly 2 part. Notice around measure 8,9, 10 and 12 that it sounds more like two voices as you usually have one voice moving with a different note value while the other two voices move in parallel motion and/or same note values. Measure 11 though does sound more a 3 part canon.
b) There are several errors - depending how strict you are. One example is the parallel octaves from beat 3 of msr 12 to beat one of msr 13. Now, parallel octaves are allowable in a few cases of counterpoint but with three voices moving downward, 2 of them skipping down by more than a step and onto the strong beat gives the impression one is moving from c to b flat via octaves (even though you have c-d and b flat - b flat, approaching octaves and fifths in similar motion in 2 or more voices often creates parallel fifths and octaves).
Some ideas for study -
a) the counterpoint lesson thread is very good
b) SSC is teaching lessons using the Bach 2 and 3 part Inventions. Use them! If you want to hear and see and "feel" 2 part counterpoint, look at the second 2 part Invention -- probably one of the most brilliant examples you will ever find on this scale.
c) Finally, I encourage you to go for it because this will enrich you vocabulary and improve the quality of your music. It is especially helpful when a work seems to loose flow - sometimes it is due to a counterpoint problem (eg too much similar motion in a few parts or the texture changes too quickly, etc) I know that when I wrote a movement for woodwind quintet (which is incomplete) the study of counterpoint helped alot. If you want to see it let me know -- it isn't stellar but it would give you an idea.
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